CHAPTER 8

Emma checked in on Regina before she left to go to the inn. She was sleeping peacefully. Emma kissed her on the head as smoothly as she could but Regina's eyes fluttered as she withdrew. She smiled up at her and grabbed her hand pulling her down but Emma resisted. "I'm going to go and get my stuff."

Regina gave her a wide grin, "Hurry back."

"I will. You just rest." Regina settled down again with a smile upon her face and Emma gazed upon her for another moment before turning and leaving. Henry was staying behind to keep an eye out for his Mom. She waved at him playing video games as she walked out, "Bye kid."

"See ya Ma," he called out as the door shut behind her.

Emma stopped to pick up a couple of empty boxes. Ruby and Granny just gave her identical frowns when she crossed them in the hallways. Emma dropped her head guiltily to hide her face behind her hair. They were the last two people she wanted to be on the outs with but it didn't look like they were going to get over things anytime soon. And to be honest, it was starting to piss her off. She'd already explained enough that this was the best solution. And that she had thought things through clearly. She was getting about tired of their attitudes.

She began to load up her boxes. This was definitely better than when she'd moved in here. Then she was trying to get away from her so called family. Now she was going to embrace a new family.

She drove over to the inn and got a room for her and Henry. She even had a cot brought in especially for Henry. It was weird enough sharing a room with an 11 year old boy. Sharing a bed was just too gross for her to contemplate.

She texted Neal to let her know when he was ready for Henry to come home. She instructed him not to take him to her parents because they needed to talk first. Neal texted back he understood and it would be a few hours more if she didn't mind. Emma let him know that was fine with her. She brushed her teeth and lay down for some much needed rest.

A few hours later and her phone beeping is what woke her up. "Hello?"

"Emma, it's Neal. Henry and I were about to head back now."

"Don't bother. I'm right across the hall from you."

Neal being Neal looked around as if there were cameras in the room, "What do you mean?"

Emma rolled her eyes. He really was a bonehead. "I mean, I'm right ACROSS THE HALL from you. Or down it rather. I'm in room 227. Just drop him off here," Emma disconnected the phone and ran her hands across her face. She jumped out of bed and went over to freshen up in the bathroom.

Moments later, there was a knock on the door. When Emma pulled it open, Neal and Henry walked inside. "Ma? Whats going on? We were all supposed to have a family dinner with Grandma and Grandpa," Henry looked around at their stuff that Emma had carried up earlier.

Emma smiled at him hoping that she wasn't alarming him. She had only just realized that he'd already been uprooted twice now and there was a third waiting to happen soon. She didn't want him to pick up her nomadic ways but there was no other choice. "Yeah, kid. We're not staying there anymore," before Henry could go on she continued, "We're going to find our own place here soon."

She turned to Neal, "Thanks for walking him over."

"No problem." Neal took in their surroundings, "so if we're not eating at your parent's house, how about we have dinner together?"

Henry grinned. He loved the idea of the three of them being a perfect family. He knew it was his happily ever after. He jumped up, "Yeah Ma. Family dinner sounds perfect. Come on Dad," he pulled Neal downstairs towards Granny's.

Emma shrugged into the mirror and followed them downstairs. She was starving.

They walked in just as her parents were walking out. "Hi Grandma, Hi Grandpa," Henry greeted them as if it was a natural thing. "We were just about to have family dinner. Do you want to join us?"

Snow looked over his head at Emma, "Emma, we weren't sure if you were going to come over for dinner or not so - ."

"Yeah. That would be a not for the foreseeable future," Emma tried to brush past them.

David grabbed her arm, "Emma, you can't allow that witch to break up our home. We're family. And we need to stick together."

Henry was confused. He had no idea what was going on or why Emma seemed to be so mad at her parents. This was their happy ending. All of them were supposed to be together as a family. And Emma was ruining it. "What's going on?" he looked around to all of the faces of the adults surrounding him.

"Your grandparents were trying to keep me away from my child just because I love your Mom," everyone gasped. "That won't be happening," Emma shook her head while staring down her parents.

Neal stood uncomfortably behind them shifting from foot to foot. He wanted to be anywhere but there right now. "Why don't I take Henry and go inside?" He reached for Henry's shoulder.

"No," Henry shrugged him off. He began yelling in the middle of the street. Patrons inside the diner and on the streets looked up taking in the royal family, "What are you doing?! You're trying to ruin everything! This is our family! It's our happy ending! And she's the Evil Queen! You can't be with the Evil Queen!?"

Snow looked at Emma with a smug smirk on her face that Emma actually honestly thought about slapping off. David crossed his arms and nodded his head.

Emma glared at her parents before turning to Henry. Her face was reddened as she smiled around at everyone staring at them. Then she turned to her son, "My happy ending involves me being happy and not what someone else has told me I should be happy about." She opened the door and pushed Henry inside, "Let's eat."

"I'm not hungry!" Henry screamed at her.

"You're going to be something else if you don't stop yelling at me!" Emma hollered back. "Right now I'm hungry. And whether you are or not doesn't matter right now. You're going to sit there quietly and eat or don't eat. But you will not be raising your voice at me again! Do you understand me?" Henry crossed his arms and glared at her. Emma lowered her voice to a growl and glared back at him. "I said do you understand me?"

Henry jumped a little nervously. His answer was to storm into the diner and throw himself down into a booth.

Emma looked at her parents. "I think you've done enough for today don't you?"

"Emma we - ," Snow began. But Emma just walked into the diner ignoring them.

David put his arm around Snow. "She just needs some cooling off time. We'll give her some space and then we'll settle this out. We're family. And family doesn't give up on family. That's the most important thing," he smiled over at her as he directed them back to their apartment.

Snow sniffled and buried her head in his chest. They walked home silently lost in their own thoughts.