David's truck skidded to a stop on the side of the two lane road, kicking up a spray of gravel from where the pavement had worn away. The drive to the location about 15 miles outside of Storybrooke was almost entirely silent with Killian riding in the passenger seat silently and Neal in the middle staring at his phone as though it might offer more than a vague dot of where Henry's phone occasionally emitted a signal.

"There's not a bloody thing out there," Killian said, breaking the silence as David unfastened his seatbelt and cut the engine on the truck.

"Flashlights are in the box in the back. Radios too. Nobody go too far without contacting the others." David's door opened, letting in the cold air that only compounded when Killian opened the passenger door. There was an unsure moment as Neal looked between the two doors to decide which side to slide out on into the night.

David tossed both men a radio before calling into talk to Robin, Graham and Ruby who were all up the road a piece. It was unusual, David thought, to have three law enforcement professionals and three civilians searching for missing people. Back in Storybrooke there were more, as Regina and Mary Margaret made calls to hospitals. Elsa and Anna were scanning lists of shops, garages, and gas stations. Tamera was helping Granny to put word out to the local media as they prepped food for all the teams in case the searching took much longer.

"We've got the North and East quads. You've got the South and West. Check in with me in 15?" Graham's accent seemed stronger in times of stress.

"Copy that," David answered, shooting the beam of the light toward a clump of trees. A hub cap from some sporty car reflected brightly. Quickly he moved the light into another direction, catching sight of Killian and Neal pushing through the thick and nearly bare branches. For one moment it appeared that Killian might let one of the branches snap back onto Neal, but he restrained himself and motioned mockingly for the other man to walk ahead. David shook his head, knowing he probably would have let the man suffer a bit more.

***AAA***

Mary Margaret pinched the bridge of her nose as she took a breath from staring at the list that she had printed out of the local hospitals and 24-hour clinics. None had admitted or treated a woman or her son over the past few hours. That news had left Regina reeling with ideas that perhaps she was not wrong to be suspicious.

"Emma wouldn't do that. I've known her for a long time. She's not that kind of person."

"She's disappeared whether through her own volition or through foul play," Regina stated again. "I don't much care which at the moment except that she has my son with her."

The teacher almost reminded her that Henry was Emma's son too, but it was not the time or place. Clearly, despite Regina's hard exterior, the woman was worried about her little boy. She was concerned that her decision to trust Emma had blown up in her face, blaming herself for the decision that had put her son in danger. "He's fine. They will find them. I know it."

Tamera delivered two cups of coffee to the women, smiling tentatively. "Any luck?" she asked.

"Not a bit of good," Regina answered, holding the cup just an inch or so from her lips. "I suppose we are relying on your fiancé and his ability to stalk my son through the use of a cell phone. That's comforting."

The man's fiancé was hesitant as she slid herself into a seat at the table, her long hair pulled back tightly and her dark eyes blinking back what Mary Margaret imagined were tears threatening to fall. "He's not a bad man," she said shakily. "I know you don't want to hear that. Not after how he's tried to contact Henry without your permission and how he's threatened to take you to court."

"I'm not impressed with him so far," Regina spat before taking a long sip.

"He's…he's different than he used to be. He may have been legally an adult when he was with Emma, but he wasn't really ready for any of it. He wasn't ready for the responsibilities and the pressure that came with it. He was just trying to prove himself and prove his father wrong." She paused, looking down at her own empty hands and probably wishing she had gotten herself a drink too. "He didn't know Emma was pregnant. It's not an excuse. He shouldn't have let her take the blame for everything. He does regret it."

"A heart of gold," the mayor sneered. "Forgive me, Ms…"

"Tamera," she finished. "Just call me Tamera."

Huffing a bit at the informality of it, Regina grumbled a . "Forgive me, Tamera, but I don't think that his having daddy issues is any excuse for what he did to Emma or to Henry. He not only abandoned her, but he had her take the punishment for what he did. He ran away from his responsibilities in both respects. I'm not even counting his actions toward a son he didn't know existed or the fact that he abandoned his father."

Giving the mayor and teacher a barely perceptible nod of agreement. "I'm not condoning it," she explained, avoiding their incredulous stares. "I'm saying he's different now. He's not that person anymore."

"Yes," Regina said in that sickeningly sweet tone she used when she was being sarcastically agreeable. "I'm sure he's a saint now. That's what saints do now, isn't it? They stalk their ex's with GPS and God knows what else. So impressive. So endearing."

Tamera's jaw dropped slightly as she prepared to say something back. However, the words seemed to get caught in her throat. Giving a feeble smile to Mary Margaret, she slipped back toward the kitchen and busied herself with the assembly line of breakfast sandwiches that Granny was setting up for the team.

***AAA***

Killian wondered if his heartbeat would ever be the same. As he made his way along the side of the road, gravel crunching under his boots, he realized that his heart had been failing to beat properly since he first saw Emma in that bar. She had seemed like a cross between an angry tyrant and a delicate flower sitting there shoving off free drinks and drunken flirtations. Even in her attempts to relegate him to the same rejected fate, she had let her eyes connect with his and revealed a hint of the woman underneath that armor she wore so well.

His heart had skipped a beat when she first smiled in his direction, again when she had asked him to play along as her date in front of Ruby. Her laugh made his chest stutter, as did the light touch of her hand on his skin. Kissing her had not lessened the effect on him, even after it became more common. He'd felt pain in his chest when she was upset. And felt pride when she had opened herself up to let her son into her life. It had flipped in his chest when he told her he loved her, seeing the surprise, fear, and hope in her wanting expression. And he knew that if she ever chose to say it back to him that he might just feel his heart beat out of his chest.

However, traipsing along the side of the road and searching amongst the rocks and trees for a sign of her had his heart reacting in other ways. There was the fear when he thought he saw something, the disappointment when he didn't, and gnawing feeling that he was missing something. His heart fluctuated between his throat and the pit of his stomach.

"She still looks the same, you know?" Neal asked, his lanky form leaning on a tree as he again checked the phone. "She's tougher now. Smarter too, but when I saw her I remembered the first time we met."

"I don't care to hear this," Killian said, his free hand touching his pocket again to feel the phone. It was a strange talisman, but one that brought at least some feeling of connection to her.

"Didn't figure you would," Neal answered. He sighed in resignation as he shoved the phone into his pocket. "Signal hasn't moved at all. His phone isn't on, but every once in a while there is a signal from the tracking device."

"It's a bloody marvel," Killian muttered in return. He wasn't sure if Neal was making small talk or asking for a congratulatory message in return for his abilities. "We haven't looked over here yet." He indicated a different area with the flashlight and stomped over toward it.

"David's good at finding people. Emma too, but I think she learned from him. It's not just the sheriff thing. He's just naturally good at it."

Killian didn't doubt David's abilities, as he heard the same assessment from Emma. However, he wouldn't mind a little proof at the moment.

Neal skipped a step or two, catching up with Killian and walking along side of him. His flashlight shone on one side of the road as Killian's did on the other. "How'd you two meet, anyway? Party or something? Mary Margaret set you guys up on a blind date?"

***AAA***

The drop off on the side of the road was steep and David's steps stuttered as he lowered himself down the edge of it. He hadn't seen anything on his first glance, but the trees were spaced enough at one end that a car could fit through them. His gloved hand caught himself on the trunk of a tree, clinging to it as he replaced his flashlight with the radio to answer Graham's call.

"Nothing yet," he transmitted. "Still looking."

"Any word from your other two?" Graham asked.

"Negative. Killian may have killed Neal or tied him to a tree some place. Hard to tell." The radio crackled as he transmitted the message.

"Arrest one of them if you have to."

"10-4," David said with a slight chuckle. It had not been an ideal situation to have Neal and Killian together, but David had hoped they would be mature enough to handle the situation. All thoughts of that left his mind when the glint of a bumper reflected into his eye.

Lurching forward, David half ran and half stumbled down the incline without regard for the rocks and roots that marred his path. "Emma!" he called out at least three times as the yellow Bug came into view. His hand was inches from the door handle when he heard her reply.

"David?"

Swallowing hard, he yanked at the door until it opened and revealed her to him. She was curling her arms around herself and blinking owlishly toward the beam of his flashlight. "Emma, are you okay?"

She nodded her head erratically, gesturing with her chin toward the crumpled front of her car. "I'm fine. Henry's…he hit his head on the windshield. He's been in and out of consciousness. I don't know how long. He's still…He's breathing and doesn't seem to be in much pain, but…"

David nodded, shifting the light toward the passenger seat where the boy appeared to be nothing more than asleep under his mother's coat. She had wrapped him up as best she could against the bitter cold. "I'll call for some help, but you? You're okay?"

She gave him a watery smile, allowing her eyes to close briefly as if she hadn't dared to so much as do so before. "My leg's caught under the dash," she explained. "I don't think it's broken, but I can't get out. And I think I must have left my phone at the pizza place or the gas station." She wrapped her arms tighter. "It was warmer with the door shut."

"Such a princess," David teased, wrenching off his own coat before radioing the others. He instructed Killian and Neal to call for medical assistance and informed them to bring blankets and the tool kit from the truck before they headed down. He called Graham next to inform them of the location.

"You called out the cavalry," Emma remarked in her best attempt levity. David had climbed around to the other side of the car and after a bit of fighting with the door figuring out that Emma could roll down the window. His hand was searching out for Henry's pulse. Letting out a sigh of relief when he both found it to be strong and saw the lights of both Killian and Neal approaching. He couldn't help his own relief when he watched Killian use his own jacket to cover Emma and then place a blanket on top. He couldn't hear what was being said, but he was glad to see the exchange.

Neal slipped and slid his way toward where Henry was, the man's breath catching at his first up close sight of his son. Offering a reassuring nod to the man, David straightened himself up to standing and made contact with Graham again.

"How long have you been down here?" Killian asked, enveloping Emma's hands in his own and rubbing them vigorously.

"After the pizza place we stopped for gas," Emma said, her voice not as strong as normal but less shaky. "I realized a few miles down the road that I had left my phone, but I didn't know where. So I was making a u-turn when I hit a patch of ice and skidded off the road. We came to a stop here between these trees." She shivered slightly. "How did you even find us?"

His blue eyes closed, Killian resembled a man in prayer as he leaned forward to blow warm air onto her exposed skin. Neal's voice was soft as he said something to Henry, wrapping the other blanket around the boy and tucking it in as if putting a child to be for the night. "That would be Neal, love," he said with a slight hitch in his voice. "Neal was trying to track you by your phone, but once we found it we realized that was of no use. So we tracked you with your boy's phone."

Emma turned her head with some effort to stare at Neal and then back to Killian. "Henry has a phone?"

"Aye," Killian said, sliding her gloves back onto her warmed hands. "I imagine it must be in his bag. Regina said she only recently bought it for him. David drove us to the area where the signal indicated. He's been quite the professional despite the two of us prating about like a bunch of gits. Thankfully he found you and your boy."

Upon hearing David clearing his throat and waving a metal bar in his hands, Killian leaned in and kissed her temple lightly. "I believe the sheriff would like to get you freed, love. Why don't I let him get to it and we'll have you and your boy back at roadside before the ambulance arrives?"

***AAA***

Killian's prediction that they would be up to the roadside was a bit of wishful thinking, but David was able to pass Henry through Emma's side of the car and into Neal's waiting arms so that he was ready for the paramedics to attend to immediately. With Killian's help, he freed Emma's leg and ignored her protests as Killian carried her up the embankment just as Neal had done with Henry.

"I'm a grown woman and I'm perfectly capable…" she said doggedly, despite winding her arms around Killian's neck as he kept one arm on her back and the other under her knees.

"You are more than capable, my love," Killian told her with a mix of affection and his own stubbornness. "But indulge me, please. I have been left holding nothing but your phone. I would much rather hold you."

Even in the harsh lights of the rescue lamps and flashlights, David and Killian could see the slight pinkness of Emma's complexion. Her blush not matching her eye roll at his cheesy statement. "Don't drop me," she bantered back, acquiescing to his attempt to hold her.

By the time David made it up the hill and spoke to the paramedics, he was rolling his own eyes at Emma's protests that she wanted to accompany her son and not be treated. She was just as stubborn as ever as she clung to Killian's arm, the poor man left to a kneeling position in order to hold her as the paramedics ignored her not so polite quips that they were not doing their jobs properly.

"They are trying to make sure you're fit and well, love," he said, his mouth hidden as he rested kisses onto the crown of her head. "Your boy is in good hands."

"They should be working on him," she protested, nearly kicking the young EMT who was attempting to take her blood pressure. "He's the one who hit his head."

"They are, love," Killian said soothingly. "Your boy is just in that ambulance there. Neal's with him and Regina's meeting us all at the hospital. Now be a good girl…"

David let out a chuckle as he remembered his own mother saying a similar phrase to Emma when she had hurt herself playing basketball. Emma had screamed at the antiseptic spray hitting her skin in such a way that Ruth had worried the neighbors would complain. She'd told her to be a good girl and not scare the world over a simple scrape.

"You never were much for medical attention," David said, adjusting the blanket over her shoulders. She had not noticed yet that Killian was still without a coat, as she would have been protesting loudly about that. "You never change."

Emma's eyes were glassy from unshed tears as she looked up at him. "Henry's going to be okay, right? You're going to check on him?"

Nodding his head, she stooped down on the other side of her. "I will, Emma. You'll be able to see him too once you let these men and women do their job and treat you."

She sighed heavily as Killian and David exchanged a look over her head. "Fine, treat me," she said. With that single sentiment, she threw out her arm to check her blood pressure and even stuck out her tongue to allow one of them to check her throat.

***AAA***

As promised, Emma was able to check in on Henry before being sent to x-ray to see about her leg and other injuries. He was still sleeping, but the doctor promised that he should be waking up soon. The IV's and other medications would make him groggy, but his injuries were minor and he should be fine. That news was enough to calm Emma slightly. She didn't protest the rest of her own tests and soon found herself in a private room waiting for her as the tests were analyzed.

Ruby and Mary Margaret shared a chair in Emma's room with Ruby evaluating the physical attractiveness of each and every male medical professional who entered the room, walked by the open door or appeared on the infomercial style programs looping on the television.

"I just said that white isn't his color," Ruby protested in a quiet but forceful tone. "He should go with something more like earth tones."

"He's a doctor," Mary Margaret said dubiously. "The white coat is part of the job. I'm guessing you didn't notice the wedding ring."

"Accessories on a man can be gauche." Ruby grinned mischievously. "Maybe I need to look for a man with a better uniform." She all but winked at Graham who nervously cleared his throat and informed the room he was going to go check in back with everyone left in Storybrooke.

Emma wiggled her toes under the thin blanket on the bed, surrounded by Killian, Elsa, and David. "You guys are doing nothing for my reputation as a loner." She laughed as she leaned her temple against Killian's shoulder and her cheek rubbing against the flannel material of his shirt. "But I suppose I owe you all a thank you. God knows how long Henry and I would have been down there if you hadn't looked for me."

"I'm not sure my measly contribution is anything more than payback for finding my sister," Elsa said. "Anyway, it these guys doing the searching."

"And David doing the finding," Killian said contritely. He smiled at David who shook his head.

"You didn't really think I was going to let you stay lost," David said, affectionately pushing back a few strands of her hair. "And on a purely selfish note, it felt damn good to do something good for a change without worrying about how it would affect my performance in the election."

Emma reached out her hand to grasp his. "Does that mean you're planning to stay at the station? We'll still work together?"

David smiled tentatively. "I spoke with Graham about it while you were in x-ray. He said he would be glad to have me on board."

Yawning, she squeezed his hand. "Good. Then you can take the holiday shift this year. I hate being on turkey and ham patrol."

"We'll talk about it," David chuckled. "Mary Margaret may have me too busy with wedding plans. And…" He shot a look back at his fiancé. "See, we've moved up the date on the wedding."

Emma's eyelids were heavy and she struggled to focus on her foster brother and current supervisor. "I'm sure there must be a good reason," she said drowsily.

The nervous titter of the teacher's laugh grew louder as Mary Margaret rose from her seat to stand beside David. "Well, fitting into my mother's wedding dress is the reason," she said, placing her hands delicately in front of her stomach. "See in a few months I won't be able to fit it even if I let it out all the way."

With a quick glance at Emma to gauge her comprehension, Killian smiled to the couple and said a muted congratulations as Elsa giggled. "Wait…" Emma said, lifting her head and looking at each of her visitors in turn. She finally settled her green eyes on Mary Margaret. "You're pregnant?"

The teacher nodded her head, wrapping one arm around David and keeping her other hand over her stomach. "I'm not trying to be old fashioned and say I have to get married before I'm showing. I've just always dreamed of wearing my mother's wedding dress. So we're going to do this in December."

Emma threw her arms open with uncharacteristically cheerful vigor, waving her hands until she could get the couple to lean in and embrace her. "This is so great," she said over their shoulders. "I'm going to be Aunt Emma."

Thoughts?

I didn't want to leave it with Emma and Henry missing this week while I work on school assignments. So I gave you a short, but hopefully nice chapter to tide readers over.