Authors Note: Many thanks to Randomfandomgelatofreak, Zoe19blink, no_nutcracker, falsewings, bewilderedmoth, naivesilver, and rylieblu. Due to all your comments, enthusiasm, and encouragement, I have decided to write Part III. Unlike Parts I-II, I don't have a clear-cut vision of what's going to happen, or how many chapters it will be, or how it's going to end, or even who Emma is going to end up with when the dust settles, but if you want to go on this journey with me, I'm happy to have you.

Part III will be multi-chaptered. The events of this fic begin following the events of Season 3 Episode 15: Quiet Minds, with one deviation from canon because I couldn't help myself.

Thank you to Dragonbat/Esther-Channah for betaing

Comments are encouraged.

Here we go!

Emma Swan Dates a Real Boy Part III: A Real Boy In Storybrooke

Prologue

It wasn't a particularly eventful night at the Davidson household. Aaron and Jason had spent a lazy summer day at the park, while Andrea had been hanging out at the mall with a couple of her friends from school.

They were all leaving in a few days for Grandma and Grandpa Davidson's home upstate. Andrea had packed ages ago, and Jason claimed to have done the same.

They had dinner, and then Andrea did what teenage girls sometimes did, but rarely admitted to. She cuddled with her father on the couch as they watched a movie on the Disney channel. Jason, meanwhile, read one of his comics. They expected to pass the rest of the night this way before heading to bed. They did expect someone to ring their doorbell this late at night.

Aaron got up and went to the door to find a pre-teen boy staring up at him like he was the answer to all his problems.

"Henry? What are you doing here?"

"I came back to New York," Henry said, grinning.

Well, that was a nice surprise. When Emma had taken off with Henry and a strange man in leather, Aaron had thought it would take more than a few weeks for the Swans to return. "Did your mom drop you off? Where is she?"

Henry's face fell slightly and he looked down at his feet. "Yeah, she's … she's not here. She's still in Maine."

Aaron's eyes went up to his hairline. "Does she know that you're here?"

Henry shook his head. "I didn't want to be there anymore so I, kind of, sort of, left."

Ah, shit.

Henry didn't want Aaron to call Emma, but Aaron knew she must be having a heart attack right about now. He couldn't believe Henry would do this to her, and when he'd pointed it out, at least Henry had looked slightly abashed.

His call went straight to voicemail. He came back into the living room to find Jason, Henry, and Andrea catching up while Henry gulped down the glass of juice Aaron had given him.

"Jason, Andrea, can you give me a minute to talk to Henry?"

"Can't we stay?" Jason pleaded.

"Anyone who isn't out of this room by the time I count to ten won't be allowed to swim in Grandma and Grandpa's pool next week."

Both children sighed, but seeing the look on their father's face, fled quickly, Aaron sat down across from Henry.

"So, what did my mom say?"

Aaron shook his head, "I couldn't get a hold of her. Straight to voicemail."

Henry nodded. "Figures."

"Henry, you know you can't just run off. Do you have any idea how scared your mom must be?"

"I'm sorry, but I didn't feel like I had a choice!"

"Okay. Why don't you tell me why you ran away?"

"I wasn't running away, I was running home. And I know I can't just stay at the house by myself. That's why I came here. I figured, maybe I could go upstate with you guys."

"I really wanted you to come with us too, Henry. And we miss you. But missing home doesn't make it okay to scare your mom like that. Not to mention how dangerous it is to cross state lines by yourself."

"Sam takes a plane to visit his dad by himself."

"Yeah, but his mom brings him to the airport, puts him on the plane, and then his dad is there at the other side to pick him up."

"So … I should have called?"

"Henry — "

"Look, it's not just that I miss you guys, or New York. It's that town. It's weird! The people are weird! They all look at me funny, and say things to me like they know stuff about me and then pretend they didn't say it. And that guy with the leather is always around, and he has a freaking hook for a hand!" Then, more quietly, Henry added, "Mom's weird there, too."

"Weird how?"

"Just different. She doesn't talk to me anymore. She doesn't trust me. She's always pawning me off on these old friends she's known forever, even though I've never heard of them before. Or she'll be whispering with them and shooting me nervous looks like she's worried I'll hear something I shouldn't." Henry started talking faster, his suspicions exploding out of him. "It's not a normal case. It's strange. She's strange! She won't explain why we're there, or why we can't leave, or why we're staying with strangers. She promised she would tell me what was going on, but she keeps changing the subject, or saying I'm reading into things and I just have to trust her. She's super anxious all the time, but she won't tell me why. She never kept things from me before. Plus, the other day, this weird thing happened with the weather. It was like the wind, and another noise, and a rainbow, and I can't explain it, but it was strange. When I brought it up to mom, she pretended she didn't know what I was talking about, but I know she did! I'm not happy there. I don't think she's happy there. I know she's different, and I don't get why we can't just leave and come home!"

Henry's eyes were starting to tear a bit. Aaron got down to his level and enveloped him in a tight hug. "Hey, it's okay." Henry hiccupped a bit, and Aaron patted him on the back. "It'll be okay."

"Please, don't make me go back."

"I'm sorry that it's been so hard for you, but you know I can't keep you from your mom. Knowing her, she'll have me arrested for kidnapping. How did you get here by yourself anyway?"

"I took a bus. And a plane. And maybe my mom's credit card."

"Jesus, Henry."

"I know. It's bad. But maybe I could stay here for a little while, and then you could talk my mom into coming back, and things could go back to how they were."

Aaron shook his head. "I would love that. But I respect your mom, Henry. And if there is where she wants you to be right now, I have to respect that too. I have to take you back."

"Well, maybe you could stay?"

"What?"

"Yeah. You, Jason, and Andrea can come to Storybrooke and try to talk some sense into my mom. And then, if she still won't listen, maybe you could stick around for a week or two, and … and I wouldn't be alone with a bunch of weird strangers."

"Henry — "

"Please! It's a compromise. You said I had to go back, and I'll go back, but why do I have to go back alone?"

"Your mom wants me to give her space. I need to respect that."

"But you wouldn't be there for her. You'd be there for me. I don't want space."

Aaron sighed. "Look, I'm not going to send you back by yourself. That's not safe. And once I get there, I'll talk to your mom about how you've been feeling, and we'll see if we can come up with something."

"And Jason? Andrea?"

"I don't know if that's – "

Jason came barreling out of the room, Andrea behind him. "Can we go? Please?"

"You two were listening at the door?" Jason nodded, not even looking slightly remorseful Andrea avoided her father's eyes. "You guys really want to go all the way to Maine?"

"We never go anywhere!" Jason said.

"We're going to your grandparent's in – "

"We want to make sure Henry is okay," Andrea said, finally meeting her father's gaze.

Aaron sighed again. "I'm outnumbered on this, aren't I?" All three kids nodded. "Okay. Well, you guys are already packed, so that's something. I'll try and get in touch with your mom again, Henry, and then, I guess I'll check flights to Maine."

Jason started jumping up and down and Henry joined him. Andrea watched them, rolling her eyes. "This means you have to actually pack now, you know?"

"I'm packed," Jason said defiantly.

"Sure you are. I guess that means you won't need my help getting your stuff together."

"Henry can help me."

Meanwhile, in Storybrooke, Emma's phone lit up with another call from Aaron. She pressed ignore.

"Who's Aaron?" her mom asked, coming up behind her.

Emma sighed. "I'm not having that conversation now. We have to figure out where Zelena took Henry."

"Well, Regina's doing a tracking spell, so that – "

"I'm not just going to sit at home while he's missing and there's an evil witch out there."

"Which is why we're in the woods. But, Emma, we'll find him. He'll be okay. You know that, right?"

Emma shook her head, "He better be."

Author's Note: Because I'm not sure if/when I'll go into it, and I'm sure you're curious, the phenomenon Henry referred to was Rumple giving a dying Neal True Love's Kiss and saving his life, because screw the writers.