'Storybrooke, Maine 15 Miles ahead'
Mist covered the road way that led into the small town that Emma Swan hadn't stepped foot in, in nearly 7 years. Leaning back in her seat she swallowed thickly, her green eyes trained on the road sign in front of her that let her know that she was almost back in hell. Her yellow bug was pulled over to the side of the old highway, idling quietly, her 6 year old son Henry, fast asleep in the back seat smiling in his sleep like he always did, blissfully unaware of the inner conundrum that his mother was currently facing in the front seat.
Emma's hand came up towards her face, covering her mouth for a few moments before wiping her hand down her face and letting out a deep sigh. Shaking her head to herself she took a moment, eyes looking away from the haunting sign that sat before her and off into the wilderness of the forest that stretched all the way down the road on her right side. She let her eyes search the mist-covered forest as she took a few deep breaths, trying to force herself out of the memories she was becoming more engrossed with the longer she sat there. With one hand on the wheel the young blonde put her car into drive, flipped her left blinker on and pulled off from the side of the road continuing her journey.
Green eyes stared blankly ahead as she let her mind wander back to the time she had first decided to leave this godforsaken town for a better life.
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The date was May 14th, the mail had come that day early, it was rainy, windy and cold. Emma had just graduated high school the week before and for the first time in her life she was finally free of everything that she /HAD/ to do, she could just focus on herself. She hadn't been feeling the greatest lately, she was sick to her stomach a lot and she was tired but she chalked it up to a stomach bug which was going around town.
Emma had been sitting on the porch that day, enjoying the smell of the fresh rain, curled in a blanket on the porch swing with a good book and a hot chocolate. Her eyes lifted to the mailman's vehicle as she saw him driving off, hearing her mother inside calling to her asking her to grab it for her because she was busy.
"Yea I got it." Emma called back to her mother.
Standing up she placed her bookmark inside the pages of the book before setting it on the swing followed by the blanket that she previously had wrapped around herself. Quickly Emma hopped over the railing, landing on her feet she sprinted through the rain, quickly snatching the mail and running back to the porch. Once she was safely under the cover of the roof the young blonde let her eyes scan the envelopes in her hand. She was sure they were all for her parents as she shuffled through the stack, about to stop bothering to look when her name shown up at her from a small envelope at the bottom of the stack.
'Emma Swan'
Was written on the front of it, in the upper left corner the return address read, '108 Mifflin St.'
Emma knew the address but the hand writing on the outside of the envelope didn't belong to Regina. Curious Emma went inside real quick, handing her mom her mail before returning outside and resuming her spot on the bench. She felt the nerves flying around in her stomach as she stared at the outside of the envelope, she hadn't seen or spoken to Regina in about a month. They'd had a fight, a pretty bad one and Emma hadn't heard from her since and not due to a lack of effort on her end.
Emma had called, sent notes and letters, and even climbed the tree outside of Regina's window trying to see her but to no avail. Now here is a letter addressed to Emma, coming from Regina's home and Emma was suddenly for some reason feeling even more sick.
Not being able to take the anxiety of not knowing, the blonde began to peel back the seal on the envelope. Pulling the contents from within, Emma's face paled seeing what was there.
'Save the date!'
' You are cordially invited to attend the union of Regina Mills and Robin Locksley'
-When: August 21st and 1:00 PM
-Where: St Christians church
Attached to the invitation was a photo of Regina and Robin looking lovingly into each others eyes. Emma's eyes stared blankly down at the photo in her hands, the sky around her lighting up as lightning struck, thunder rolled and Emma's eyes lifted from the photo, looking in the direction of Regina's house. They were distant neighbors, lots of land between their homes but Emma could just see the house.
Tears sprang to Emma's eyes, she had so many emotions flowing inside of her she was really unable to contain her rage, running from the porch, around her house to the stable in the backyard, Emma grabbed a marker from the workbench, slamming the invitation down she wrote three words on it in giant letters. Grabbing a brick from the garden outside the door, Emma wrapped the letter around it with the hair tie that had just previously been in her hair before placing it on the table.
She stomped toward the horses stalls, putting a bit into Casper's mouth, she pulled it over his head, before using the wall to jump onto his back. He had been her horse since she was about 5 years old, so he was so used to her she could pretty much do anything to him she wanted. Leading him out of the stall, Emma grabbed the brick and she trotted her way towards Regina's house, the note placed inside her shirt for safekeeping as they rode. Emma could just make out the appearance of Regina in her room for a split second.
'Good… she's home, she'll get the message.'
Emma thought as she fought back tears. Having Casper come to a slower speed Emma stopped just outside of Regina's upper level bedroom. Grabbing the brick she pulled her arm back, aimed at the window and threw without caring about the shattered window or even the scream of alarm that could be heard from within that came from none other than Regina herself.
Regina had been sitting in her room that morning feeling overly anxious, ever since her mother had agreed that Regina would marry Robin, she'd been on edge and moody. Every so often Regina caught herself staring out the window, across the field to where she could just see Emma's house. She missed her bestfriend so much and all she wanted to do was talk to her about everything that was going on and run away from it all with her but Regina had no options. Her mother had made it clear when she told her that the very weight of their family was currently on her shoulders.
You see her father had a gambling problem and her mother didn't work. Years of this pattern had used up all of their family money and now, very soon, they would all lose everything that they had including their home. Robin, having known the family for years, agreed when Cora had first proposed the idea of marriage to her 18 year old daughter. Robin had always thought Regina to be one of the most beautiful women he had ever laid eyes on and what was money to someone who had enough for 10 lifetimes.
Regina sat at the top of her bed, her legs pulled up to her chest and tears falling down her cheeks as she tried not to let her emotions over take her. She was just so sad though, this isn't what she wanted, not how she pictured her life turning out. She'd never felt more hopeless in her entire life.
The crashing of the window breaking sent Regina tumbling off the side of her bed with a scream, diving for cover from the shard of flying glass. Getting up, the Brunette's tears suddenly gone replaced with a bit of fear and anger as she stood up surveying the damage around her room. Seeing the broken glass everywhere only furthered the rage she felt, storming over to the object that had made its way through the glass. Snatching it off the floor, she hesitated seeing a few strands of blonde hair that had been caught around the ponytail that was wrapped around the object.
Swallowing thickly she pulled it off and unfolded the note only to be shocked at what she saw. It was an invitation to her and Robin's wedding only Regina hadn't even know these had gone out. Her mother had said it would be a small ceremony. Unfolding the paper the rest the way, Regina instantly felt like she was going to be sick as she read the three words that were scribed on the paper in thick black marker, even through the water stains that caused the ink to run she could make out the words that she never thought she'd hear coming from the blonde girl.
'I HATE YOU!'
Dropping the brick but keeping the note in her hand Regina rushed to the broken window, her eyes looking down through the pouring rain, her eyes just briefly meeting those Green orbs of Emma's. Before Emma turned and patted the horse on the sides with her feet, took off in a fast gallop back towards her house, it was at that moment that Regina knew her life was never going to be the same.
Sinking down to the floor clutching the note in her hands Regina cried out, it was a scream of agony and loss and pain, it was all she could do in that moment before rage took over. Getting up off the ground the brunette lost any sense that she had had left. Walking around her room she started to break things out of a pure rage. picking up dolls that her parents had gotten, glass figurines, bowls, plates, anything glass that she came upon was unsafe.
Her wild brown eyes landed on the ornament that Emma had made for her years ago in art class. It was a bulb that was painted both of their favorite colors, Emma had decorated it and added glitter along with the words
'I love you Gina!'
Written in giant handwriting, similar but different to that of Emma's handwriting now. Picking up the present in her hand Regina once again sunk down to the floor, clutching both the gift and the note in her hands as she gave into the heartbreak that was overtaking her small frame.
Emma making it back home was at a complete loss with what to do with herself, she didn't understand anything that was going on and she felt like her whole life had just gone up in flames. She'd just lost not only the girl that she was head over heels for but also the only best friend that she had ever had.
After putting Casper away Emma ran into her house, slipping past her mother and into her room where she locked the door and pulled out a bag. looking all over her room Emma began grabbing anything and everything that had ever come from, belonged to, or reminded her of, Regina and began putting it all in the bag. shoving it under her bed when she was finished Emma stretched out on the top of her bed and began to sob.
There wasn't much that Emma was sure about at the moment but, the one thing she was sure of, was that she didn't want to stay in the backwater town any longer, she needed to go and she needed to do it yesterday.
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The streets of Storybrooke were almost just the same as Emma remembered it, the town hadn't appeared to have grown or changed much in the last 6 years, except for the seasonal decorations. When she'd first left, the decorations around the town were showing off their spirit and pride for their country as they celebrated the 4th of July, and this time, as Emma drove through town, it was all Christmas lights and mistletoe as far as the eye could see.
There was a light layer of snow falling from the sky as she took the turn to head to her parents house. It had been years since she had been there, since before Henry was born. Of course her parents had seen both of them over the last few years, but they had always come to New York to see them. Emma tried not to gaze at Regina's parents house as she drove by, keeping her eyes averted the entire time.
It wasn't too much longer before Emma's bug pulled into the driveway that led to her parents. Soon the yellow farm house was coming into view and Emma saw her parents already rushing out the door to welcome her and she hadn't even parked.
Chuckling softly at her parents' antics Emma glanced in her rearview mirror at Henry who was still fast asleep. He had fallen asleep almost the moment that they had left New York. She had spent the morning with him, taking him to breakfast, and then to the park to play before they left their home and embarked on this journey to her home town. On buckling her seatbelt, Emma turned around with a gentle smile on her lips. She gently ran her hand through Henry's hair.
" Little prince." She whispered in a soft tone.
" It's time to wake up, we're at grandmas."
Once again, she ran her hand through his hair before gently, sliding it down and cupping his small cheek. She gently caressed his cheek with her thumb, causing his eyes to start to flutter open. He gave a big yawn, and looked around in a daze of confusion for a moment before looking at his mom with a sleepy confused smile.
"Gramma?" He asked in a sleep filled voice.
Emma chuckled at how cute he sounded, the perfect mixture of sleepy and excited. She nodded, her head and excitement, giving him an even bigger smile.
" Grandmas." She confirmed with a nod. Quickly unbuckling him from his seat. He wasted no time in opening the car door and jumping out Emma wasn't far behind as she reached for her own door and opened it following him out. Her eyes instantly on him, watching as he ran towards her mother and threw his little arms around her. Snow scooped him off the ground in the biggest bear hug he'd ever had, causing both him to squeal with laughter.
" I missed you!" He exclaimed, as he held her tight around the neck.
Snow flashed Emma a big smile as she looked at her while holding onto Henry. He's gotten so much bigger since the last time they had seen him.
" We missed you too buddy! So much!" She said, swinging him around lightly as she walked toward her daughter.
Emma looked for her mother to her father who was also standing by watching the happy scene with a big smile on his face. Jumping down from Snow's arms, he immediately launched himself into David's, giving him the same tight necked hug that he gave to his grandma.
"Wow! What a grip!" David choked out fakely as he held tightly to the young boy.
"You're getting so big! You gotta stop growing!" He teased with a small pretend grunt and a laugh.
As soon as Snow's arms were empty of Henry, she immediately found her daughter and pulled her into a tight embrace. Emma stumbled back, just a step from the impact of her mothers body almost launching into hers. Chuckling, Emma returned the hug, squeezing her mother tightly.
" I'm so glad you guys made it here safe. I hope the drive wasn't too bad!" Snow said, squeezing her a little bit more before releasing her and stepping back, so David could do the same thing.
" It's so good to see you, kid." David said giving her a squeeze before releasing her, turning his eyes to the car.
" Want some help with your bags?" He asked, already heading toward the car.
Snow turned her attention back to Emma, as she took Henry's little hand into her own. She had big, excited eyes as she looked between mother and son, gently pulling them both towards the house she tossed a smile at her husband, who was already busy grabbing the bags out of the car.
" We're so happy that you're here. We have a surprise for you both!" She exclaimed happily as they walked up the porch steps and into the house.
Henry's eyes were wide as he looked around, taking in the house for the first time. It was a very cozy home consisting of four bedrooms, and 3 1/2 bathrooms along with a kitchen, dining room, laundry room and living room. It was decorated in a modest but fashionable sense, there were knickknacks here, and there scattered throughout the house and plants on every shelf.
As soon as you walked into the house, you were met with the living room and her parents room to the left. To the right was the staircase leading up to the second floor, where her old bedroom was along with the spare rooms. If you continued past the living room, you would walk into the kitchen, and then to the right would be the dining room. On the left side there was a mud room, which was where the washer and dryer were located.
David was quick to follow them inside with their bags, not wanting to miss any of the excitement. Making his way up the staircase before anybody else he motioned with his head for them to follow along.
"Come on!" Snow said excitedly as she followed closely behind her husband. Taking a left at the top of the stairs David went to the very last room on the right and opened the door quickly going inside he said Henry's bag down on the bed and turned to look at them. Follow quickly by snow entering the room doing the same thing wanting to see their reactions.
Emma, genuinely confused, having no idea what was happening, followed them up the stairs, holding Henry in her arms as he was still tired from the day's excitement and the trip. Watching her dad go into what she remembered being a spare room she raised an eyebrow in even more confusion.
Her confusion did not last long, though when she rounded the corner and entered the room before them was one of the most majestic, children's bedrooms she had ever seen there was a bed that was a castle that also had a slide attached to it. The whole room was covered in toys, and the walls painted a light blue.
If Henry was tired before he was no longer, squirming out of his mothers arms, he got down with complete shock on his face and began running around the room, looking at everything. Emma was sure his squeals of happiness were able to be heard next-door; he was so excited.
"You guys my god." Emma said in utter shock as she looked around the room.
"We've had a long time to get this set up… we are just glad he gets to see it and use it!" Snow said, looking at Henry with a mixture of complete happiness and absolute sadness.
In that moment Emma's heart clenched; she was sure that the distance between herself and her parents was hard on them. After all, they had been close once upon a time, but it's just not that simple. Hiding the secrets that she had, didn't just put a wedge between her and Regina, it put a wedge between her and everybody.
Emma looked away from her parents back to Henry, who was already testing out the slide that came down into a bunch of pillows for a padded landing. The glee on his face was priceless, and the moment his small feet hit the floor he was running to his grandparents and hugging them both.
"This is so cool!" He said jumping around with such enthusiasm.
David smiled proudly down at the boy and returned the hug along with his wife who kissed the boy's forehead. David, remembering that he still had Emma's bag, walked back toward her.
"Now for you." He said, giving her shoulder a squeeze as he walked out the bedroom door and down the hallway to where Emma's old room was.
They had given the room an update, knowing that Emma was coming to stay for a while. They knew that even though Emma was there she would have to work here and there, because of her business, so they gave her room a makeover. Reaching his arm out David turned the knob and opened the door, revealing what they had done to her room.
Emma couldn't help the small jaw dropping motion that occurred as soon as her eyes landed on the room. It was the same but also different. The walls inside had been painted black. Straight into the room you'd find the bed, which looked to be about a queen size, with a pretty pale pink platform to raise the bed from the floor. At the end of the bed there was a long table that had a large TV on top, to the right, in the corner near the window, there was a hanging egg chair with blankets and a pillow, and the left side of the room held a desk with a computer, a nice office chair, with office supplies.
The walls of the room were lined with different pictures from different areas of her life thus far. Pictures of her as a baby as a child as a teenager pictures of Henry as a baby and even now and as she looked around the room, she noted the pictures of herself with her parents, as well as Henry with her parents and there it was. Walking into the room. Emma's eyes were glued to the one picture that she thought she'd never see again.
"I thought I lost this." Emma said quietly looking over the picture remembering the day that this photo had been taken.
The photo was of Emma and Regina, the evening of the last camping trip between them, and a bunch of their friends at the time. Emma and Regina had been sitting on a log near the campfire when pictures started to be taken. In the picture, Regina had her arm wrapped around Emma's arm, her head laying against Emma's shoulder, and Emma was looking down at her with such love and adoration in her eyes with the biggest smile on her face.
Her green eyes roamed over the photo, reveling in the memory, her fingers coming up to brush Regina's cheek in the photo sadly. That was the best night of her entire life, but also the night that changed her entire future. Henry had been conceived at this party. Emma shook herself out of it, turning to look at her father with grateful eyes.
She saw that her mother was leaning up against the doorway, watching her with happy, curious eyes.
"Thank you guys… this is.. amazing." She said as she once again took in the room in its entirety. She noted that her mothers plant obsession has overflown into this room as there were random plants scattered about but she didn't mind. It added life and beauty to the room.
"It's beautiful." She added walking toward them both to give them a hug.
They all hugged each other for a moment before feeling small arms wrap around all their legs and they all broke out into small laughs as they separated. Henry was lifted into his grandfather's arms where he smiled but gave a large yawn.
"Looks like someone is ready to go back to bed." Emma teased him reaching out to tickle his stomach causing him to kick a bit in David's strong arms.
"Alright, let's get you two a bite to eat so we can all get some sleep." Snow said looking down at her watch, it was 10:15 PM and her and David both had to work the following day.
Turning on her heel she walked back toward the stairs leading the train of family members to the kitchen table.
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"I want you to come, come on, I promise it'll be fun!" Regina's words rang through her ears as they pulled up to the campgrounds that Neal and Jefferson had rented for the weekend.
Regina put her car into park and she turned to Emma with the biggest smile ever on her beautiful perfect lips. Reaching out a hand she squeezed Emma's arm excitedly, "This is going to be the best party ever!" She exclaimed, giving her arm another squeeze before happily hopping out of the car and popping her trunk.
It was only moments before Neal and Jefferson were walking their way, eyes set on the pair.
"You guys made it!" Neal bellowed, throwing his arms out wide.
Regina gave him a beaming smile and bat her eyelashes toward the fellas.
"By any chance are there any gentlemen here who know how to put this blasted tent together?" Regina feigned ignorance and a southern belle accent while placing her hand to her head dramatically causing Emma and the guys all to laugh.
"We got it, you ladies, grab a drink!" Jefferson said, sending Regina a wink as he pulled the tent and the camping gear from the back of her car.
"Such service." Regina chirped with a devilish smile, turning back to Emma she smirked her way and winked at her before holding her hand out for the blonde to take.
"Let's get this party started babe."