A/N: there are two storylines left to wrap up. And by wrap up I mean start. One of which begins in this chapter… Don't forget that my tales always have a happy ending!

It was always hard to get back into the routine work after a vacation but this time Regina found it particularly difficult. She didn't want to leave Henry and Emma that morning. She didn't want to put on her restrictive tailored suit. She didn't want to attend the weekly briefing. She didn't want to face the mountain of emails she knew were waiting for her in the office. Well, there was one person whom she had hoped had emailed her back but she wasn't optimistic. The trail they had been following had grown cooler and cooler over the month before their vacation. She doubted the investigator had turned up anything more whilst she had been away.

As soon as Regina sat down in her chair, the cool leather feeling unfamiliar and unwelcoming, Mary Margaret appeared in the doorway.

"You look great," she said, walking into the office with a stack of memos. Regina didn't know why they even used memos any more but she took the pile with a thank you. "How was your vacation?"

"Lovely, thanks," Regina replied. "How was yours?"

The timing had ben coincidental but convenient. Mary Margaret and David's honeymoon had overlapped with Regina's vacation by five days, meaning her office had been on total lockdown for the duration. Which also meant there was even more work and notices to sift through than usual.

"Amazing," Mary Margaret said, her grin almost splitting her face in two.

"Glad to hear it," Regina said. "Is there anything urgent I need to address?"

"Nothing I know of but I only got in an hour ago so am yet to make it through all my messages. Oh and I believe Mrs Mills is on her way down here."

Regina's eyes snapped up from the note she was reading. "What? When?"

Before Mary Margaret could open her mouth to respond, there was a rap of knuckles on the open office door.

"Good morning," Cora Mills said, sweeping breezily into the room. "I hope you're already getting to work on those neglected cases."

"Good morning, Mother," Regina said, nodding to Mary Margaret and excusing her from the office which had suddenly become very tense. "How are you?"

"Busy," Cora replied. "I've been picking up your slack."

Regina sighed. "It was a one week vacation. I believe with the hours I work I'm entitled to that."

Cora ignored her. Instead, she dropped three large files onto Regina's desk and prodded the top one.

"I need this read and a plan for an acquisition formulated by this afternoon. The boss is coming at three to discuss it and I need you up to speed. The other two need to be presented on Wednesday when Mr Gold is coming in to speak with us."

Regina pulled the top file towards her, opened it, and scanned the first page. Cora was already walking out of the office.

"I had a great time, by the way," Regina called after her mother's retreating back. "Henry, your grandson, did too. Thanks for asking."

The door swung shut before the last words were even out of her mouth. Regina glowered at the frosted glass and punched the intercom button.

"Mary Margaret, get me a large coffee, please." She opened the file once more, read the first sentence, and reached for the machine again. "And a blueberry muffin."

Once her coffee and sweet treat had arrived, Regina put her new case-file away. She didn't want to drop crumbs on it, after all. Instead she turned to her inbox which was, predictably, bulging. She scanned down the list until she spotted the name she had been hoping to see. Her heart skipped a beat. But as soon as she opened the email, any optimism she had felt at seeing his name, died. He'd found nothing. Their final clue had led nowhere. There was nothing more to look for and he thought she should give up. It was not possible to find Emma Swan's son. Regina emailed him back, thanking him for his services and letting him know his cheque would be in the mail. Despondent, she began to work her way slowly through the correspondence related to her work.

Emma's first day back was much more positive. Felix was overjoyed to see her and led her over to the craft corner where he proudly showed the blonde a painting of a desert island he had done whilst she was away. Mathew sidled up to the pair as Emma was admiring the artwork, pointing out his own painting of a lion stalking through the grasslands of Africa. At least, that's what Emma presumed the yellow streaks at the bottom were supposed to be.

"How was your holiday, Emma?" Felix asked.

Emma beamed. It was rare for the boy to ask questions about other people, a feature of his introvert personality which she was trying hard to get him to focus on.

"It was lovely, thank you, Felix. I had a great time."

"But now you're back and you're staying here?" he said, looking somewhat sceptically at her, as if he was expecting her to run out of the room any second and not come back. Emma knew that look. It was one she had worn many times as a foster child. The fear of being abandoned. Again.

"Yes," Emma smiled. "I'm not going anywhere."

Felix smiled at her and seemed to be about to speak when Mal called Emma over to her office. She followed her boss and took the proffered seat. She'd already spoken to the older blonde about her holiday and been caught up on everything she'd missed the previous week so wondered why Mal wanted to speak to her. She hoped she hadn't done anything wrong.

"Two things," Mal said, stopping Emma's brain before it could concoct any awful scenarios of being fired or reprimanded. "Firstly, I'm looking for some more help on Thursday and Friday now intake has gone up and I wanted to offer the job to you before I advertise."

"Go full time?" Emma asked, surprised.

"Basically," Mal nodded. "You'd do exactly what you do on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday but all week. I know you have your regular afternoon with Regina and Henry on Fridays so I'd understand if that made you hesitate but I'd really like it if you'd consider my offer. You'd also be salaried, as a full-time member of staff. Medical benefits and paid leave too."

"Really?"

"Really," Mal smiled. You're doing great here, Emma. I'm so glad you were referred to us."

"Wow, thanks," she said. "I do love working here. The kids are great and you and the rest of the staff have been so supportive what with the trial and everything. But I need to discuss it with Regina. I hope you understand."

"Of course," Mal nodded. "You have about a week before I'm going to open up the job to other applicants."

Emma nodded her understanding, her mind already racing. "Was there something else?" she asked. "You said firstly."

"Oh just that I won't be here on Wedensday. My daughter is coming to town tomorrow evening and we're going to drive up to see my mother. Annual, obligatory visit but since Lil is only speeding through the city on her way back home, I'm having to miss work to fit it in. I'll try to get here before everyone leaves but Ursula will be in charge that day."

"No problem," Emma said. "Family matters more than work, after all."

"Indeed," Mal said suddenly thinking that she'd made visiting her mother sound like a chore. She wondered what Emma Swan would give to have a family she could visit, even if they did annoy the hell out of her and disapprove of her life choices.

Emma broached the subject of her promotion as soon as she'd finished the re-heated dinner her girlfriend had prepared for her that evening. Regina was chewing on a pen as she read a file on the couch but she set her work aside when Emma began to talk. She listened patiently to the blonde who was clearly nervous about what she was saying. Regina couldn't tell however if the young woman was more worried about taking a full time job or no longer being able to spend her Fridays with Regina and Henry. Both concerns were, in Regina's eyes, adorable.

"What do you think?" Emma finished at last.

"I think you should take it," Regina said, without hesitation. "You should have taken it on the spot, Emma."

"Really?"

"Really," Regina assured. "This is amazing, Emma. This is a great opportunity for you and I am sure you're going to be fantastic. It will give you even more time with these kids who clearly love you to pieces. I mean, who wouldn't," she added, moving towards the blonde and then straddling her lap, kissing her nose. "You've been doing great at the centre, right? You enjoy your job. You want to keep doing it. This is the next logical step. And yes, of course Henry and I will miss you on Fridays and it means we won't eat dinner together as a family that often but frankly those things don't matter in comparison to the opportunity Mal is offering you."

Emma wrapped her arms around Regina's body, her palms lying flat against her back and stroking absentmindedly over the soft cotton t-shirt. She chewed her lip, thinking.

"I won't see Henry much," she mused.

"You'll still be taking him to nursery every morning," Regina pointed out.

"And it means you'll have to wait for me every night to eat dinner."

"Don't feel guilty about that because I don't always wait. I didn't tonight, for example. Sometimes I eat with Henry because I'm hungry. But I don't mind waiting for you, Emma. And my eating pattern is certainly no reason to not take a job."

"Ruby will have to look after Henry at Granny's on Friday."

"Ruby managed to do that for almost two years before you appeared in our lives."

Emma looked up into the kind brown eyes above her and sighed. "What if I let them down?"

"What do you mean?" Regina asked, a slight frown on her face.

"What if I take this job and then I don't perform? What if I'm not good enough to be working there full time? What if these new kids don't like me? What if Mal realises this was all a terrible mistake and fires me? What then?"

Regina pulled her almost tearful girlfriend into her arms, hugging her tightly and stroking her hair. Emma hugged her back, gripping onto the only thing that made sense in her life. Well, Regina made sense. Why she was with a street rat like Emma was still a mystery. But everything else was just so … surreal. Emma couldn't possibly believe that her life was moving in the direction it seemed to be hurtling. If this continued she might end up … normal.

"You're scared," Regina said when she finally pulled back. "You're scared you won't be able to live up expectations. But these expectations are in your head. You're great at your job, Emma. Evidently, because Mal wouldn't have offered you a full-time position if she didn't believe in you. And you know the kids love you there. You're bonding really well with lots of them, especially the foster kids. You get them. You understand them. That's invaluable. It might have taken a while and I know you've been through hell but you've finally found something you're really good at, working in a place where the people value and support you. This is a good thing, Emma. I promise you it's going to be ok."

"But nothing in my life ever goes to plan," Emma protested, throwing her arms up in frustration. "Nothing I do ever works out. Everything always ends up shit eventually. If that happens to me now, I'm not sure I could survive falling so far."

"You think that because you have a great job, great friends, me, Henry, justice for what happened to you, that something is going to go wrong?" Regina asked.

Emma shrugged. "It always has in the past," she said. "I'm unlucky. Always have been."

"Then maybe your luck's about to change," Regina said, kissing Emma lightly. "You deserve all of this, Emma. And you've worked really hard to get where you are. Don't throw it away because you question your entitlement to your life. Me and Henry, Ruby and Dot, even August, we're not going anywhere. Killian is in jail and staying there for fifteen years. The only piece of your life you might fuck up is your job. And I know you're not going to do that. This work is made for you, Emma. You're perfect in this role. Clearly Mal sees that too."

Regina wasn't sure exactly where Emma's lack of self-confidence stemmed from. She supposed it was a combination of factors, from her abandonment as a baby to her fractured upbringing, from her time in prison to the way her relationship with Lily had ended. Yes, Emma certainly had confidence issues but Regina was hoping her new job was going to improve things for the young blonde. After all, getting the job itself had been a huge boost. So too had Killian's trial result. Regina hoped their relationship in itself was giving Emma confidence. A belief that she could love again, could be loved herself, and that she deserved to be.

The brunette also knew there was something niggling at the back of Emma's mind. Something she rarely spoke of. Her lost son. Regina's initial search to find the boy might not have led anywhere but that didn't mean she was giving up. She was also not telling Emma what she was doing. She didn't see any reason to raise the blonde's hopes when her chances of success were so slim. Regina felt guilty about doing her investigative work behind Emma's back but she hoped the blonde would forgive her if and when she had some results to share with her. So far, however, she had nothing.

The private investigator she had hired to track down Emma's records in prison had failed. She supposed she should be grateful. It wasn't like she really wanted it to be easy for anyone to get their hands on convicts' files. But it had been Regina's first attempt. And it had been unsuccessful. Now she was at a loss for what to try next. She had called the prison herself but they had, unsurprisingly, not said anything remotely helpful to her. She even tried calling the agency through which Henry was adopted, just in case they had some sway with whoever in Phoenix had taken custardy of the child. They had refused to help, reminding Regina that her own adoption of Henry had been closed and that families who entered into those contracts usually did so for a reason. Whoever had adopted Emma's child, probably didn't want the biological mother showing up. Regina briefly wondered what would happen if Henry's birth mother knocked on the door. Something inside her constricted uncomfortably.

Regina gave herself a little shake and focused once more on the computer screen in front of her. It was her lunch hour and she was searching the web for adoption agencies near the prison where Emma had served time, trying to track down who might have taken the little lost boy. She clicked the next link and searching for a number to call.

"And then she said she wanted me to go full time," Emma finished, snapping her cookie in half and dunking it into her coffee. "I mean, me! She actually wants me to work there every day. Isn't that crazy?"

"Not really," August chuckled, running his hand over her smoothly-shaven chin. "You're great with kids, Emma. I've seen you with those young runaways on the streets and they loved you. I'm sure you're just as good with kids who have homes."

Emma shrugged. "I dunno," she said. "I just can't believe anyone wants me to work for them."

August shook his head in mild disbelief. Even now, after months of working at the youth centre, Emma still doubted her abilities. He leaned across the table where they were sitting in central park and took both of Emma's hands in his own.

"Emma, you're a bright young woman and you're passionate about your job. I can completely believe that someone wants you to work for them. And I am sure you are going to do fantastically as a full time member of staff too. But you need to believe you can do it yourself. It can't just be me and Regina saying you should take the job. You have to want it."

"I do want it," Emma said at once. "I do … I just don't know if I can live up to expectations."

"Have you done well so far as a part timer?" August reasoned.

"Yeah."

"So what difference is a couple of extra days going to do?" he asked. "It's the same job, Emma. But more hours, better pay, and benefits. Isn't this what we dreamed of when we were huddled up in that tunnel all those months ago?"

Emma leaned back in the cafe chair and looked out across the park in the vague direction of their former 'home'. It was late summer but the trees still held their green leaves tightly, not a whisper of autumn in the air. Within weeks however, the chill would arrive. She remembered the freezing nights she had spent with August, wishing for a hot cup of coffee or a shower or even a bed. Less than a year later … She sighed and looked back at her friend who was waiting patiently. She and August had met once a week since his release from rehab three months earlier. She enjoyed their coffees and talks but she was yet to introduce him to Henry or Regina. It wasn't that August was struggling. On the contrary, he was clean and sober, and was holding down a job at a removal company. He was staying in a heavily subsidised apartment, arranged for him by his sponsor, and seemed relatively settled. At least, Emma didn't think he'd be disappearing on her any time soon. She was beginning to trust him again, just not enough to introduce him to her new family. But she had told him about the job offer because she wanted and valued his opinion.

"Ok," Emma nodded. "If you and Regina both think I can do this, then maybe I can believe that too."

August grinned and gave her a high five. Emma laughed and settled back in her chair as August set off telling her about the beautiful divorcée whose house he had had the pleasure of boxing up and moving out the weekend before.

"I'll do it."

Mal looked up from her paperwork and pushed her glasses back up her nose. She looked rather dishevelled, a pile of paperwork spilling onto the floor just as Emma sat down.

"Do what?" Mal asked as she bent to retrieve the scattered documents.

Emma faltered. "The … the job. I'm sorry, did you change your mind? Do you not want me to -?"

"No, not at all," Mal interrupted. "Of course I still want you to go full time. Sorry, I was rather distracted and for a moment I didn't know what you were talking about. So you'll accept?"

"Yes," Emma nodded.

Mal's face split into a wide smile. She stood and walked around her desk to embrace her employee. Emma was a little surprised but hugged her back.

"I'm so pleased, Emma. Really. Congratulations. I think you'll be fantastic. Even more fantastic than you've already been."

"Thanks," Emma said. "I hope I live up to your expectations."

"I'm sure you will," Mal assured her, moving back around her desk and taking her seat.

"Can I help you?" Emma asked, realising her boss looked rather stressed. "I'm not too bad at paperwork and you look like you could do with a hand."

"Thanks but these are just some files for the new kids starting next week. It's nothing except busy work. Go ahead and get back to the children. I'll be out for snack time at four thirty. If I don't appear, come and drag me over and force me to eat a cookie. I just need to get everything done before my daughter arrives tonight."

Rising to leave, Emma bumped into Felix and Mathew as soon as she left the office. They were whispering together but stopped when they saw her. She cocked her head with an inquisitive quirk of her lips.

"What's up boys?" she asked.

"Nothing, Emma," Mathew assured her. "Come on Felix. Let's go and do that … thing."

The two scuttled off past her towards the common area and Emma watched them go. She shook her head slightly before heading out in to the rear courtyard where a game of soccer was starting up. The fact that the reclusive little Felix had a friend at last made Emma realise that perhaps she was doing something right at the youth centre. Perhaps she was going to do well here after all.

After snack time, for which she indeed had to remind her boss to take a break, Emma joined Belle and some of the younger children in the reading corner. She moved slowly around the group, taking time to sit with each child and listen to them read. She corrected little pronunciation mistakes and asked them questions about the story as they went. Since she had started at the youth centre, library time had quickly become one of her favourite activities.

It was almost eight in the evening and the centre was emptying fast when she finally found out what Mathew and Felix had been talking about in the hall. The two boys ran up to her, excited grins on both their faces and they were clearly clutching something behind their backs.

"What's up?" Emma asked, getting to her feet and stretching her legs out.

"We made you something," Felix said, rocking on his toes in excitement.

"Yeah," Mathew nodded. "To say thanks."

"To say thank you for what?" Emma asked.

Mathew and Felix looked at each other before they both produced their secret items. Two homemade cards were handed to Emma, each with a drawing of two boys and a blonde woman on the front. Emma's eyes filled with tears as she read the identical words.

'Thank you for my friends'.

"These are amazing, guys," Emma said, smiling down at the two boys. "I love them. Thank you so much."

Mathew beamed but Felix looked worried.

"Why are you crying Emma?" he asked, panic evident in his tone.

"Oh, these are happy tears," Emma assured him. "I'm crying because I'm happy."

Felix frowned. "That doesn't make sense."

"No, but my sister does it too," Mathew piped up. "Girls are weird."

Emma laughed just as she spotted Ashley Boyd entering the centre. She waved and told Mathew to go and get his things whilst scouting the room for the rest of his siblings and cajoling them into getting ready too. Felix made his way over to the doorway with Emma. His foster father was usually late picking him up and he was accustomed to hanging around with the blonde until long after everyone else had left.

"Look what Mathew made me," Emma said, handing over the card to Ashley who took it and smiled.

"You've made quite the impression on him, you know," the other blonde said. "He talks about you all the time. You too, Felix. The others say how great you are too, by the way Emma, so I know it's not just Matty latching onto people like he does."

"He's a great kid," Emma said. "They all are."

As she spoke, the door behind Ashley opened. Emma was about to greet the parent but as soon as the woman turned to face her, she froze.

There was a long silence. Felix and Ashley looked curiously between the two women staring at each other. Even Felix could tell that something, or rather someone, had seriously affected Emma. He shifted to stand closer to her, an urge to protect the blonde overwhelming him. Although from whom she needed protection, he wasn't sure.

It was the stranger who broke the silence.

"Emma."

"Lily."