Thicker than Water Part II

by Sara K M

Sequel to the original Thicker than Water. The Charmings' have found each other (again), after Storybrooke was destroyed. Now they face even more challenges as they adjust to life in the real world. Pairings: Mostly Snowing and also minor Abirick. Eventual Captain Swan and Red/OC

23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Disclaimers: I don't own Once Upon a Time. Also, this is a sequel to the original "Thicker than Water" written by La Lisboa.

Again, I'd thank Lisboa for betaing and for letting me use her story as a starting point.

Warning: Elements of Dark Emma.

I'd like to especially thank Lisboa for helping me get Hook/Killan right in this story. I've never written him before, or even paid that much attention to him until recently, so I needed more help than usual writing his character. Thanks.

Emma didn't know what to do about her parents anymore. She was so angry at them for losing her son. How could they just not pay attention to him like that? She had told them Henry didn't have much faith in things since spending time in the foster home. But instead of spending extra time with him to make him feel better, her parents ignored Henry, causing him to run away? It was making her crazy.

To add to her problems, Emma noticed her parents were now showing near identical red marks on their necks the day after Henry ran away. Her parents had given each other hickeys? That was so disgusting, she didn't even want to think about it. Unfortunately, the marks were quite visible, so Emma was forced to think about it. A lot. Besides that, Emma was still angry that Neal was dead, so the marks were not only disgusting; they were more reminders that her parents had romantic love and she'd lost hers. Forever. It wasn't' fair.

David and Snow tried to make it up to her and Henry, of course. David had Henry help him fix the bathroom window, just like he'd promised. Snow had Henry help her make his favorite brownies, with double fudge. Even Emma had to admit, they tasted amazing, although she never ate them in front of her parents, not wanting to show them she accepted their peace offering.

But Emma wasn't sure she trusted her parents to watch Henry anymore. "Henry, what do your friends, Teddy and Eddie do after school?" she asked him, trying to sound casual. Maybe Henry could spend some time with them.

Henry shrugged. "I'm not sure. I think they're just expected to go home after school."

Emma nodded. It made sense. They were twelve years old, after all. After what happened last week, though, Emma wasn't sure it was a good idea to leave Henry without adult supervision. Henry had promised he'd learned his lesson, but Emma still wasn't comfortable with the idea.

"Well, maybe I can talk the school into dropping you off at the Hampden Police Station," Emma commented. "You could spend some time with me there, like you did in Storybrooke sometimes."

Henry shook his head. "No. I liked spending time with you at the station in Storybrooke, but I want to stay with Grandma and Grandpa. I won't run off again, Mom. I promise."

Emma could barely look at her parents these days, she was so angry. But she couldn't stop staring at Henry's face. How could she say no to that look? But how could she leave Henry with the people that lost him?

"We promise, Emma, we'll do better looking after him from now on," Snow pleaded. "Just give us another chance." Emma kept quiet but she really didn't see any reason why she should.

"How about this? You use your communication device to call us periodically, to make sure Henry is okay," David suggested reasonably. Why did he have to be so rational? She couldn't even come up with an argument against that idea.

"Yeah, do that, Mom! That should work out, right?"

Emma sighed. "Okay, but I'll be calling every hour after he gets home, and you better have a good report," Emma warned, all but spitting out the words. She really didn't want them watching Henry anymore. Still, besides Henry's opinion, her boss probably won't let her bring her son to work, anyway. When she was in Storybrooke, she had been the sheriff, so she made the rules for the station. That wasn't the case anymore.

Her parents, meanwhile, sounded overjoyed at the compromise. "Thank you, Emma! You won't regret this," Snow cried.

We'll see, Emma thought

"We'll be good with him," David promised, in the same voice. Then Emma heard kissing sounds. She tried to plug her ears at that, even though it made her appear a little childish. Watching (or hearing, as the case may be), her parents kiss didn't help her deal with the loss of Neal. Why couldn't she have someone to kiss like that?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A couple of days later, Emma wasn't doing any better. So far, her parents were doing okay taking care of Henry. She called them every hour while she was working, just like she promised. Henry told her about how Snow told him more stories about the Enchanted Forest, and David told her Henry was behaving wonderfully. It sounded great, but it didn't make Emma feel any better about her parents.

To make matters worse, Emma had run out of coffee and had to buy some at the local convince store. Convince stores always made her think of Neal. (Of course, almost everything made her think of Neal these days.) But as soon as she opened the door, Emma was bombarded with memories of her and Neal robbing places like this. They had such fun fooling the cashiers! Of course, as a member of law enforcement, Emma would never consider doing that now. But if Neal were with her now maybe they could work together other ways? Would he be a police officer as well? They could definitely work together raising Henry.

Of course, Neal could never do any of those things. He was dead. Dead. If only he'd listened to her about Tamara! If only she'd told him she loved him earlier. Emma stomped her feet angrily as she made her way to the coffee counter. The cashier gave her a strange look, but Emma didn't care. She paid for the coffee and left the store. At least she could talk to Ruby tonight. Ruby was her lifeline.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Emma skimmed the newspaper for new apartments the next day. Living with her parents was becoming unbearable. She was still quite angry at them for losing Henry. Furthermore, seeing her parents' affection all the time was making her even angrier about losing Neal. She was constantly resisting the urge to punch or slap her parents' faces. Sometimes she thought the best way to deal with the situation was to spend most of her time at the university. But when she was away, she was constantly worried about Henry. Were her parents treating him well? Was he upset about possibly going back to foster care again? Was Henry thinking of running away again?

Of course, every time she called them (she still called them every hour), it was obvious Snow and David were bending over backwards trying to make Henry happy. "Hi Mom!" Henry laughed as he answered the phone "Grandpa and I are having– I got you! – tickling contest," he managed between laughs. Isn't that great?"

"Sounds great, Henry," Emma agreed, sighing. But as long as Henry was happy and still in the apartment, she couldn't really have a problem with them watching him. As she hung up, Emma tried to shut out the memories of her and Neal tickling each other.

Still, Emma wanted a new apartment for her and Henry. She needed some space away from her parents. "There's a one bedroom apartment…" she muttered to herself. "There's another three bedroom apartment, but it's too expensive, more one bedroom apartments, rooming houses…another one bedroom…Ah! A two bedroom apartment." Then Emma read the ad further and realized it wouldn't be available until after Christmas. That was another month and a half away. She sighed and kept looking. Emma spent forty – five minutes looking in the newspaper for a new place, but she didn't find any two bedroom apartments available now. It looked like she was stuck living with her parents after all. Just one more thing to be angry about.

OOOOOOOOOOO

"Is there any justice in this world, Ruby?" Emma asked her as they talked on the phone that night. "I lost Neal, last week my parents lost Henry, I can't find a new apartment…Ah! And I can't get Neal out of my head!"

Ruby sighed. "I don't know what to tell you, Emma, except what I've been telling you. I'm here for you."

"Thanks," Emma replied. "I appreciate that. I really do. And I'll try to do the same thing for you. Speaking of that, how are you doing?" she asked, softly. She hadn't forgotten about Ruby's sexual assault, although Emma admitted she tended to spend most of her day concerned about her problems.

Ruby sighed on the phone. "Getting there, I guess. Having Mr. Jenison arrested really helped, I admit. Even though the trial won't be for a few months, I know it's coming. I still have a lot of anger directed at myself and other men who look at me, but I know he'll pay. Thank you for that suggestion."

"I'm glad," Emma replied. And she was. But Emma couldn't help but feel a little envy for Ruby as well, as much as she hated to admit it. Ruby had the person who harmed her arrested. She had someone to focus her anger on. Who did Emma have to focus on? As angry at as she was at her parents, she knew her misery wasn't their fault. They made a huge mistake in losing Henry, but they'd done everything they could in the past week to make up for it and try to earn her trust again. And as much as their affection bothered her, it wasn't their fault that her parents had romantic love and she'd lost hers for good.

Emma and Ruby continued to talk for a few more minutes, although Emma kept quiet about why she envied Ruby. She didn't want Ruby worrying about something she couldn't change. There was simply nothing Emma could do.

Or was there? Emma suddenly remembered Tamara. All of Emma's problems could be traced back to that evil witch of a woman. If Tamara hadn't tried to seduce Neal for her own ends, Neal would have been available when she met him again. Maybe she would have been more receptive to starting over with him, then. If Tamara hadn't blown up Storybrooke, Henry would never have been sent to foster care, and therefore, wouldn't have run away from her parents. Most importantly Tamara was the one who shot Neal and ended his life. For all of those reasons, but especially for killing Neal, Tamara had to pay.

Where was she anyway? She had disappeared after Storybrooke blew up. Not that that was surprising. Her work was done. And it wasn't as if she had to worry about drinking a potion to keep her memories or anything. Still, would Tamara still be in the woods somewhere? Or in a nearby town? Or was she half way across the country by now? It was no matter. Emma had been a bail bonds person. She could find anyone she wanted. There were resources at the university. Emma would find her and put a bullet right in her heart. Just like that witch had done with Neal.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Emma spent the next few days trying to locate Tamara. It was quite obvious the woman traveled a lot. Since leaving Storybrooke, she'd been to Portland, Boston, and some small town in North Carolina. Ruining lives in those places, too, Emma was sure. The whole world would be better off when Emma killed Tamara. Unfortunately, Emma was having a hard time locating where the witch was now. Emma poured all her attention into finding her current location. That meant other things that used to be important, Emma no longer had time to worry about.

Her parents noticed the change. "You didn't call us after Henry got out of school today. Does this mean you're beginning to trust us, again?" David asked hopefully, as they ate dinner, a week after Henry had run off.

Snow looked up at Emma as well, with an extremely hopeful look on her face.

"Please say yes, Mom! I know I shouldn't have run away. I'll never do it again, I promise!" Henry seemed to be under the misconception it was him she hadn't trusted. It was true; Emma didn't trust Henry by himself after what happened. But Henry hadn't really bothered her. Like she had said, he had reacted how any kid with foster care experience would have reacted. It was her parents she really had a hard time trusting. After all, they were the adults. They were supposed to take care of Henry for her, and they hadn't. But Emma wasn't sure she could explain that to Henry; she didn't want him stuck in the middle of a fight between her and her parents.

After a few minutes, David spoke again when Emma didn't answer. "I guess we really screwed up, huh?" he commented sadly. "I just thought, since you didn't call, maybe we were okay. But if you're still not ready, you can call us again tomorrow. For as long as you need."

Snow nodded in agreement.

Emma shook her head. "No, I think you guys are fine without calls every hour now." Emma did realize her parents seemed to be doing very well with Henry, and they made a big effort to include him in everything. But it wasn't so much that she trusted them more; it was that she needed to use her free time to look for Tamara. Even when she was at the police station and on patrol, she was thinking of new ways to look for the woman and making notes. Besides, now that she was channeling her anger on the worst woman in the world, she realized she wasn't quite as angry at her parents for losing Henry.

Her parents' and Henry's faces all lit up. "Thank you so much, Emma!" Snow responded getting up to hug her. "You won't regret this; I promise."

Emma shrugged. "Whatever. By the way, I might stay at the university late again for a few days. So don't wait for me to eat." She might as well take advantage of the extra time to use the university's resources to look for the witch.

They nodded. Emma could see her mother was conflicted between being overjoyed about being trusted again, and upset that they wouldn't be a happy family eating together. Snow would just have to deal with it, because nothing was going to stop Emma from finding Tamara and doing away with her.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Almost a week later, Emma finally found where Tamara was. In Mexico, about an hour away from Cancun. Now the question was, would she stay there long enough for Emma to find her? After all, Emma would have to ask for time off from work first. Then she had to find a way to get to Mexico. It wasn't as if she had money for a plane ticket or anything. Maybe she could hitch – hike. Emma had gotten pretty comfortable with that mode of transportation when she had first got out of foster care. She could do it again. What should she bring with her? At least she already had a gun.

However, she couldn't do anything about it today. She had to go to court today, to testify against in the Hearing for Arnold Bishop. She didn't understand why this Bishop guy needed a hearing in the first place. Donald Yates had told them his supplier was Arnold Bishop, and they found the pot in his basement. Shouldn't that be enough evidence to bring him to trial without the hearing first? Ah red tape. Such a waste of time. But still, it was her job, and Emma knew she needed to do it, especially if she wanted the time off to take care of Tamara.

So instead of riding the city bus from the university to the Hampden PD, Emma rode the bus to the Bangor District Court. When she got there, they weren't even ready for her case! This was ridiculous. Like she had said, a waste of time. Emma began thumbing through the magazines, trying to pass the time.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone she thought she knew. Who would she know that was at a courthouse? Did it really matter? She had to get this hearing over with so she could put her plan of killing Tamara into action. Still, she had beentrying to make sure all the fairytale characters were okay after Storybrooke was destroyed. A lot of people from the town had been arrested simply because they didn't understand this world, Emma noticed. If she could save someone else from a life ruined by Tamara, she'd try.

So she looked at the person more closely and realized who it was. Captain Hook. In an orange jumpsuit?! Well, he probably didn't really need her help then. That guy could take care of himself. Then Emma thought a little further. Maybe he didn't need her help but she might be able to use his. Did he still have his ship? "It's the fastest vessel in all the realms," Gold had said about it once. How quickly could it get her to Mexico? A lot faster than hitch – hiking, she was sure. And it wouldn't cost her anything, either. Or it shouldn't, if Hook knew what was good for him. After all, he knew what it was like to want revenge. Especially if…Emma smiled slyly as an idea came to her. What if she promised to get him out of whatever trouble he was in with the law? She was pretty sure she could do it, too if she used her connections as a police officer and some of her and Neal's old shady connections.

Neal. Emma grinded her teeth at the thought of how he'd never help her again. Tamara had to pay. And she needed a ride to Mexico.

Emma put down her magazine and marched over to Hook. "Hello. I need to talk to you."

Hook's eyes lit up. "Well, hello Miss Swan," Hook drawled. He looked at her uniform, which of course she had to wear because of the hearing she had to testify at. "You've done well for yourself That outfit suits you." He looked her up and down, showing his appreciation. "Of course, I think you'd look even better without it."

Emma sighed. Hook had always made obnoxious comments about his attraction to her, and apparently wearing an orange jumpsuit didn't change that. It wasn't important, though. Getting to Mexico was important. She took him to a secluded corner, so they wouldn't be overheard. She immediately launched into an explanation, not wanting to give Hook any time to comment on what else could be done in secluded corners.

"Listen, I need a ride to Mexico as soon as possible. Do you still have your ship? We could take that.

"I might." Hook narrowed his eyes. "What's in it for me?"

"I'll use my connections to get you out of whatever problems you're in today."

Hook eyebrows shot up. "Oh really? Well, yes I still have my ship. I'd love to take a trip with you, Swan." He paused. "But what's in Mexico?"

"Who. The word is who," Emma replied, firmly, looking him straight in the eye. She wanted to make sure he knew how serious she was about this. "And the answer is Tamara," she spat the witch's name out. "The woman who blew up Storybrooke," she explained, hoping to jog his memory. "And more importantly, the woman who killed Neal. I just found out she's in Mexico, about an hour away from Cancun. I need you to take me down there in your ship before she leaves again."

"Sounds lovely."

Emma narrowed her eyes. "This isn't a vacation. I'm going to shoot her, right in the heart." Emma patted her gun that she still had strapped to her hip.

Hook's eyebrows shot up even further. "'Fraid I can't help you then. Murder isn't a road you want to go down, Swan."

Emma's mouth dropped open. No? After all the work he'd done to kill Gold, she would have thought he'd understand. Funny, at the time, Emma thought Hook's vengeance was extreme and uncalled for, but now she knew exactly why he was so determined to kill his enemy. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "This isn't up for discussion, okay? I am going to kill Tamara. She deserves to die. I would have thought this would be something you, of all people would understand."

Hook grabbed Emma's arms on his shoulders. "It's because of what I did that I know this isn't what you should do, Swan. Why do you think I'm here, anyway? I got arrested for smuggling and piracy only a couple of weeks after Storybrooke disappeared. This is my trial date. Me? A bloody pirate getting caught for piracy? On ship as fast as the Jolly Roger? How do you think that could happen?"

Emma shrugged. "I don't know."

"It was because I was getting sloppy, Swan. Because now that the Dark One is dead, I don't have a purpose anymore. I don't know what to do with my life. I decided I didn't want to die, but I don't have any reason to live either. That's what vengeance does. It consumes you, until it's your only bloody reason for living. Is that what you want?"

Emma shook her head. "No, but I'm not going to spend as long as you did planning to kill Tamara. I'll go down to Mexico, shoot her, and then it'll be done. Then I can go back to being Henry's mother again."

Hook sighed. "And what if she's not there by the time you get there? She could be leaving right now, as we speak. Are you going to continue to try to find her after that? And even if you did kill her, how do you plan on being a mother to your lad after that?"

Emma hesitated for a second, then replied, "Tamara deserves to die. She ruined a lot of lives, not just Neal's. It's a justified."

Hook nodded again. "I thought that, too, once. But even the Dark One had people who loved him. You taught me that and Neal, and Henry. They wanted him to live. Does Tamara have a mother somewhere? A father? Brothers? Sisters? Do they deserve to know someone shot her without a trial? Could you get caught and be thrown in one of those prisons, like I was? Then how would you be a mother to your lad?"

Emma looked at the floor. She'd been so busy channeling her anger on Tamara, she didn't think of all the facts. He was right. What was she thinking? She was a police officer! She was supposed to stop people from killing, not do it herself. Plus, she'd promised herself she'd do everything she could to make sure Henry stayed with his family from now on. If she killed Tamara, that would never happen. "Yeah, your right. I guess I wasn't thinking."

Hook smiled sadly. "I liked Baelfire too, Swan. He could've been a son to me, at one time. And I'm sorry he's gone. But from one would-be avenger to another…. I don't want you to walk down the road I did. It isn't a fun road. You have a reason for living, and a purpose. You have your son, and your family. Let that be the most important thing in your life, not doing away with enemies."

Emma nodded. "Okay, I have a hearing to testify at anyway. That's why I'm here," she commented as she began walking away.

"Then take your leave," Hook said with a mock bow. As Emma turned to go, she heard him call out, "Although when I get out of this place, I'd love to take you for a ride."

Emma ignored him.

"Hearing – Bishop vs. State of Maine," the Judge called. Emma walked into the courtroom. Wise advice from Captain Hook. Who'd have thought?

OOOOOOOOOOO

That evening Emma started thinking again. Captain Hook had been right. Being Henry's mother should be her first priority, especially since she still didn't have permanent custody of him yet. But in the past month, what had she done to take care of Henry? She had called him and her parents regularly last week, to make sure he was okay. She made sure he did all his homework. And when he'd wanted to go to the school costume party, she'd let him go, as long as David and Snow went with him. But overall, her parents had been spending more time with Henry than she had lately. Some of that made sense, since she had to work when he came home from school. But the rest of it…Emma sighed. She'd been so consumed by her anger over Neal's death, spending time with Henry hadn't been that important to her. And she'd blamed her parents for not paying attention to Henry, so he ran away? It was just as much her fault as it was theirs. It needed to stop. Now.

"Hey, Henry?" Emma asked as they ate dinner, forcing herself to sound cheerful. "How would you like to go to the park tomorrow?" Tomorrow would be Saturday so it was the perfect day for this.

Henry's face lit up. "Really! That would be great!"

"I thought I could find a cheap ball and bat somewhere. You said you've never really played baseball before, so maybe I could teach you? Then if your friends want to play a real game, you'll be all set." Emma had never played that much baseball herself, because she'd never had anyone to play with, but she did know the rules of the game. And it would be a great way to spend time with Henry.

Henry nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, Mom! Let's do that!"

David and Snow smiled at the exchange. "Sounds like fun," David nodded. "Is there room for us in this outing, or is it just for the two of you?" David had tried to keep his tone causal, but Emma could tell he was really hoping he and Snow could come with them. She had a feeling her parents thought they still had to prove themselves to her with Henry. "I mean, we don't know much about baseball, either, so you could teach us, too."

Emma thought for a second. She had been hoping for an outing just for her and Henry, but it might be more fun to play with more people. Besides, she hated her parents to think she was still angry at them for losing Henry. She wasn't, because it was just as much her fault as it was theirs. "Yeah, okay," Emma nodded. "That would be fine."

David and Snow beamed at her. "Thank you, Emma. Thank you so much."

Henry's smile got even bigger. "This will be so much fun!" he exclaimed. "I can't wait for tomorrow!"

OOOOOOOOO

Emma was able to find a cheap toy ball and bat at the local Wal – Mart the next day. It wasn't exactly professional, but it would do for what they had planned today. "Okay, so the object of the game is to hit this ball with this bat," Emma began. "The pitcher throws it to the batter. If the batter hits the ball, he can run to first base. If he's tagged with the ball while he's running to the base, then he's out. Then the next batter tries to hit the ball. If he does, he runs to first base, and the other person runs to second base. If they are tagged with the ball at any time, they're out. There are three bases and home base. You start at home base and end up at home base. Also, if the batter hits the ball, and someone catches it before it hits the ground, they're out as well. Do you understand?"

The rest of her family shrugged. "Let's start playing!" Henry exclaimed. "Can I try to hit the ball first?"

Emma shrugged. "Sure, kid. Let's play boys against girls." She looked at Snow. "Come over on this side and try to catch the ball or tag them when they're trying to run to bases."

She nodded. "This is going to be fun."

Emma threw the ball, hard. Harder than she probably should have for a beginner. The fact was, even though she was trying to pretend otherwise, she was still dealing with a lot of anger because of Neal's death. It had come out when she threw the ball. Henry didn't hit it.

"I'm going to try that again," Henry commented, determined. And Henry swung but didn't hit. Again. No matter how many times Emma told herself to go easy on Henry, she still had too much aggression inside her right now. Henry struck out.

David also struck out. "You're pretty good at throwing that ball, aren't you, Emma?" he commented proudly as he put the bat down.

Emma shrugged. "I guess." Emma didn't think she was an especially good pitcher, since she hadn't played much baseball before. David didn't realize how much of her anger was going into her throwing the ball.

"Okay, now you guys let us try to hit the ball," Emma suggested.

"Okay, Henry would you like to try to throw the ball?" David asked.

Henry nodded eagerly. "I bet I can throw it really good!"

Henry threw the ball to Snow and she managed to hit it on the second swing. She tried to run to first base, but David tackled her first, landing onto of her. Emma wasn't sure if she should close her and Henry's eyes, considering their position. Especially since her parents could get lost in the moment sometimes. But fortunately, they seemed to realize they were in public, and she and Henry were present. They laughed and gave each other a peck on the lips, but that was it.

Henry then threw the ball to Emma and she smacked the bat hard, channeling her anger without realizing it again. She almost hit a home run. "Way to go, Emma!" Snow exclaimed, jumping up and down. Even David and Henry cheered for her, although they were supposed to be on the opposite team. She supposed that's what family did; they always showed how proud they were of you. Emma still wasn't comfortable with it, though, especially most of her skill was coming from her anger about Neal's death.

The next time Henry went to bat, Emma asked Snow to pitch instead. Henry was able to hit the ball. However, Emma tagged him before he made it to first base. She was running hard, too because she still had so much anger.

Emma felt guilty for not going easier on her family their first time playing baseball, but the way they were laughing as they finished the game, no one seemed to mind. And it had felt good to run, throw, and hit hard. Maybe that was how she could deal with her anger. The university had a gym, didn't it?

XXXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOO

They all returned home late that afternoon, still laughing. "You were so great, Mom!" Henry exclaimed. Just wait, I'll practice, and then I can be as good as you. Then Teddy and Eddie will love to have me play with them!"

Emma shrugged. "Yeah, maybe you can get better than me, Henry." It was nice Emma had high hopes for her son, but it was so sad she could never accept compliments. "Although I think your friends would like you to play with them no matter how well you play."

Snow nodded in agreement on that statement. "That's what good friends do Henry." Then Snow turned to Emma. "Thank you for letting us all come, Emma. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun."

"Definitely. I love sword fighting, but learning games people play in this world was great, too. Thanks for the idea, Emma," Charming added.

Emma shrugged. "Well, I'm going to do some reading for my classes," she replied, instead of accepting her father's compliment. She walked to her bedroom. "Henry, why don't you do some homework as well?"

"Alright," Henry grunted, going into his bedroom as well.

As Snow tried to decide what to do now, Grumpy called her communication device. "Hi Snow, how are you doing?"

"Pretty well, actually," she replied truthfully. The last few weeks had been very tough on Snow. Her daughter had a problem but was confiding in Red instead of her; she had worried that her husband wasn't happy with her in the Enchanted Forest for a while, and she was feeling immensely guilty for losing Henry. But now Emma had arranged a family day of playing a popular game in this world, proving she had forgiven them for losing Henry, and Charming continued to reassure her he was always happy with her, no matter what the circumstances were. A part of Snow wondered if Emma might be ready to talk to her as well.

"Good to hear," Grumpy replied. "So, the apple harvest is all done, but our employer said we could stay for Thanksgiving next week if we wanted to, and invite the rest of our family. He'd even pick you up."

"Okay, I'm always happy to see you guys. But what's Thanksgiving?"

"I don't know. Some big dinner that's common at this time of year. Apparently Granny is supposed to make a turkey. Whatever. As long as it's food, the dwarves are interested, anyway. Did you want to come, or not?"

"Of course!" Snow replied immediately. "Like I said, I'm always happy to see you guys. Does Granny need any help with the food?"

"You'll have to ask her," Grumpy replied. "But do it later, she's busy now."

"Okay. I'll tell the rest of the family about the plan. Maybe I can ask Emma more about what this 'Thanksgiving' is." Snow hung up and carefully approached Emma's door. She hoped Emma would be willing to talk now. In the past few weeks, when Snow knocked on the door, Emma had told her to stay out. But today, their family had so much fun at the park playing that baseball game. That would make Emma calmer, right? "Emma?" Snow asked, knocking on the door.

"What?" Emma's voice asked dangerously. Maybe Emma wasn't as calm as Snow had thought. But she still wanted to talk to her about Thanksgiving. "Grumpy called," she explained through the door. "He said we're all invited to the apple orchard for something called 'Thanksgiving.'"

"Oh," Emma replied, her voice not so dangerous. "Okay."

"Emma?" Snow asked curiously. "What is Thanksgiving?"

"It's a family holiday in the United States," Emma replied, still talking through the door. "Everyone gets together and eats turkey, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables, rolls, and cranberry sauce. And there's pie for desert."

"Sounds wonderful," Snow replied, thinking of eating a big feast with her entire family. "We had dinners like that in the Enchanted Forest, too."

"It's not so bad when you have a family, I guess," Emma replied.

Snow finally opened the door at that comment, and went inside. She gave Emma a big hug. "You have a family, now. Don't ever forget that."

Emma nodded, although she didn't hug Snow back. She wasn't as receptive Snow had hoped, but she decided she needed to ask, anyway. After all, Emma had been a lot more open to her and the rest of her family today. "Emma, are you sure you can't tell me what's been bothering you? I'm still your mother. I'd like to do something to help you."

But Emma looked at Snow straight in the eye and said, "No," firmly. "This is the last time I'm going to tell you this. I know you want to believe you can fix everything for me, but this isn't something you can help me with. I'll work it out on my own. And when I need her, I'll talk to Ruby. End of discussion." With that, Emma escorted Snow out of the room and shut the door.

Snow looked at the floor. So much for that idea. At least Emma was coming to the Thanksgiving with everyone else. Charming came up from behind and put his arms around her silently. She was really glad he wasn't saying "I told you so." Instead Snow said, "We've been invited to some big dinner with Granny and the dwarves next week. It's called Thanksgiving."

Charming nodded. "Sound like fun."

"At least Emma said she'd go, too."

OOOOOOOOOO

The next day, Snow decided to call Red on her communication device. She had been kind of avoiding Red for a few weeks, Snow admitted to herself, since Emma was talking to Red about her problem instead of Snow. But Snow thought she should invite Red to this "Thanksgiving." Granny would really want her there, after all.

"Hello?" Red answered the phone.

"Hello, Red," Snow replied carefully.

"Hi, Snow," Red replied. "I've missed talking to you."

"Really? Then why do you spend all your time talking to Emma?" replied Snow, without thinking.

"Snow!" Red said sharply. "I'm talking to Emma because she needs me right now. And because she's my friend, too," she added more gently.

Snow sighed. "I know. I'm glad Emma considers you a friend. I really am. And I'm glad she's found someone to talk to about her problem. I just wish that someone…could be me."

"I understand, Snow. I do."

"Anyway," Snow continued. "I called because Grumpy invited us all to the apple orchard for something called 'Thanksgiving.' Emma says it a big feast that families in this kingdom gather for. We're all going and I'm going to talk to Granny about helping with some of the food. I think Granny would really love to see you there. Will you come?"

Red sighed. "I guess," she replied, sounding less than enthusiastic about it. "Do you think Abigail and Fredrick can come, too? They don't have any family hear and they really don't know anyone besides us."

"Sure, I think that would be fine," Snow commented. "Red, are you okay? You don't sound like yourself." Usually Red sounded so cheerful. Now she sounded letdown.

Red sighed. "I don't know. I haven't really wanted to tell you, because you and Emma already warned me about it, but…something happened at the restaurant a couple of weeks ago."

Snow's blood ran cold. This was exactly what she'd feared would happen to her best friend. Why hadn't she left that place? "Are you hurt, Red?"

"Not physically," Red commented, grumbling. "I fought him off before he got too far." Well, at least Red had been able to fight that creep, anyway. Snow was happy to hear that. "But I feel so…guilty that I didn't say no before," Red continued. "That I didn't find a new job, like you asked me to. Although I got a new job now. That lady that I wanted me to watch her dog? Remember I told you about her?"

"Yeah."

"She helped me get a job at something called a 'dog kennel.' It's kind of like a baby – sitting service for dogs. People leave their dogs there if they're going away for the weekend, or they're having a lot of guests over that don't like dogs, or something. Then we just take care of the dogs for them. I really enjoy it."

Snow smiled, "Well, that's good to hear, at least. But what's going to happen to that restaurant owner? Did you…take care of him?" Snow remembered how she "took care of" the creeps who tried things with her when she'd been on the run. She'd introduced them to her bow and arrow, and then beat them after that. By the time she was done, they were incapable of moving.

"I went to the Bangor police department, at Emma's suggestion, and reported him for sexual assault. They arrested him. They'll be a trial, similar to the Hearing for Henry. But if, when he gets convicted, he'll have to go to jail for at least a year! And that's if no one else comes forward. If they do, he could be locked up for even longer."

"That sounds pretty good," Snow replied. "That's one nice thing about this world. They have better laws to protect women against stuff like that."

"I guess," Red replied. "I just wish still didn't' feel so guilty. For encouraging him."

"You'll get through this, Red," Snow promised. "We'll help you. Speaking of that…Are you sure there isn't a way I can help Emma?"

Red sighed. "I know you want to help her with everything, but Snow, this really something I can relate to better than you can."

"How can you be certain of that?" Snow protested. "What is the problem?"

"Snow…" Red warned. "I shouldn't be violating Emma's confidence. Can't you just trust that's it's better she talks to me?"

How could she answer a question like that? If Snow said yes, she had to accept there was no way she could help Emma, and she refused to believe that. If she said no, than she didn't trust her daughter or her best friend. "Red, I really need to understand what's going on! Please, I trust both of you, but I can't stand this!"

The communication device was silent for a few minutes, except Red's breathing. Finally she relented. "She's dealing with Neal's – that's Henry's father, death. Apparently he died just before Storybrooke blew up and we all lost our memories of that time."

Snow's heart squeezed as she thought of the pain Emma must be going through. "She told me about Neal when she first rescued me from the dungeon place. But I never thought…I mean she didn't seem upset then so I assumed…I don't know what I assumed."

"That's what Emma told me, too. That she thought she wasn't' bothered by it. I told her it was because she had too much stuff going on so she tried to shove it out of her mind. You know, like I did with Peter when the guards were after me," Red explained.

"That makes sense," Snow agreed. "But I still don't understand why I can't help Emma. I helped you deal with Peter's death. I know what it means to lose someone you love. I lost both of my parents, after all."

Red sighed again. "Yeah, you did, and I appreciated that you helped me with Peter. And I know you lost your parents, Snow. But with all due respect, those were people you loved. Not someone you were in love with. Emma wants to talk to someone who knows what's it's like to lose someone whom she kissed. Whom she thought about possibly marrying someday. When I lost Peter, I can remember thinking how much I would have liked to talk to someone who lost romantic love. Not just love."

"I see," Snow replied slowly. She supposed what Red said made sense. But it still hurt. She still wanted to be able to help Emma somehow. Furthermore, she'd always believed she'd really helped Red as she grieved for Peter. Now Red was telling her Snow hadn't really been enough. Still Snow thought a little more. How would she feel if she lost Charming for good? If every day she had to face the knowledge that he was dead. Snow's heart almost stopped beating at the horrible thought. Spending the rest of her life without Charming? How would she go on? But that, Snow realized, was exactly what Emma was facing. No wonder Emma was so moody lately. If Red could help her get through this, maybe Snow should accept it.

Then suddenly a memory came to Snow.

"Red, there has to be some way you can let Peter go," Snow commented as they walked through the woods together. Red had been through a lot of emotions in the last few months, since she realized Peter was really gone. Anger, sadness, and guilt. Lots and lots of guilt. They had just recently walked past a large tree that reminded Red of the tree they would play under when they were younger. The same tree that Red tied him to before her wolf ultimately killed him.

"How?"Red protested, her voice a mix of anger and tears. "I ate him, remember! He was my boyfriend, and I ate him! I dreamed of having children with him someday and now…" she kicked a twig on the ground, "Now, he's gone because of me!"

"I know," Snow replied putting her arm around her friend. "And I don't know how you're going to be able to handle that. But let me tell you something. When my parents died, as hard as it was…it helped to go to their funerals. To say a final goodbye. Maybe that's what you should do with Peter. Like we did with your mother."

Red shook her head. "I can't. At least with my mother, I had a body to bury. There is no body to bury for Peter. Remember? I ate him!"

Snow nodded. It was enormously difficult for Red to accept she'd caused her boyfriend's death. "Yes, I know," Snow replied firmly. "But that doesn't mean we can't have a memorial service for Peter. Just the two of us. We'll write his name on a tree somewhere, and you can say…whatever you want to say."

Red thought about the idea for a few minutes. Then, "Alright. Let's do that."

"Red?" Snow asked after a few minutes.

"Yes, Snow?"

"Maybe there is something I can do, after all. I mean, she can continue to talk to you; I'm okay with that. But what if I planned a memorial so she could say goodbye to Neal? Like we did with Peter? We could have it in the backyard here. Henry might want to say something, too. Neal was his father after all."

Red paused for a minute. "Yeah, that actually might be a good idea. But let me bring it up to Emma first, okay?"

Snow sighed. She still didn't like being shoved aside. "Okay."

Okay, first of all the scene that I borrowed from rolltidegoironmen's "Lost and Found" is the scene when Henry sees his grandparents fight and runs off, in case any of you wanted to know.

I really love all the views, follows, and favorites I'm getting for this story. I'm glad everyone is enjoying it. I especially love reviews, and I encourage my readers to review whenever they can. Please? I will remind you reviews don't have to be praise. If you have a question or constructive criticism, I welcome those kind of reviews as well. (But praise is great, too.)

Misscam – Still can't get over the fact that you are interested in this story. Snowing resolved their fight in the last chapter quickly, partly because they were worried about Henry. But the fact is, I don't think their fights would last longer than one night, anyway. I do believe they have fights sometimes, because all couples do. (Even couples who can break Curses.) But I also think they would know not to let anger fester for a long time. Charming family did kind of reconnect in this chapter, with the baseball. But more will come in the next chapter. Stay tuned!

I hope the CS fans liked the Captain Swan nibble I put in this chapter. Unfortunately for you, it will be a while before Hook/Killian reappears, but this is the beginning of their connection. It's kind of similar to the moment where he decides to use his ship to rescue Henry in canon. Hope you liked it. I will remind you that this Hook may not be the ruthless villain who would stop at nothing to kill The Dark One, he's also not the tenderhearted guy who's completely in love with Emma, either. He cares about Emma, but he still doesn't know what he wants in life, yet.

I hope I was able to show how Emma anger and the circumstances in her life built up so she thought killing Tamara was a good idea. I know Emma usually believes in justice, being a police officer and all, but I believe these kinds of thoughts would be possible under these circumstances. And I love the idea of Killian having to save Emma from "the dark side" instead of the other way around. Emma was willing to listen to him, because he's got experience in this area. (I'm a really big believer in listening to people who have had experience with a situation, in case you haven't noticed.)

Also, I had him assume the Dark One is dead in this reality, because in 2 x 22, Rumple had no interest in stopping the failsafe, finding a bean, or any other escape. He was so broken – hearted his son was dead that he was ready to die as well. So I don't think he would have made an effort to get over the town line. I know, it kind of sad, for Rumbelle, but it makes sense for this story.