Sorry for the hiatus... I am almost done with this fic, just a lot of editing has to be done and then I will post. working on the last two chapters now.

Taking Back my name

I moved away to Boston after the divorce was final. I had changed my name, and I was searching for medical positions at Boston General, and other hospitals in the area. I had put in all this work, and I wanted to start anew, maybe just be in a less misogynistic diagnostic department.

But as I walked out of the Medical board building after filing my recertification, I passed by a bail bonds office. I stared at the door of the building for a long time. I knew that I had taken that search course, and finding people was what bail bonds people did. I don't know why I just stood there for so long, but I prodded myself forward and walked away.

You know how they say that intuition and unconscious messaging works in threes?

That was my first. About two weeks later, I was sitting at a cafe. I saw this really great-looking guy talking to this other dude. Like they were just shooting the breeze and talking nonsense. Nothing out of the ordinary, I mean It didn't look like they knew each other much. Just that the first guy had seen a handsome guy sitting in the same spot all week. So the first guy approached him this time teasing about the other guy's kind of pining.

The handsome guy laughed. Then he admitted he kind of had a crush on the barista. Then he introduced himself, one hand held out as if he were going to slap him five in that really sideways swaggy way some guys have. And when the first dude went in for the five, the handsome guy gripped his arm, twisted it back, and cuffed him.

I blinked as I watched, and the handsome guy said that he was a bail bonds guy and that the other guy had a bill to pay.

I watched him duck-march him into his car.

The third time, I walked into my gym, and He was there. I smiled at him in recognition. Though I knew he didn't know who I was. He thought I was flirting, and it had been a little while so I just went with it.

However, we never ended up dating. I mentioned the capture he made. "Oh Yeah," He said and laughed. "That dude was not the smartest tool in the shed. If you are trying to skip a bounty, you don't go to the same place over and over again."

"How much do you get paid for a bounty like that?" I asked

"Oh, just about seven bills," He said with a shrug. "He was easy. A harder bounty could yield about ten grand."

"Oh wow," I said and picked up my bottle of water.

"You want in?" He asked and I choked on it.

"What?" I gasped. The treadmill nearly knocked me off my feet.

"Yeah, I mean a pretty girl like you could sweeten the deal for any of the marks." He stated. " You'd be easy to follow to jail."

I looked at him. This was my third encounter with this. And I did get really good at searching. Maybe I'd just relax and do this for a while while I searched for my son, who seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth.

So I went back to that Bail Bonds office and picked up my first assignment. All the while I was looking out for both the brunette I had run into serendipitously every time I would come to Boston before and my son.

I found neither.

It figured.

I searched like this for two years. Finally, I accepted a position in Boston, in the epidemiology department. I had one final bounty, and I would be through.

I had found his dating profile, I frowned at the gall of this guy. Alison would have hated him. So does Emma for that matter. What kind of idiot bail jumper leaves his wife and kids to just hide out on the other side of the country?

I sighed and I started to text. It was generic, you know, I put my best, sexiest picture out there. Then I snagged a date. I set a date for that night and began to get ready. I swear the preparation that came with this was not worth it. I showed up in an extra tight Red dress and impossibly high beige stilettos.

I walked out of the elevator and looked around at the modern circular restaurant. The wood and silver paneling was gorgeous and I knew the menu had to be super expensive. I looked down at my dress, making sure there wasn't a smudge on it as I had just placed a boot on the idiot's car. Which… was how the hell I'd tracked him down… idiot

The dude had taste.

I walked around the corner and spotted him right away. He looked pleased to see me and stood up. There was a huge smile on his face. I matched the enthusiasm.

Asshole.

He stepped toward me and reached out a hand, "Emma." He said it like a statement. As if there was no doubt he was going to have a good time. He was confident and sure. Everything neither Emma nor Alison found too attractive.

"Brian?" I said in a questioning tone. I shook his hand and walked closer. "You look relieved."

He shook his head, " No, well it is the internet." He pulled out my chair and waited for me to drop into it before taking his seat across from me. "Pictures can be…"

"Outdated," I offered, sounding nervous. "Uploaded from Victoria's Secret catalog?"

"Yes," he said and we settled in our places.

"So…" I said awkwardly as first dates go, this is standard.

"So," He parrots. His position mirrored mine. "Tell me something… about yourself then."

"Oh…" I said and looked down at my plate as if thinking. "Well… Today's my birthday." I said truthfully and looked into his eyes.

"And you're spending it with me!" He said surprised and he leaned forward. "What about your friends?"

I shrugged, "I'm Kind of a loner."

"And what about your family?" He asked

"No Family to like." I continued my truthful answers. His eyes riveted on mine. He was searching for the lie… He was like me. Probably because he was a big fat liar.

"Oh, come on," He said with a stupid smirk on his face. "Everyone has family."

"Technically, yes, if everyone knows who they are." I paused watching his body language now. "Ready to run yet?"

"Oh not at all," he said. "You Emma, are by far the sexiest friendless orphan that I have ever met."

I laughed at the compliment, because damn it kinda felt good. I leaned back a little and looked down at his hands which were now on the table where I could cuff him. "Okay, Your turn," I said, settling my eyes back on him. "No wait, Let me guess! Um.. you are handsome, charming…"

"Go on, " He encourages liking where this smiling face is going to take this guess.

"Like, the type of guy who… Now stop me if I get this wrong." I emphasized. "Embezzled from your employer, got arrested, and skipped town before they were able to throw your ass in jail."

He smiled nervously. "What?"

"The worst part of all this is your wife, "I continued watching his face fall with every word I uttered. "Your wife loves you so much she bailed you out and how do you repay that loyalty? You're out on a date."

Finally, there was anger in his features. He looked out across the room and then looked back at me. "Who are you?"

"The chick who put up the rest of the money," I stated.

"Bail Bondsman…"

"Bail Bondsperson" I corrected. I knew it was going to happen before it did. I watched his hand get on the end of the table. When he flipped it I was ready and stood up to avoid it. Then he ran and I sighed. "Really?"

I turned slowly and walked out of the restaurant swiftly. He had a ten-second head start and he was running. I wasn't running behind him in my heels.

I literally stopped traffic as I walked behind him. As if I was willing the cars to do what I wanted. I felt a lot of power when he hopped into his car and tried to drive away. I caught up to him as he realized the car had a boot.

"Look," He said, "You don't have to do this. I have money."

I rolled my eyes. "No, you don't and if you do then you need to give it to your wife and take care of your family."

He narrowed his eyes on me. "What do you know about family?"

Do no harm my ass. I wasn't a doctor 'til next week. I took his head and slammed it into the steering wheel. "Nothing."

I knew absolutely nothing. I called the collar in and got Brian taken care of. I had a little bit of day left. My twenties were soon coming to an end. I frowned. 28. I passed by the cupcake shop and bought myself a little sweet cake and some star-shaped candles, then headed to my apartment.

As soon as I walked in the door I kicked off my shoes and padded to the kitchen. I opened the box and saw the icing-covered cupcake had made it unscathed. I pulled it out and put it on a saucer then opened the star-shaped candles. I don't know why I chose the star-shaped ones, except to think that maybe wishing on a star would mean my wishes would come true.

I pulled out a blue one and placed it dead center. I lit the candle and leaned forward to watch its little light flicker. "Another Banner year," I said and thought about my life. I was tired of not having a family. I was tired of being guarded, I was tired of just being alone.

I needed a change, so I closed my eyes and imagined that I was there, with my son who would be around ten now, and the brunette I just couldn't get out of my mind. And that the three of us were a family and I blew out the candle.

Suddenly there was someone at my door. I looked at the candle and then at the door. I padded over and opened the door, but I didn't see anything. Until my eyes trailed down and saw this boy. He had beautiful green eyes and wild dark brown hair. My heart fluttered because I knew what I had been imagining. This little boy's face had been what I had seen. "Uh… may I help you?"

"Are you Emma Swan?" He asked.

"Yeah, who are you?"

"My name's Henry," He said with a smile. "I'm your son." My eyes widened and I looked down the hall and then back at the little boy.

At my lack of reaction, the kid slipped into my apartment under my arm. "Whoa hey, hey kid… Kid!" I said in protest. "I don't have a son!" He continued to look around my place as if assessing whether I should have kept him or not."Where are your parents?"

He looked back at me. "Ten years ago, did you give up a baby for adoption?" I didn't answer. I wasn't about to lie to him. "That was me."

"Give me a minute," I said and turned away from him and headed for the bathroom. I was freaking out. I started to sink into a panic. My breaths got heavy and I knew I was going down.

"You got any juice?" His voice cut into the bathroom and snapped me out of my panic. I didn't have time to panic. "Never mind I found some." I took another deep breath to settle myself. What were the odds that I would wish for him, and that come true? But if I thought about it, I was always doing that. I would make a wish. And it would come true. I really needed to stop wishing on my birthday candles. Or at least have better wishes.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, he was drinking the orange juice right out of the bottle. Well, that was his now.

"You know we should really get going," he stated

I wrapped my arms around me. "Going where?"

"I want to take you home with me," he answered.

"Okay kid," I said, crossing over to my phone which was tossed on a side table. "I'm calling the cops."

"Then I'll tell them you kidnapped me." He said

"And they'll believe you because I'm your birth mother," I said and dropped my hand.

"Yep," he said, challenging me. I could see that mischievous glint that reminded me of Neil and I couldn't help but smile.

"You're not gonna do that."

"Try me,"

"You're good, but here's the thing." I said "I'm not great at a lot in life, but I'm great at one thing… Let's call it a superpower. I can tell when anyone is lying and you Kid.. are"

I began to dial and he said, "Wait! Please don't call the cops, please come home with me?"

I looked at him. "Where is home?"

"Storybrooke, Maine." He said.

"Storybrooke?"I asked, "Really?" He stayed still as if holding his breath. I sighed and relented. "Fine, let's get you to Storybrooke'' I walked past him to my bedroom to change out of this dress.