So there'll be a reunion in this chapter and I hope you all like it! :)

I do not own OUAT.

"I can't believe we're finally here!" Emma exclaimed, pulling her mother in for yet another hug. Her state of elation was hardly touched by the cool, damp air that blew around them. Loosening her grip and leaning back, Emma scanned their surroundings to get an idea of just exactly they were. "It's the well," she marvelled. "It really does have magical properties." She mounted herself onto the step and angled her body just enough to take a peek into its depths, her hands running over the rough, uneven stone just to make sure it was real. To make sure they were really home.

She felt a tug at the sleeve of her jacket and turned around to meet Mary Margaret's sparkling eyes. "You did it," she breathed with wonder.

"Yeah…I guess I did." Emma took another look around her finally understanding that them being back home was all her doing. She used magic to send them through a magical mirror. That was what she did. And no matter how many times she repeated that in her head, she was positive that she'd never fully comprehend that. Although, that may have been the contributing factor to the overwhelming fatigue she was hit with as soon as she took a moment to collect her thoughts. The light-headedness had faded and left an erratic thumping between her eyes; her arms ached and her knees were on the verge of buckling – of that she was sure. Must be a delayed reaction.

Instinctively, she grabbed onto her mother's forearm to remain steady. Unfortunately for her, Mary Margaret was a tad bit more perceptive than Emma had originally thought. "You need to sit down for a few minutes, Emma. You need to rest."

"No," she protested, starting to walk away. "What I need is to see my son and tell him I love him. Rest can wait."

"But Emma you can hardly walk," the brunette laughed quietly at the blonde's stubbornness when it was clear that walking in a straight line was pretty much impossible. But deciding against entering into an argument, Mary Margaret quickened her pace to meet alongside her and draped an arm around her waist, inviting Emma to throw one around her shoulders.

"Thank you," Emma said. "I just…I just need to see him."

"I know. I know what it's like to need to see your child." There was a sadness to the brunette's tone that alarmed Emma. And as if out of nowhere, a sorrowful thought struck Emma as they ambled: Mary Margaret never got to see her child.

"Are you okay?" That seemed as good a question as any. Vague enough to tempt a response.

The woman tightened her hold and gave her a bright smile. "Of course I am. I'm with you and we're going to be reunited with my grandson and my husband; my family will be together. And that's the way it should be…forever."

There was still something about the way she said things that piqued Emma's interest but right then all she could focus on was remaining upright and keeping on the path towards the apartment.

Reaching the outer limits of the woods, Emma released a loose sigh as the town's streets came into view. Her energy was starting to settle and she found it much easier to keep an even pace but that tiredness was not going to disappear any time soon. "Who would have thought that magic would be so exhausting?"

Mary Margaret smiled softly. "Don't worry, Emma. You're only tired because you're not used to exerting that much force. Once you get a handle on things, you won't even feel the effects of it."

"Woah, hold up. Get a handle on things? Who said I was going to get a handle on things?" Yes it seemed that there existed some form of magic inside of her…somewhere, but as far as Emma was concerned, wherever it was, it was going to stay there. She had no need for magic, no desire to shoot lightning bolts from her palms. Besides, magic always came with a price and she didn't want to find out ones she'd have to pay.

"Emma, magic is a part of you. Now I don't really know how or why but you have something special inside of you; something only a select few possess." Funnily enough, Emma hadn't pictured her mother as pro-magic, especially when her daughter was concerned, so her reply only served to confuse her.

"What are you talking about? Rumple, Regina, Cora – they all have magic. I don't really see magic as something unique anymore."

Mary Margaret tightened her hold ever so slightly, her free hand latching on to one of Emma's. "Oh but in your case it is. Both Regina and Cora had to learn how to use magic. They had to practice and learn different spells and incantations whereas you already possess it. You don't need spell books or colourful potions; you are already powerful. What you have cannot be taught; it comes from within."

"You sound like a Lifetime Original Movie," Emma scoffed, anxiety creeping its way into her voice. The idea of some purple gunk nesting inside her waiting to be released made her stomach churn and to hear that she was possibly more potent than Regina and Cora just heightened the stakes. Would she be able to control it? What if her dreams to leave it settle and ignore it never come to fruition? It was a lot to take in. Too much.

"Emma-"

"Look," she pointed ahead to the block where their apartment was located. "Home, sweet home."

The brunette's expression broke out into pure joy as she began striding with purpose and excitement and Emma couldn't help but be infected by her radiance.

They were going to see their family and magic and all that came with it would be pushed aside for a while.

They raced up the stairs, their feet barely touching the beaten wood as they propelled themselves forward. Ignoring any object in their way they reached the front door and both stopped abruptly to gather their breath. There were so many emotions running through Snow's mind that it was hard to decipher exactly how she was feeling. She was nervous, anxious, excited, jittery; but most of all, she was really happy. It was kind of like opening the door to a first date and experiencing all that came with that monumental moment.

But of course, she wasn't on a date and she wasn't meeting Charming for the first time. Nope, she was just going to reunite with her husband. The time had come for them to move on with their lives and figure out what their roles were in Storybrooke as Snow and Charming, and as parents. The future would no doubt be demanding and bewildering, but it was also something to look forward to.

She wondered what Charming would be wearing. It was silly but out of everything, she was curious as to what he was wearing. Would it be a simple t-shirt and jeans or would he opt for a more formal look of a tight-fitting shirt? She supposed that her preoccupation with her husband's attire was more to do with being separated from him and his presence than just plain, old fashion.

Brushing the intricacies of the door with the tips of her fingertips, she drew in a breath and looked to her daughter. "You ready?" she posed, drinking in her expression that appeared to be a finely balanced mixture of hyped enthusiasm and about-to-fall-over-in-sheer-exhaustion.

"Let's do this."

Turning her hand into a fist, she knocked on the door three times and waited.

After what felt like eternal seconds, Snow could hear shuffling from beyond the barrier and her heart quickened. "Coming!" a voice rang and it took almost everything Snow had not to kick down the door and embrace David. He was really there; the time had finally come. Emma, who probably noticed the brunette's twitchy manner, took her hand briefly and gave it a soft squeeze, letting her know that she was there for her. As if her heart couldn't swell or quicken anymore.

Then the click came. Snow held her breath. Emma's frame became like stone.

The door swung open and there in its gap stood the sandy-haired, ridiculously handsome love of her life.

He didn't want to answer the door. He was too caught up in figuring out a plan to get Emma and Snow home, too lost in his own thoughts to pull himself away from the desk he had made his home since they had gone. Everything he had been doing was for the greater good of his family and luckily for him, Henry was just as determined as he was in his mission and was only happy to help in any way he would let him; be it by finding out information or simply doing chores when asked.

"Coming!" he yelled, putting down the pen he had been clenching for the best part of three hours. Reluctantly, he sauntered over to the door, yanking on the handle with impatience and using his right hand to lean against the door frame.

"Charming!"

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, his pulse electrified. His head shot up to see the two women that he had spent every waking moment searching for. Snow and Emma. His wife and daughter.

There were no words to describe what he felt in that instance. Before he could fully grasp what was happening, his wife was crashing into him, enveloping him in an all-consuming hug. Instantly he wrapped his arms around her and held her as close as possible, relishing the familiarity of the warmth of her body against his and feeling the softness of her hair as it brushed across his cheek. He ran his hands up and down her back as if reminding himself that it was real, that he wasn't dreaming and pulled away just enough to press his forehead to hers. "Snow," he breathed with heavy emotion. "You're really here." Angling his head ever so slightly he kissed her – gently at first but then with more passion as she responded, tangling her fingers in his short hair and it was then that he fully let go and surrendered to the extent of which he had so dearly missed his wife.

"Where else would I be?" Snow replied with a smirk, pressing her lips to his again and lightly following the scar on his chin with her thumb.

"Mom!"

David didn't have to move much to see where his grandson was coming from because he was over to Emma and in her arms in no time. It lifted his heart to see just how much Emma had grown as a mother in the relatively short time he had kind of known her and as she lifted the boy into the air and back down again – tears escaping her eyes – his heart was filled with pride and joy.

"I missed you so much," he whispered to his wife, drinking in her beauty.

"I missed you more."

"But how…? When…? What happened?" he asked, still completely stunned by the past couple of minutes. He had spent weeks trying to find portals or people that could lead him to portals only to come up short and left more desperate than before. Every moment he had was thrown into the search. And as each day passed, his desperation increased to dangerously high levels and he started to doubt and lose faith in the one thing he was always sure of: true love. But now as his arms were still clinging onto Snow for dear life and his daughter was embracing her son, he realised that he should never doubt in something that was more powerful than anyone could have ever imagined possible.

"Well…" Snow teased, breaking out of his hold and jerking Henry into her open arms, giving him a quick kiss on top of his head. "It's a bit of long story that we will tell you about-"

"Just as soon as we shower and change our clothes!" Emma interrupted.

Seeing Henry after all the time that had passed was indescribable. Holding him in her arms, his wrung around her neck, was a moment she would cherish forever. It was the little things - like how he voluntarily tightened his hug when she told him she missed him so much, or the way he smiled when pushed the hair out of his eyes, or even when he called her mom – that, until that moment, Emma had seemingly taken for granted but now held a new form of significance, and she felt all of the emotion she had bottled up well within her and pour out like water from a tap. She didn't care if anybody noticed; she was crying because she was so happy to have her son back in her life. Being away from Henry was torture in itself and everything that she did – they did – was linked in with finding a way back to him. All roads led back to her family.

Mary Margaret was kind enough to allow Emma first shot at the shower and the blonde didn't think twice about taking the opportunity. In record time she had bolted up the stairs, literally grabbed the first set of clean clothes she could find and escaped to the bathroom. The water's heat stung her skin into a dusty pink and Emma stood there, letting it tumble down and wash her thoroughly. It was like a cleansing ritual; like the water was removing every scrape, scar, wound, dark memory of her time in the Enchanted Forest, and sucking them down the drain to a place where they couldn't hurt her anymore. As she plied her hair with shampoo that smelt like strawberries, Emma realised that she hadn't really had any kind of reunion with her father. They had locked gazes and exchanged warm greetings but Emma needed to properly reunite with him. Of course that was difficult enough with David and Mary Margaret being practically sown together at the hip.

Though she didn't know David as well or as closely as her mother, he was still her father and getting to know him was a top priority for her.

Turning off the water and stepping out of the shower onto the chilly tiled floor, Emma dried herself down with some formerly white bath towels. Holding the cloth to the light she could see that the towel was now a light pink rather than the brilliant white it used to be. She couldn't help but smile at the colour change noting that the two boys needed a lesson in the art form of laundry.

She threw on an old pair of navy sweats and a red tank top, tamed her tangled hair with a brush and tossed the towel over her shoulder before joining her mother and father in the living area. Being in new clothes was like a religious experience; Emma was completely rejuvenated. Almost like a new person. She'd be happy if she never saw that burgundy leather jacket ever again.

"Shower's free," she remarked to Mary Margaret who was snuggled in close to her husband.

"Thank God!" the woman exclaimed, hopping up from her position, hugging Emma swiftly and dancing lithely out of the room. All Emma could do was chuckle at her mother as melodic notes rose into the air combining with the noise of running water. Now that she thought of it, Emma hadn't heard Mary Margaret sing before.

She averted her gaze from the floor to meet that of her father who gave her a sweet smile as their eyes met. Now it was her time to say something. "You need to separate the colours from the whites," she said, lobbing the dyed towel to the man. Of all the things she could have said, that was what she went with. Really? She could have smacked herself at her own stupidity.

"Yeah, that was a lesson that I had to learn the hard way," David responded, folding the damp cloth neatly on his lap. "I don't think Henry was too impressed with me turning his socks and underwear pink." He let out a…well, a charming laugh. "It's kind of ridiculous actually; Prince Charming can't do laundry. I bet that wasn't a story you heard growing up."

"Well in fairness there weren't any washing machines in the forest," Emma pointed out with a smirk, taking a seat next to him. David stiffened slightly at their close proximity.

"Very true." He fell quiet briefly and rubbed his hands together. A nervous tick, Emma surmised. "I'm so glad that you're okay; that you're back home, where you belong. Where we all belong. Together as a family." Whatever it was in his voice, be it sincerity or affection, Emma was overcome with emotion and did something she thought would take her much longer to do. She leaned over and hugged her father. And it wasn't some half-hearted pat on the back, limp hug, but a full-blown, two-armed, tight embrace and David needed absolutely no time to react because he was already pulling her closer into his hold. "Oh, Emma, I missed you. I missed you so much."

Her voice a little shaky, she replied rather quickly. "I missed you, too."

I hope you guys didn't mind me giving a small part of this chapter from David's point of view; I just wanted to try it out! So what did you all think? Not fluffy enough or too fluffy? How was the reunion, did you all expect more? Less? I really hope you liked what you read :D Please review and let me know what you thought!