By the time Henry and Esme left the hospital, the sky was pitch black and glistening with the silver stars of the night. Esme kept hold of Henry's hand while they walked, as she still felt a little dizzy when she looked up or around, and he was the ultimate gentleman; continually asking her if she was okay or did she want to rest.
"Buddy, i'm fine. Just a little dizzy that's all," she said, as she put her arm around him, mostly to comfort him but slightly to balance herself.
"I'm sorry we made you do that. I didn't know it would make you-"
"Make me? You didn't make me do anything squirt, okay? I wanted to help Regina and that was the only way. And i promise, it's nothing a sleep wont solve,"
"Which brings me to our next problem, you can't sleep on that couch for the rest of your life. Why don't you take the spare bedroom and Roland can stay with me?"
"Oh, thank you honey but that room is Roland's, and you only have one bed in your room!" Esme laughed, pushing his head playfully.
"We can make a pillow bed or something. But that isn't really the problem is it?" Henry asked ominously.
"What are you talking about?" Esme laughed. She knew exactly what Henry was talking about and where he was going with this conversation and, although she knew she needed to tell him the truth at some stage, she neither wanted nor expected to do that tonight.
"You know what. How are you with, you know, everything?"
"I've told you, little brother, that i'm fine," Esme joked, putting Henry in a joke headlock.
"And i'm telling you, big sister, that i know you're not," he said, poking Esme jokingly in the the ribs which he knew she hated.
"Is it mom? Robin? Me? Roland? What is it? Because i know it's something, Ez," he asked. Esme removed her arm from his shoulder and started picking at her nails, the same thing Henry's mom did when she was uncomfortable. "Ez, i know you're trying to protect me but you don't have to. I can't imagine how hard this must be for you-"
"Henry, i don't know what you want me to say! It's not you or Roland, I promise. I just…. I just don't know how to be a daughter…i guess. I don't know what to say or how to act with them and i feel so guilty. Did you see them today? Regina actually looked like i stabbed her when i said i could leave and its just weird to me, that i have that power to crush them because they actually care.."
"I'm sure it's weird for them too, sis. Are you angry with them?"
"No! No, not with them. I'm angry at the situation, yeah, but not with them. Especially after baby Henry- i just don't know why someone would put them through so much-" Esme began but she stopped mid sentence. She felt Henry tense up when she mentioned their baby brother that Regina and Robin had lost and she wondered why. She didn't want to push him, so instead she took his hand again, and allowed him to explain to her how he was feeling by himself.
"Do you…. do you think mom remembered on some level about baby Henry? And that's why she named me Henry?"
"I honestly don't know squirt. Henry was her father's name right?" Esme asked, to which Henry nodded. "I think that's the reason she named both of you Henry. She loved her father because he was a good, kind man and maybe naming you and baby Henry that was a symbol of the kind of man she would raise you to become,"
"I.. I never thought of it like that.."
"You weren't a replacement, Henry. Trust me, your mother worships the ground you walk on because she loves you, not because she wanted you to replace him," Esme said, kissing the top of Henry's head.
"Thank you. You know they love you, right? We all do," he said.
Esme looked at him and smiled because it was typical Henry; he was the first person that she spoke to here and even then he comforted her. She kissed the top of his head and continued to walk towards the forrest to get Roland.
"Look at you being all affectionate!" Henry joked.
Esme laughed, "I know! You boys have changed me i guess!" she joked and in response, Henry ruffled her hair. Esme then chased him down the street to get him and it turned into a playful game Esme greatly needed and enjoyed. That was until they heard a fracas in the main town square and the two immediately ran towards the noises.
When they arrived, they met the Charmings and Will.
"Where is Roland?!" Esme said, her heart sinking to the bottom of her stomach.
"She has him! I couldn't st-"
"Who has him?!" Esme screamed, trying to ensure Will heard her above all of the running and cracking noise.
"The Dark O-" Will began.
"Emma!" Snow corrected. Esme knew that she was struggling to come to terms with her daughter slowly becoming the darkest being in all of the land, but right now, that daughter was a threat to her brother so she was no longer Emma, she as the dark one in Esme's eyes.
"And why the hell does The Dark- Emma have my brother?" she asked, confused as to why Roland had anything to do with Emma. She had isolated herself in the forrest for the past few weeks, probably worried about the danger she posed to everyone else, and she only tried contacting Henry once or twice in the past few weeks. In hindsight, that was probably a sign she was gaining confidence but Esme just assumed that she missed her son and so she allowed Henry to go see his mom if, and only if, she came too.
"She wants to see Henry," Snow said, not even looking at Esme. When Esme turned to see what she was looking at, she slowly began to shake with anger. Emma was holding Roland with one hand, and shattering windows or cause lightening bolts to clatter down from the sky with the other; she was putting a seven year old in danger to make a point that she could. Esme turned to Henry, who was just as horrified at the sight of his mother putting little Roland in such danger, and told him to stay put. She knew that he wouldn't listen but she began running towards Emma when Charming grabbed Henry.
"Stay there Henry!" Esme shouted as she ran through the terrified crowd towards Emma. She felt a pair of hands grab her waist and was forced to stop.
"Wh-" Esme began but she stopped when she saw who it was. Granny was holding her waist and looking at her as if she was a lamb running to slaughter.
"You be careful now, you hear?" Granny said, upset that Esme was putting herself in a potentially dangerous situation and Esme forgot how much she missed her. Ever since the accident, Esme could only work a couple of shifts in the diner a week and had to move out of her room in the hotel, so she went from seeing Granny every day to one or twice a week. Although she had this hard exterior, Granny was a sweetheart; she cooked Esme huge pots of food for her and the boys to eat, she would help Esme with the housework in Regina's house, she gave Esme some of her granddaughter Ruby's old clothes. Slowly, the two formed a friendship that transcended any age barrier and the two of them looked after one another, like family.
"I will. Now go, be safe!" Esme stated, kissing her on the cheek and then running towards Roland. When he saw her, he screamed her name and there was nothing in the world Esme wanted to do more than to run to him, throw Emma through the tower and take him home but she had to remember that this was Henry's mom and he was watching.
"Esme!" Roland squealed as Emma shattered one of Granny's windows in the diner, which incensed Esme further.
"It's okay little man!" Esme shouted. "Leave him alone, Emma!"
"I believe Snow told you what i want," Emma said, far too calmly, as she forced a lightening bolt to crash to the ground around a meter away from Esme. Esme jumped out of the way and heard Henry call her name but she had to remain focussed on Emma, who was worryingly volatile.
"She did, but do you really think that kidnapping Roland is going to get you access to Henry? I'm afraid i don't speak crazy person," Esme shouted.
"He's my son!" Emma squealed, scaring Esme and terrifying little Roland, so much so that he began to cry.
"And he's my brother!"
"For all of five minutes!"
"Be that as it may, he is safer with me," Esme said as calmly as possible under the circumstance, trying to diffuse the situation so that Roland wasn't absolutely traumatised.
"I'm his mother, he is safer with me!"
"Is he!? Look around you! Look at how terrified Roland is!" Esme said, hoping the sight of a terrified little boy would prompt the human Emma to come through, just long enough for Roland to get away from her grip. But this failed, and as Emma looked at his wet little face, a villainous smile spread across her face and Esme realised that diplomacy wasn't going to work.
"I wonder how you're daddy would feel knowing that you let his cute little son die!" Emma taunted. "Do you think he could forgive you? I mean, he's already gave you up once-"
"That's not going to work, Emma," Esme calmly tried to explain, slowly walking closer to them both.
"Ohhhh? Truth hurt?" Emma cooed, still smirking.
"Lets not forget you gave up Henry, Emma, so lets not play the abandoned baby card," Esme retaliated. She realised this wasn't the best idea, but she couldn't let her slander Regina and Robin, not after everything they had done for her; although she wasn't expecting what happened next. Emma pushed Roland aside and hurled fireball after fireball straight at Esme. Although Regina had taught her how to deflect them, it was enough to put Esme on edge and she realised that she would have to show this version of Emma that she meant business. Roland was crouched down on the ground, too terrified to move incase Emma hurt him, and Esme realised she needed to get him and everyone else, away from Emma and fast. While she dodged the fireballs and giant cracks of lightening, Esme tried to formulate a plan, the main objective of which was to get to Roland.
"I want Henry!" Emma said, sending one huge gust of black smoke at Esme, who her hands up in defence and closed her eyes. Regina had taught her to visualise what she wanted but she had never been able to; until now. The fear must have jump started her survival instincts and so, as she slowly opened her eyes, she saw her hands had created a clear, glistening shield, which the smoke cascaded off in a wonderful display of twists and swirls.
"Well you can't have him!" Esme shouted, moving towards Roland, who looked so tiny and vulnerable with glass shattered all around him and flashes of lightening illuminating him. He saw her when she was mere feet away, and as she lowered one of her hands to reach for him, he ran immediately towards her behind the safety of her shield. The sight of her leverage in safety seemed to incense Emma further and she missed Esme and Roland with a thunder bolt by mere inches, but then she stopped; stopped the fireballs, stopped shouting, stopped everything. Esme paused for a second, not taking her eyes off Emma, waiting for something else to happen but it didn't and whenever she turned around, she understood why. Henry was in the centre of a circle created by what looked like every single resident of Storybrooke. They were protecting him, and not just with their bodies; they had potions, bows and swords all aimed at The Dark One. The sight of the entire town protecting her brother warmed her heart, but it wasn't quite enough to reassure her that Roland was safe; Emma looked like she was calculating her next move, not contemplating defeat entirely. Esme lifted Roland and held his head as he buried it into her neck before she slowly began backing towards the town people. She was almost there, around 10 meters away, when a vile, terrifying smile spread across Emma's face and Esme could do nothing but crouch down to Roland and tell him to run. She turned around for a split second, to see Granny holding her arms open for Roland to run into, when she felt herself being pulled and thrown. Her back whacked against the gutter of one of the buildings and she fell to the ground, the force of which caused a searing pain to race up her legs, and she was stunned into stillness. Emma walked slowly and confidently up to her, her black coat billowing and her hair that was now scraped up into a bun glistening, and whispered to her.
"If you won't give me my son, i'll take him," she gloated. She then kicked Esme hard in the stomach and began walking to the town people, who looked terrified. Esme felt such pain, it was like she couldn't move, but she knew that if she didn't people were going to die, possibly her brothers. The whole situation was a painful rreminder of when Zoe came to one of the towns Esme had found refuge in; she slaughtered the woman who had helped her, in her own home, while Esme hid in her basement, too paralysed with fear to do anything. She had lived with that image for 4 years now - it haunted her - but she wasn't that person anymore. Back then, she had only herself to think of, she could barely use her seer powers let alone any witchcraft and she thought she was running for her freedom. Now, she had a family she wanted to actually get to know, she had powers she could actually use to protect people and she was stronger. She couldn't let Emma hurt any of the people in that crowd, especially not Henry or Roland, so she forced herself to her feet - which hurt but not like something was broken. She steadied herself on one of the pillars that Emma hadn't blown up in her rampage and watched as Emma pranced slowly towards the crowd, like a lioness hunting her pray, and Esme was filled with anger.
"Actually, you won't," Esme shouted, hoping to distract her long enough so that she could think of one of the spells Regina had taught her. This wasn't like last time with Zelena, when Esme could channel Regina's power; she had only herself and her power to use. Emma turned around and laughed but Esme's ball of white light was already on its way to her and it hit her hard in the gut. Esme was prepared for a full on battle, completely aware that the spell she cast wasn't going to stop Emma for long, but she wasn't quite expecting what happened next. The spell had caused Emma to fall onto her butt, but as she slowly got up, she looked around and Esme had a feeling that the real Emma had returned. She looked at Esme, saw the cuts she had and the limp she was walking with and covered her mouth.
"Oh.. I'm… I'm so sorry.." Emma said, walking slowly towards Esme, but Esme backed away. Esme saw the hurt in Emma's face, but she didn't trust the woman who had thrown her into a building mere seconds ago, and she really just wanted out of this situation.
"You need to stay away, Emma. This isn't safe, okay? Not for anyone, especially not Henry," Esme began to explain, returning to diplomatic means. "Why don't you let us put you in the town penitentiary? That way we can keep you and everyone else safe until we find Mer-" But before Esme could finish, Emma poofed herself away and she vanished into the night sky Esme had admired mere minuted ago.
Esme turned around and Granny was already behind her, putting Esme's arm around her shoulder so that she could provide her some support walking, but it was useless; seconds later both Henry and Roland came running to her and almost knocked the two of them over. Esme hugged them both tight, and they her.
"Okay now boys give your sister some room, we have a leg to fix," Granny joked as she continued walking towards the cafe. Esme laughed as the boys obeyed instantly and walked towards the Charmings and anyone else who was following Granny into the bashed up diner.
"We haven't seen the last of her, have we Granny?" Esme asked, hoping that the boys didn't hear.
"I'm afraid not, honey. I'm afraid not," Granny said, holding Esme's hand that was around her shoulder.