Chapter 1 – New York

Emma

It was the best for her and Henry to move back to New York. That's what Emma kept telling herself as she loaded the bug with the few things her and Henry had brought to Storybrooke in the rush to find out if it had returned. Now, with the curse broken and Zelena in a holding facility that she strongly suspected was highly off the books (and that she as sheriff should have known or cared more about), Emma didn't see any reason not to go back to her life in New York.

Or at least that is what she kept telling herself as she ignored Regina's glares, her parents sad but understanding looks and Henry's sullen face. Despite all this, it was Killian's absence to this sad and small goodbye club that bothered her the most. She didn't exactly know when he had become Killian to her rather than Hook, maybe between longing gazes, cursed lips and keeping up appearances with Henry, but he had. And she knew it meant something, but she was too scared to find out what.

"I will be contacting you later this week to discuss the last details of the custody arrangement Miss Swan. And you can expect me in New York by the end of the month."

As Regina interrupts her thoughts, Emma realizes that she has never been more grateful to hear Regina's condescending tone. Even if it is to remind her that Henry isn't just hers anymore. She might be going back to New York, but she is painfully aware that the life she had, the life she thought she had, is not something she can have again. Not when it was all a lie anyways.

But it was the best for her and Henry. Even if Henry was only going to be there half of the time. Because Henry's was never just hers and Regina had rights too, rights she had claimed by instituting a two-week custody switch between her and Emma. Emma wasn't sure if it was even legal or how Regina had managed to arrange it with both schools, but Henry would be living two weeks in New York with her and two weeks in Storybrooke with Regina. With the curse broken and the town line working normally again, Emma wasn't even expected to make the drive every time to bring or pick up Henry, as Regina offered to do all that.

Even her parents had told her they would be visiting her and Henry regularly if that was alright with her, giving her an out to not have to return to Storybrooke anytime soon.

Everything was lining up perfectly with Emma's plans, and she was livid. With her parents, who had raised their qualms with her plans to move back to New York but had then acquiesced with tears in their eyes and told her that she was a grown woman and could make her own decisions for herself and her son. With Regina and Henry, who she honestly had expected to kick more of a fuss at her plans to move back to New York and take him away. And with Killian, who had nodded mournfully, a storm within his blue eyes, telling her that he respected her wishes and had backed off to the point that she hadn't seen him in days. Emma wasn't sure what had hurt her more, her parents letting her go, Henry agreeing to be away from her for two weeks to be with Regina or Killian giving up when he had promised that he would win her heart.

Three months later Emma is sitting alone in her apartment flicking through channels on her TV trying to distract herself from the twinge in her stomach as she thinks of Henry and her parents who have just left. Her parents came down with Leo and stayed in her guest room the whole weekend, joining her and Henry in their usual weekend fun when Henry is staying with her. It had felt like the type of weekend she could have had once upon a time, filled with laughter and stories and family. A quiet voice in the back of her mind reminded her that it was the type of weekend Henry, and her parents would probably have in Storybrooke while she was alone in New York. That same voice pointed out that Emma could have that too if she moved back but Emma was sure it wouldn't be the same. She would just be an outsider, the Savior being the only role she could see herself filling. Emma got up to the kitchen and retrieved a tumbler and a bottle of rum deciding to drown her sorrows and fighting not to remember soft lips, a consuming heat and flying pirate ships.

"No, it's okay. Really Mary Margaret, I had no other plans for the weekend anyways and I don't mind the drive," Emma nodded to the barista as she picked up her latte while Mary Margaret continued to ramble apologies through the phone because she and David could no longer drive Henry down to her. Emma was secretly glad for the excuse to visit Storybrooke though she would never admit it. Although she had seen her parents often in the past few months, they always seemed to carefully avoid talking too much about Storybrooke to her. And it wasn't that Emma was dying to know about every new gossip from the small town or about whatever Leroy had gotten up to lately, but while her parents dropped some comments here and there, they steadfastly failed to mention the one person her mind kept wandering to every time she thought of Storybrooke.

Henry had proven to be of no use in this regard too, he usually came back with stories about the classes he had, the dinners with her parents and even about Regina and freaking Robin Hood. But nothing about Captain Hook. It took Emma weeks to realize that her parents and Henry seemed to be avoiding talking about him to her, which made no sense to her and irked her to no avail.

Not that she was dying to know what he was up to or anything. But Emma was a curious individual and for months she had been wondering many things about Killian Jones. Starting with who had he been before becoming the infamous Captain Hook and ending with what did he do in that lost year when he had his memories, and she hadn't. Knowing the pirate, he had probably gone back to the Enchanted Forest the moment he could without bothering to say goodbye to her. That voice in her head reminded her that he had technically said his goodbyes already when she had left and that crossing realms was not as easy as she was making it seem, but for her those details seemed to be merely semantics.

Emma gasped as she startled awake completely unaware of her surroundings. She had been having a lot of confusing dreams in the wake of her decision to return to Storybrooke today. She wasn't sure if it was anxiety, anticipation or nerves but her stomach kept twisting in such a way that she knew it was no use trying to go back to sleep and simply got up to shower and get ready. After all, it was quite a drive and she had promised her parents and Henry she would have lunch with them at Granny's when he finished school.

Technically, she could have left on Saturday rather than Friday but she kind of missed Storybrooke and her parents had been excited and planned some activities to explore town in a way she never truly had when she was busy running around being the Savior. And you didn't see the need to know what you would leave, whispered that pesky voice once again.

Five hours later Emma saw the fated Storybrooke sign and even though she knew the town line was not cursed anymore she still something like tremors when she crossed it. She focused hard on the road and tried not to think how it felt a lot like coming home.