With A Kiss

We walked through the Diner, our footsteps echoing the unspoken tension in the air. Henry had been growing increasingly restless, perhaps sensing that something big was happening, or maybe just tired of the secrets and mysteries that shrouded his life. He confronted us outside the Diner, his eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and frustration.

"Where are you really going?" he inquired, his voice carrying a hint of accusation.

I turned to face him, my expression a blend of weariness and determination. "I told you, Henry, I'm following a lead," I replied, hoping to quell his growing unease.

"What lead?" he pressed, his youthful curiosity refusing to be silenced.

"Look, it's complicated," I said, realizing that my vague responses were only adding to his frustration.

"Is this about the person who killed my dad?" His voice quivered with emotion.

My frustration got the better of me, and I raised my voice, a rare occurrence when talking to Henry. "No, you don't need to know all the details right now," I asserted firmly. I looked away briefly, attempting to regain my composure. "I'm your mother, and I know what's best. You'll just have to trust me for now, okay? Understood?"

Henry's expression softened, and he reluctantly nodded. "Yeah, I think I understand," he conceded.

As I walked away, Henry called after me, a hint of defiance in his voice. "Wait, I need my keys. I left mine in the room, and if I'm going to be stuck here, I'd at least like to have my Game Boy."

I handed him the keys without another word, and we continued our search for the elusive book that held the key to our problems. We scoured every corner of the apartment, growing increasingly frustrated as we came up empty-handed time and time again. It felt like an exercise in futility.

Then, finally, a triumphant gasp escaped Mom's lips as she discovered the book nestled away in her closet. "Did you really not see it in there?" I asked, surprised.

A defensive tone crept into Mom's voice as she replied, "You think I'm lying?"

"No, no," I quickly assured her, realizing that my words might have come across as an accusation. "It's just..." I trailed off, struggling to articulate my thoughts.

Mom regarded me with a mixture of concern and understanding. "Emma, what's going on? You've been on edge since we left Granny's."

"It's nothing," I replied, though both of us knew it was far from nothing.

Mom didn't let it drop, though. She pressed, "No, it's not nothing. You yelled at Henry, and that's not like you."

I sighed, unable to contain my frustration any longer. "None of this is like me, Mom. Or at least it never used to be."

She looked at me, her eyes filled with sympathy. "What are you talking about?"

I began to open up, trying to put into words the overwhelming emotions that had been building inside me. "I'm talking about wicked witches and time-traveling holy wars," I said, my voice heavy with exasperation. "I had forgotten what it was like here. I'm a scientist, Mom. This... it doesn't fit science. I don't want this for Henry."

"So you're planning to take him back to New York once this is all over, aren't you?" Mom asked, referring to the conversation she had with Dad.

"Yeah, I am," I admitted.

"That's why you looked relieved when we couldn't find the book. You don't want his memories back."

I nodded, my shoulders slumping with the weight of my confession. "If getting his memories back is the only way to break the curse, then that's what we're gonna do. But I don't want it to be any harder on him than it has to be. Our life in New York was really good."

Mom sighed, realizing the complexity of the situation. "I'm sure it was, but it wasn't home."

"It was for us," I said, my voice tinged with a mixture of nostalgia and regret.

Our conversation hung in the air for a moment, heavy with unspoken thoughts and emotions. Finally, Mom broke the silence, her gaze unwavering. "Let's go get Henry."

When we arrived at Granny's, our search for Henry took an alarming turn. He was nowhere to be found in the inn or the parlor, and to make matters worse, my car keys had disappeared. Panic began to creep in, but I quickly turned to technology for help. I pulled out my phone and launched the Find My app, revealing that Henry was at the docks.

Without wasting a second, we all headed to the docks. I arrived just in time to thwart a flying monkey's attack on my son, firing a shot that sent the creature fleeing. I rushed to Henry's side, my heart pounding with relief and concern. "Henry, are you okay?" I asked, my voice laced with worry.

"Yeah, but what were those things?" Henry inquired, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear and curiosity. He turned to David, clearly puzzled. "Why does he have a sword?"

"It's all going to make sense in a minute, I promise," I assured him, my hand on his shoulder.

"What are you talking about?" Henry pressed, his patience wearing thin.

I took a deep breath, finally ready to come clean. "I'm sorry I was keeping things from you. You were right. You deserve to know the truth," I admitted, handing him the book.

"About fairy tales?" Henry questioned, his brow furrowing in confusion. "I don't understand."

"Do you trust me?" I asked, locking eyes with him.

"Yes, of course I do," Henry replied, his voice filled with trust and affection.

"Then I need you to believe," I implored.

"Believe in what?" Henry questioned, his curiosity piqued.

"Believe in magic," I replied, my words carrying the weight of years of secrecy.

"From a book?" Henry asked, still struggling to grasp the enormity of what I was asking.

"It's more than just a book," I insisted, my tone unwavering. "Do you believe in me?"

"Yes," Henry replied without hesitation.

"Then take it," I urged, placing the book in his hands. And in that moment, he remembered. I could see it in his eyes, the recognition, the awakening. His entire demeanor shifted, and he looked around for Regina, knowing that she had been waiting for this moment. They embraced tightly, a reunion long overdue.

Regina eventually brought him back to me, her eyes filled with urgency. "Do it, Emma. Break the curse," she implored, placing her trust in my newfound power.

I closed my eyes and focused all the love in my heart on the task, attempting to break the curse that had plagued us for so long. But just as I felt progress, Zelena cruelly interrupted, snatching Henry from my arms and shattering the moment.

"Sorry to interrupt," Zelena taunted, her presence radiating malevolence. "Who wants to say goodbye first?"

Confusion marred Henry's face as he asked, "Who are you?"

Zelena replied with a sinister smile, "You can call me Auntie Zelena."

Regina couldn't stand idly by any longer and stepped forward. "Enough of this," she declared, her voice firm.

But Zelena was relentless. She unleashed her power, blasting Regina backward. "Let him go. He had nothing to do with this," I pleaded, desperation creeping into my voice.

"Don't blame me," Zelena sneered. "The captain failed me."

I turned to Hook, bewildered by the cryptic conversation. "Hook, what is she talking about?" I asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

"He knew what the price of that failure was," Hook admitted, his expression weighed down by guilt. "Your son's life."

Zelena's grip tightened around Henry, and terror gripped my heart as she began to strangle my baby. "Mom!" Henry cried out, his voice choked with fear.

I couldn't bear to see my child in pain any longer. Closing my eyes, I summoned every ounce of power within me and unleashed it, breaking Zelena's hold on Henry and freeing him from her cruel grasp.

Henry was frantically trying to wake his mother, and when he kissed her, the curse broke. Relief washed over all of us.

"It wasn't me, it was you," I said to her. Then, I turned to my parents. "Do you remember?"

"Yes, we do," Mom responded.

"How did Zelena cast the curse?" I asked, trying to piece together the puzzle.

"She didn't, Emma. We did," Mom answered.

I was taken aback. "You cursed yourselves?"

"Zelena's weakness is Light Magic," Mom explained. "It's clear now, more than ever. You are the only one who can defeat her."

"That's why we paid the price of Regina's curse, to find you," Dad added.

I was still trying to wrap my head around it all. "The price of the curse is the thing you love most. One of you cast it. How are you both still here?"

They told me they shared one heart between them. Henry had left with his mom, chatting about school. My work in Storybrooke was done; the curse was broken. But if I was the only one who could defeat Zelena...

"Are you going to tell me what the witch was talking about?" I demanded of Killian. "She said you failed her."

"Don't listen to her, Swan," Killian urged.

"Killian, what's going on? Are you working for her?"

"The witch tried to back me into a corner," Killian explained. "I did everything I could to resist her plans."

"So whose idea was it to kidnap Henry and put him on a boat?"

"It was mine. I was trying to save him," Killian admitted.

"From what?" I pressed. "What is she doing?"

"She cursed me," Killian revealed, his voice tinged with regret. "My lips, actually."

"Your lips? Why?" I inquired.

"She wants to steal your magic," Killian stated. "She thought I was the best way of doing that. She knows that we all know you can defeat her."

"It should have been my decision to protect Henry, whether she forced your hand or not," I responded firmly. "I can't trust you now. How can I?"

"She's right, love. I've lied about more than this," Killian confessed.

"You said you brought Emma to Storybrooke because you received a message from us with a memory photo," Dad interjected.

"Aye, what of it?" Killian asked.

"We didn't send you any message," David stated, casting doubt on Killian's claims.

The mysteries and secrets surrounding Zelena's plans and Killian's involvement were becoming increasingly tangled, leaving us with more questions than answers.

"Well, I've got one," Killian said with a note of determination. "It's the truth. Who else would have an antidote, who else would know where to find the savior?"

I considered his words. It wasn't easy to trust someone who had seemingly betrayed us, but something in his eyes told me he was sincere. Right now, though, my immediate concern was checking on my son.

Later that afternoon, I took Henry to Neal's grave. It was a place of solace and reflection. Finally, he could allow himself to feel the grief he had been suppressing and maybe heal appropriately from it. I knew that having his memories back wasn't all bad, despite the complications it had brought.

As we sat by Neal's grave, Henry broke the silence. "Was it hard?" he asked, his voice tinged with curiosity. "Coming back to Storybrooke when you knew it'd be dangerous? I mean, life in New York was pretty good."

I nodded, understanding his perspective. "It was better than good," I agreed. "But I had this voice stuck in my head that I couldn't shake."

Henry's eyes held a mixture of curiosity and understanding. "Whose voice?" he inquired.

I looked at him with a soft smile. "Yours," I replied honestly. "I knew how you would have voted on this whole situation."

He nodded, processing my words. "Yeah, and you know what this means?"

Curiosity piqued, I leaned in slightly. "What does it mean?"

A hint of determination crept into Henry's expression. "Operation Cobra is back on."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm not sure it ever really ended," I responded, thinking of all the adventures and challenges we had faced together.

Just then, as if on cue, Mom's water broke, and the urgency of the moment rushed back to the forefront. "Oh, for fuck's sake. Kid, stay inside until I catch the witch," I muttered to my unborn sibling, gently placing a hand on Mom's rock-hard belly. "Okay, Mom, it's go time, and as long as Baby J behaves, I'm here for you, okay?"

But fate had other plans, and Baby J seemed determined to make their entrance sooner rather than later.