Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time or its characters

Rating: T for mild language and innuendo

Chapter 4

Emma glanced over at the clock as she finished putting on her mascara, the green of her eyes shining behind her lashes. After dropping Henry off at his friend's house, she had gone back to her place and spent the last two hours watching reality TV and trying on various outfits during the commercials.

She had finally decided to wear the little black dress for dinner tonight, her usual go-to on any company cocktail party. This particular one hugged her curves to the waist, the bottom half flaring out slightly and coming to rest just above her knees. It was certainly feminine and sexy in its own right, but with an undertone of grace and strength; exactly her style.

The fact that she felt jittery had less to do with meeting Josef tonight and more to do with the odd events of earlier today. Although things took a stranger turn this morning, the vision she had from the apartment proved things were getting worse. Perhaps a night out was just what she needed to try and calm her nerves.

Spraying on the vanilla perfume Henry bought for her Christmas last year, Emma ran her eyes over the dress for the hundredth time that night. She didn't want to send the wrong message to Josef, but certainly wasn't afraid to dress nicely for the occasion either.

They had gone out to restaurants together before, mostly brief ones after work or lunch with Henry during their trips to the library. Since his art studio was right down the block from their neighborhood, it was just convenient for these impromptu meetings to occur.

Emma knew that Josef probably did have feelings for her beyond friendship, but something else beyond being hurt by Neal had always held her bacK. Despite how much she cared for and trusted Josef, there was always a feeling like she was waiting for something; for someone else.

The door bell rang and made her drop her mascara wand, the black makeup smearing across her lid. Swearing under her breath, Emma wiped it off with a tissue and then ran to greet him, her heels clicking across the hardwood floor. She quickly smoothed her hair over before opening the front door.

The dark-haired man stood tall and thin and wore his usual dark blue dress coat for the chilly October night. Josef's initial look was one of shock as he briefly scanned her up and down, but he recovered quickly and he broke into a wide smile, his plump lips spreading across the entirety of his face. Emma returned the grin as she leaned in to hug him.

"Hey there."

Since he was so tall, Emma didn't tower over him in her three inch heels, easily pulling him into a hug. The scent of roses filled her nose, as he always kept one in the pocket of his jacket, the aroma reminding her of the garden he tended to behind his condo. Josef slowly pulled away and held her at arm's length.

"Emma, you look lovely."

Blushing at his words, she reached over for her wool coat, the red contrasting nicely to the black heels that matched her dress.

"I hope you're hungry," she smiled, "I plan on ordering the 2lb lobster tonight."

The interior of Ostria was just large enough not to feel crowded, but small enough to get the intimate feel of being at home. A fire roared in the corner as Emma handed the greeter her coat, and she allowed the warmth of the room to envelope her.

Josef slipped him a tip and they were ushered to their table in the back, away from most of the other guests. Emma could smell the roasted garlic and tomatoes wafting from a brick oven not too far away. He pulled back her chair and she sat down, giving him a grateful smile.

Josef leaned in closer to her, his arms stretching across the table. One of his hands came to rest upon hers and Emma didn't tense or pull away, though she did not return the affection gesture.

"You didn't tell me what the occasion was, Emma. To what do I owe the extreme pleasure of an intimate dinner with the most exquisite woman in New York?"

She shook her head, biting down a smile and gently swatted his hand away, accustomed to his flattery. Emma really had no one else to talk to about her vision besides the therapist she had starting seeing six months ago, but if she told him about this, they'd be sending men dressed in white coats to her apartment.

Josef must have noticed the smile fading from her face, because his expression was now serious, his brow furrowed in concern.

"Is everything alright, Emma? Is it Henry?"

She inwardly smiled at his concern for her son and shook her head no. "Henry's fine, it's just that-"

"Hello there, folks. My name is Patrick and I'll be taking care of you this evening."

Emma and Josef both nodded to the waiter and settled into their seats as he handed them their menus.

"Now, I know that you two probably came back here for privacy, so feel free to shoo me away if I get to be too pesky."

Patrick waggled his eyebrows at Josef and Emma bit back a smile at the gesture. It looked like this guy was going to make their dinner quite interesting.

"Would either of you like to start out with some wine this evening?" Emma knew the answer to that one without thinking twice.

She met eyes with Josef for a moment, silently giving him permission, and he ordered them a bottle of the 2007 La Massa Toscana Giorgio Primo, her favorite. They spent more time than she could count sharing a bottle while strolling through art exhibits or listening to Chopin and trading stories about heinous coworkers.

Patrick grinned widely at Josef, his teeth gleaming in the dimly-lit area of the restaurant. "Ok Sweetie, no problem. I'll go grab that and give you some time to look over the menus."

As he walked away, Emma watched him with mild amusement.

"Well, he was certainly animated," she mumbled, as Josef glanced over his shoulder at Patrick and nodded his head in agreement.

"Perhaps he's also an artist at heart."

"How is the exhibit coming?" Emma glanced up from her menu, noticing the way the firelight caught the silver flecks in Josef's dark hair. "I thought I was going to get to see your newest works tonight."

Josef shook his head with a frustrated sigh. "Well, I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. We had a minor set-back with the Avante-Garde piece."

Eight months ago, Emma wouldn't have been able to even understand what Avante-Garde meant, let alone rub elbows with some of the most acclaimed artists and collectors in New York. It was strange to think that she really hadn't known him long, but he was one of the most important people in her life.

She and Josef had met at a local fundraiser that was hosted by the organization she worked for, the CCA or Center for Community Alternatives, which benefited underprivileged children and teens who were trying to make a better future for themselves. During the dinner, she had made a comment about someone finishing a 2lb lobster and Josef had intervened thinking she had said "eaten like a mobster." They had a good laugh about it and used the 2lb lobster joke anytime they were really hungry.

Josef was still chatting on about the exhibit and he must have noticed her tuning him out slightly because he stopped and smiled at her. Embarrassed that she was caught, Emma blushed and set down her menu.

"I didn't mean to bore you," he chuckled, "I just get so caught up in my work, as you know." Josef leaned closer to her again, keep his voice low. "You were about to tell me what's troubling you."

As much as she wanted to keep it to herself, it was probably a good idea to get another perspective on this. Besides, Josef was a trusted friend.

"Well-"

"Here we are… a bottle of our 2007 Giorigio Primo." Patrick had arrived with their wine and was already working on the cork. "And are we celebrating an occasion tonight?"

Emma glanced over at Josef, who merely shrugged. "No, this just happens to be her favorite."

"Well, it's one of my favorites too, actually," Patrick added, twisting the corkscrew. "No one does a red quite like those geniuses in Tuscany."

The bottle opened with a resounding pop and poured for Emma first. "Since the lady chose, she may have the initial taste to see that all is in order."

Josef raised his eyebrows expectantly at her, as Emma let the spicy cedar-like aroma fill her nose. She closed her eyes appreciatively as the wine slid to the back of her tongue, the hints of blackberry coming through as it finished nicely with the well-balanced tannins.

She nodded and Patrick poured them both a glass each. "Have we decided on dinner?"

Emma ordered a margherita pizza and a side salad with Ranch. She just couldn't resist Ostria's home-style Italian pies. Emma would share one with Henry for lunch on the rare days they would come to this part of town, but tonight she was hungry enough to finish one alone.

"I'll have the Arrabbiata special, with shrimp please," Josef said, hesitating before asking. "Just how spicy is the sauce?"

"Oh this dish is remarkably spicy, not exactly for everyone's palate."

Josef merely shrugged. "No, that's fine. I'm a man who enjoys spice in his life," he said, glancing over at Emma, then handing the waiter both menus.

Patrick raised his eyebrows at that. "I'll keep that in mind," he said, then slipped a wink Josef's way as he took the menus and took off toward the kitchen.

Emma grinned at the waiter's tenacity, inwardly noting how Josef never seemed to back down from a challenge, verbal or otherwise.

He set his wine glass down again, before he turned his attention back to Emma, his narrow eyes boring in hers. "Now, why don't you share what's on your mind."

Emma looked up at Josef through her lashes, deciding how best to begin. He knew about some of the dreams she had over the past year, but nothing had ever happened like what took place earlier today. Still, he was really the only one she could trust with this.

"I had another dream this morning."

Josef didn't seem surprised at all, sipping his wine before placing it back down on the table. "A bad one, like before?"

Emma had told him about the one of her falling through a gaping vortex of swirling wind after being attacked by some floating, ghost-like creature in a hood. She seemed to remember three other people in the dream with them, but the smoke from surrounding flames had covered their faces.

They all seemed to be trying to get the creature into the vortex, but somehow Emma had been dragged through herself. She woke to Henry shaking her before anything else had happened. That particular dream had scared her the most, as none of the other ones had been violent.

One of the two women had short, brown hair and Emma was sure she had seen her in some of her other dreams. They've had intimate conversations, always seeming to be supportive and comforting. She never mentioned her name, but this woman's face was the only one Emma could see in vivid detail.

The rest of the dreams were all strange and somewhat vague, people's faces always seeming blurry and covered in shadows. It was like missing pieces of a puzzle, none of them connecting or forming a theme. For the past few months, though, they seemed to be getting more vivid and detailed.

Josef was always willing to talk to her about them, despite the fact that she rarely had any insight to help make sense of these strange visions.

"Emma?"

He grabbed her hand again, this time more gently, edging on the side of caution. "Was it like the one with the hooded figure?"

She shook her head no as the fire crackled nearby, its flames gleaming off of the exposed brick walls.

"No, it wasn't as frightening as the last one." Emma pulled her hand back slowly, giving Josef a look of determination. "This time I was alone on a ship in a thunderstorm."

He raised his eyebrows, but didn't respond. She could hear the distant clattering of dishes in the kitchen behind them.

"I heard a person scream right before I woke up. It was faint, but it something about it seemed almost familiar." Emma looked over at the older couple sitting two tables over to make sure they weren't listening.

Josef nodded for her to continue, rubbing his hand across his angular jaw line.

"I know it sounds odd, but in this dream, it was as if I felt like I was there; like I knew where I was and had been on that ship before."

"What do you mean; like a memory?"

"That's just it; technically they all seem like memories, as if they came from a past life or something. None of it makes sense and I never believed that any of them could be real… at least, not until today."

This had surely caught his attention and Josef's brow furrowed at that. "Why do you say that?"

Oh, he's just going to love this part. "Well, I had a visit from someone shortly after I woke up."

"A visit from whom?"

"While Henry and I were eating breakfast, a man I've never met before knocked on our door. He was dressed in leather, like a costume of some kind and he even knew my name."

"A costume?" Josef was already sounding confused, and Emma couldn't rightly blame him.

"Well, he said that he knew me, and to be honest it seemed like he really did. The guy said my family was in terrible danger and that I should listen to what he had to say."

"And by family, he meant Henry."

Emma noticed the temperature in the restaurant seemed colder now, and she shuddered slightly.

"No, he told me that I have other family and friends who I don't remember. He claims Henry and I lost our memories, and the ones we have aren't our real ones."

Josef shook his head slightly in disbelief, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck as if to take the entire information in.

"The guy sounds like a complete nut job."

"That's what I assumed too, especially after he kissed me and then ambushed us in our car."

"What?! Did he hurt either of you?"

"No, no, nothing like that." Emma kept her voice steady to try and calm Josef. "I yelled at him to get out, but he said his name was 'Jones' and then he gave me a set of keys. He said they would take me to an apartment that might help retrieve my lost memories."

"Who's apartment?"

Emma steadied herself and knew that there was no turning back now. She'd have to tell him everything.

"Neal's."

Josef's eyes went wide, his mouth gaping slightly in shock.

"Henry's father?"

Emma shook her head in the affirmative, but was cut before she could continue.

"Ok! So your side salad is still on its way," Patrick sat each dish down and finished with a huff of frustration. "Apparently the chef doesn't understand that not every person who comes into an Italian restaurant wants Italian dressing."

Pulling out a hand grater he looked between Emma and Josef, oblivious to the scene he'd just interrupted. "Cheese for either of you?"

Josef seemed to be in a sort of a trance, looking at Emma with a mix of shock and concern, the angles of his face highlighted by the illuminated candle flickering beneath them.

"Yes, I'll take some, thank you," she replied. Emma gave Josef an expectant look and he finally came to his senses.

"None for me," he mumbled, picking up his glass to take a drink of water.

Josef knew a great deal about Neal, Emma having told him about it one evening a few months ago over a large bottle of wine. She had become emotional in front of him for the first time that night and his support earned a trust from Emma that she didn't give out easily.

She waited until after Patrick was out of ear-shot to continue.

"I had to tell Henry about my past, Josef. It was one of the hardest conversations of my life, but I knew I couldn't keep the truth from him now."

The look on Josef's face reminded her of the defeated one Henry had worn on his, after she told him about Neal. Even worse, Henry had asked her why she kept all of this from him, merely letting him believe all this time, that his father was some one-night stand who didn't want anything to do with them afterward.

Emma finally picked up a piece of pizza and took a bite, the oozing cheese burning her tongue slightly. Taking another sip of water to cool the small blister forming there, she continued.

"After how angry and disappointed Henry was with me, I couldn't deny him a chance to meet his father..." Josef looked up at her in anticipation.

"So I went to Neal's place."

This time, Josef didn't hesitate to respond.

"You took him to a strange building that some lunatic gave you keys for? What were you thinking, Emma?"

"Well technically he followed me there after I told him to wait in the car, but Josef, I had to find out what was going on. I thought maybe he was trying to get custody of Henry."

Giving her a look of skepticism, Josef pulled plate toward him and dug into his pasta. "So what happened at the apartment?"

Emma was only half aware when Patrick came over to fill their water glasses and left, before she took a deep breath and she answered.

"Well, it was definitely his place. I found a dream catcher there that we hung in our car years ago." Josef went to cut her off, but Emma was faster. "I know for sure it was the same one; I'd know it anywhere. The oddest thing, though…"

Ok, this is when I start to sound like I'm off my rocker.

… I had a vision."

Josef stopped chewing and looked at her with growing curiosity, prompting her to continue.

"It wasn't a dream like the others; I was awake this time. The moment I touched the dream catcher, I had a vision of me in that exact same apartment with some guy named 'Gold.' I think I was helping him look for someone, who turned out to be Neal."

After swallowing his bite, Josef took a drink and finally spoke.

"Neal was in your vision?"

"Not just him, but an older version of him, sort of what he would look like now. He appeared to know who Gold was, but he sure wasn't happy to see him there."

Emma could smell the pollen from the white lily sitting on the table between them and she felt a brief wave of comfort from her favorite flower, before it was replaced by anxiety again.

"The man named 'Gold' mentioned about him not being able to use magic in the vision and Josef, I didn't even flinch. It was like the word was a normal thing to the both of us."

Josef appeared to be letting her words sink in as he wiped his dimpled chin with the napkin, a bit of sauce lingering there. He took a few moments, and then sighed.

"Let me just ask you something. What did you honestly expect to find when you went there? A homeless man breaks into your car and you go to you ex-boyfriend's apartment on a whim?"

She raised an eyebrow in question, giving him a cautious look. "So you don't believe that my vision was real? You must think I'm crazy, then."

Seeming to sense that she was growing defensive, Josef's eyes softened and he leaned forward, speaking quietly.

"Emma, I think you need to see this for what it is. Neal found out about Henry somehow and now he's taking action to be a part of his life. That's why he sent that madman to ruffle your feathers, and maybe that's why you thought you saw something."

She swallowed her wine quickly to retaliate.

"I think there's more to it than that. Josef, I've been having dreams for a year now, the same amount of time Jones claims we lost our memories. Now I've had a vision of an older-looking Neal and another person I've never met. Why would I create these people in my head unless they were already there?"

Josef didn't seem persuaded, but then she didn't expect him to be as she wasn't entirely convinced herself. Emma started to think she was envisioning things that weren't there in order to piece all of this together. Still, her instincts told her different.

"Look, this guy Jones felt familiar to me somehow. He treated me with respect and his actions and words were almost genuine. I can't explain it, but there is more to all of this than I am seeing."

"Emma-"

"Oh my God!"

Emma strained her neck over Josef's shoulder, watching as a pair of young, brunette girls made their way over to them. They appeared to be no older than 19 or 20, and one of them looked as if she had just won the lottery. She didn't wait for pleasantries, but began rambling immediately.

"Oh, I can't believe you're here! You're Josef Hartlemeier, the famous artist from the gallery on Solomon, right? My class went to your exhibit last semester, and I think your work is so awesome!"

Her voice reminded Emma of one of those chew toys for dogs and they both had enough make up on to decorate a birthday cake. She tried not to let her face portray the annoyance she felt and took a sip of wine.

"Thank you, that's very kind." Josef appeared slightly embarrassed, but maintained an air of politeness. "I'm surprised that you recognized me to be honest."

She let out a high-pitched laugh and Emma cringed.

"Well they had a portrait of you up in the exhibit and I remember being surprised at how young you were for such a talented artist." Emma was shocked to see the girl blush under all her foundation.

Rolling her eyes, Emma decided this was a good opportunity to escape. She excused herself and made her way over to toward restrooms. She could hear the girls squealing behind her and stepped under a brick archway, into the dimly-lit corridor near the door marked "Women."

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her arm gently. Emma was startled and looked over to come face-to-face with an older waiter carrying a covered tray.

"Can I help you?" she asked the balding man who appeared to be in slight distress.

"I have something for you," he murmured quietly as he extended the tray out to her.

Emma frowned in confusion, looking the man in the eye. "I didn't order anything else."

The waiter pursed his lips at that, taking a step toward her and nearly whispering his answer. "No, it was ordered for you."

"Well, I'm going to pass, thank you. Excuse me." Emma went to push past him, but the old man placed the tray in her path. His bushy brow covered the beady eyes beneath and he had an expectant look on his face.

"This is meant for you, Miss Swan."

The shock had paralyzed Emma for a brief second and she unconsciously reached out to take the tray. Not hesitating for a minute, the old waiter took off for the kitchen without a second look.

Glancing around and baffled at what had just occurred, Emma walked to the end of the hallway where the light shone more brightly. Taking one last look toward where the waiter had disappeared, she slowly placed the tray on a nearby table and lifted the lid.

Sitting in the middle of the tray was a small roll of paper. Once she uncurled it, Emma noticed that there was nothing written on it at all. It also appeared to be aged a great deal, the edges being torn as if ripped off in haste.

Emma flipped it over, finding no writing there either. She shook her head in frustration and went to throw the paper back on the tray.

Suddenly, she noticed small dots of ink appearing on the front, forming into what looked to be words written in script. She squinted her eyes in disbelief as the words continued to appear, one after the other.

Emma glanced around to see if anyone noticed her and then peered back down to realize that the words had stopped. The sentence was now clearly visible under the fluorescent bulbs.

Blue light strikes and twice the Savior will deliver before the next storm.

The sentence was so cryptic, but how was it able to appear from thin air? Emma considered the possibility of some high tech, heat-activated ink. Why would this old guy go out of his way to creep her out, though?

Unless…Neal.

"Emma. Hey, I wondered what was keeping you."

She looked up into Josef's face to see that he was smiling.

"Thanks for leaving me with those hyenas back there. I don't think they were going to remove themselves from our table anytime soon, so I took the liberty of paying the check."

She must have looked as lost as she felt, because he was grasping her shoulder slightly. "Emma, are you alright? What's that you're holding?"

Emma shook her head and looked at him then. "Some weirdo waiter just delivered this to me on a tray. He was so odd," she observed out loud. "What do you think it means?"

She handed Josef the paper and awaited his reaction.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" His brow was furrowed in confusion. Emma moved to stand behind him, surprise emerging on her face.

The surface was now blank as it had been before.

"Oh… well it did that for me too. Just give it a few seconds, it will appear again."

The two of them waited in suspense, Josef giving Emma a look of slight humor, probably thinking it was a joke on her part.

"There you are. I could tell you two wanted to be alone, but I didn't realize how hard it would be to track you down."

Patrick went to hand Josef the change and smiled at him one last time. "I wouldn't have to want to show up at your place with this."

Emma looked up at Patrick, coming out of her daze for a brief moment.

Josef responded with chuckle. "Keep the change. You've certainly earned it."

"Well thank you very much, sir." Winking at Emma this time, Patrick smiled wide and turned to walk away. "Have a wonderful evening, lovelies."

Shaking his head at their waiter in amusement, Josef looked down to the small paper again.

"Well I don't know what you saw there, Emma, but it looks blank to me."

She let out a frustrated sigh as she took the paper from him and placed it back on the tray. Josef went to grab their coats, returning with hers in his hand.

Emma thanked him for dinner as she put on her coat and gloves and then looked over to the table where she left the paper. Hoping the message would appear again, Emma decided to take the slip with her, but stopped suddenly. She was barely aware of Josef's hand coming to rest on the back of her coat.

The paper wasn't blank anymore, the writing now appearing as it had before. This time there were two new words, written in the same black ink. She gasped and nearly dropped the slip.

Emma Swan

Her eyes went wide and her hands begun to shake, as her words came out in harsh disbelief.

"That's not possible."

She was completely struck dumb, unable to move or speak. No modern technology could explain it and Emma couldn't deny the words were real, as she heard Josef react behind her.

"What the…?"

Suddenly she was desperate, almost wild in her movements, and Emma nearly sprinted for the exit. She pushed the glass door open, the gust of October air was like a splash of cold water on her face, but it did little to bring her back to her senses.

"Emma, wait. Hold on." She could hear Josef's dress shoes clicking behind her, but her focus was on the street outside. She scanned her eyes quickly, two blocks in both directions, and then moved to hail an approaching taxi.

The cab came to a stop in front of her and Emma reached for the door as she felt Josef grab her arm and try to turn her toward him.

"Emma, please."

Her breathing was ragged, her mind a fog-filled mess and she was only half aware of her surroundings, though his faint scent of roses wafted over her in the night's breeze.

"I have to find…I have to go," she murmured with her back to him.

"Emma, look at me." Slowly, she let his hand move her face toward his to meet his eyes. For the first time that night, she saw desperation in Josef's features.

"I don't know what this is, but you can't face it alone. Let me drive you home and we will figure it out together."

There was a brief rush of comfort in his words, and then a sudden realization. Josef couldn't give her the answers she was searching for. Her head started to clear as she looked back at him, and when she gently pulled him into an embrace, Emma whispered into his ear.

"I'm sorry Josef, but you can't give me what I need."

Emma didn't look back as she turned to get into the cab, knowing that if she did, her resolve would slip and she'd let him talk her out of whatever she was about to do.

Slamming the taxi door, Emma gave the driver her address and plunged her hand in her pocket to find her phone. Dialing for the operator, she heard a woman answer on the other end.

"4-1-1 assistance, City and State please."

The cab driver was mumbling something about traffic being heavy, but she did her best to focus on the operator's monotone voice.

"New York, New York. 35th Precinct. Yes, that's right." She marveled briefly at her ability to remember a subtle detail at such a stressful moment.

The faint ringing was drowned out by her heavy heartbeat, hammering in her ears.

"35th Precinct, Sleary here." The man's tired voice made Emma wish she was safe and asleep in her bed.

"Yes, hello. I'm looking for someone you might be holding there. The name is Jones. Killian Jones."