SORRY THIS ONE TOOK ME SO LONG. LIFE GOT IN THE WAY. I HOPE YOU LIKED LAST CHAPTER AS WELL AS THIS ONE. AS ALWAYS, FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED.
DON'T OWN IT.
"Where the Hell is he?" Emma paced back and forth in front of the living room window, looking out onto the sunlit dirt road. "He was supposed to be back two minutes ago."
"Em, I'm sure he's just happy and walking slow because of a day dream." Graham assured her.
"Honey, can you please sit down? You're going to wear a hole in the floor." James asked, his eyes concerned.
"Not to mention you'll get dizzy." Snow handed her a mug of hot chocolate. "Your dad's right."
"Fine." The blonde sighed, taking a seat next graham. She let him hold her mug while she watched the window, one hand resting on her slightly rounded stomach.
"Yes, I'll be your pack mule." Even this didn't crack a smile. Graham frowned. "Do you want me to go look for him?"
"Yes." Emma nodded vigorously. "I can come."
"Nope, you're gonna stay with your mother." James pulled his coat off of the rack.
"Oh, come on. I'm not a child and I don't get lost anymore." She rolled her eyes.
"Stay. Please?" Graham got up.
"You really think something could've happened to him, don't you?" Emma looked up at him with unsettled eyes.
"It's just a precaution. Can I have your gun?"
"It's –it's upstairs… in my top drawer." She hated her shaky it came out. "That kid's gonna give me grays…"
"Emma, we'll find him." James promised.
"You listen to me." She stood up, surprised at the strength in her voice. "If you're not back in half an hour, we're going after you guys. Are we clear?"
"Yes." A small smile played across his lips. "You know, you should go back to being Graham's Deputy."
"Hey." Graham put a hand on James' shoulder, turning him. "Do you really think something could have happened?"
"I already answered that when Emma asked." The king winced at his tone and word choice. "Sorry. I'm just worried."
"So something could have happened."
"There are lots of people out there who want to make me and Snow –all of us– suffer. Using Henry to inflict it? You know as well as I that in this world, it happens more often than not. Emma doesn't know that yet, so let's not tell her."
"She has a right to know." Graham said. "She's his mother."
"I'm just trying to protect her." James replied.
"You can't protect her forever. You know damn well that the second she finds out you're keeping this from her, you may lose all the trust that you've formed. Don't let that happen." Graham's voice was dangerously low.
"She's my daughter. It's my job to protect her."
"I don't need to be protected." Emma said from ten feet away. Even at that distance, the men could see the shock and hurt written across her face.
"Emma, it hasn't been half an hour." James stepped closer.
"Don't." The blonde hissed. "Don't come any closer. You really thought I was going to let anyone but me look for my son? You should have told me about the kidnapping thing! What else have you lied to me about?"
"Emma!" Snow yelled breathlessly as she came around a corner. "I told you to wait."
"I'm not putting my son's life at risk because of that moron." She pointed at James. "Maybe you really are more like David Nolan than Mom thought."
"Guys?" Henry popped out from a bush.
"I'm going to kill you." Emma snapped, but hugged her son nonetheless. "You're really late. Explain."
"I got lost at the fork. I realized I took the wrong one and knew I was going to be late, so I was looking for a shortcut."
"And you're not lying to me?"
"Who would try to?" Henry shrugged.
"Good. Cause you're not. Next time that happens, Kid, just stay on the main road. At least we'll know where to look next time."
"Honey, are you okay?" Snow saw her shaking.
"Yeah, I just… I need some space, some time." Emma looked around for an escape, but saw no immediate one. Her pregnancy made running almost impossible. Then she started hyperventilating. "Graham…" She choked out. In an instant he was by her side.
"I've got you, Ems. You're okay."
"Can't breathe."
"You're gonna be okay." He kept her from falling over as she blacked out.
"What happened, Doc?" James asked, pacing back and forth in front of the hospital bed that Emma was laying on.
"The princess had a major panic attack. I know it's not my place to ask–"
"You can ask us anything." Snow smiled warmly.
"How did… what occurred just before she passed out?" Doc said after a moment.
"We got into an argument. It was pretty bad and she couldn't run away from it, from us." James' voice broke on the last word. "Excuse me, I should probably tell Henry what happened." Snow watched him sadly as he exited the small room.
"When do you think she'll wake up?" She asked.
"I can't imagine it'll be much longer." Doc assured her. "Just make sure she gets plenty of fluids."
"We will. Thank you, Doc." Snow gave him a one-armed hug when he left.
"Is she going to hate him now?" Graham asked, placing a hand on his wife's ankle. "I'm so scared she's going to revert. I can't lose her, I cannot lose my family."
"Oh, Graham…" She pulled him into a tight embrace. "She said that to me once, back in Storybrooke after I tried to run because I was being framed for murder."
"Do you think she's going to run?" They looked at each other, tears in both of their eyes.
"Not with a baby on the way, no. But I do think we need to stage another intervention."
"She was doing so good." A tear rolled down Graham's cheek.
"We'll get her back to that."
SORRY FOR THE DEPRESSING CHAPTER. I'LL TRY TO HAVE THE NEXT ONE UP ASAP.