A/N: Well it has been a long road with this story. and finally, it is coming to a close. I have one more chapter to write and hopefully, it will be done in six days as I planned. enjoy this penultimate chapter. S.K.


Somewhere to Call Home


There was one time at this group home when I was 13, that I really felt like I was missing out on something. One of the girls, she was like 6 or something like that, got to go with a family. And I truly felt bad. Like why didn't anyone want me? Here I was, an older kid, already a teenager, and no one had ever picked me.

I watched that girl go, feeling sorry for myself. "Don't worry, you'll find a home too, Emma." That was a promise made to me by Mrs. Finn, the owner of the group home.

She said I would find a home. Right here and now, I look at my parents and their newborn, and I feel like, maybe Henry is right. Maybe this is supposed to be my home, the home that had been promised to me. But was it too little, too late? I was never going to feel that maternal love, not like my baby brother, or even Henry, having had Regina as a parent his entire life.

I am really trying not to be jealous here. I really want to let go and forgive and accept, but I am still that hurt little girl, a girl that rejection made, no matter what I had accomplished in my thirty years.

"Emma, are you okay?" Dad said, taking me out of my stupor.

"What?" I said, looking up, my vision clearing to look at the baby boy in Dad's arms. "Yeah, of course. You guys gonna finally tell me the name of my little brother? Or should I keep calling him Hey there?"

Dad scoffed. "Well, the thing is, there's sort of this tradition back in the Enchanted Forest when a new royal is born, you announce it in a coronation ceremony."

I leaned against the post in the middle of the loft as Mom said. "We would have done it with you if we could have," Mom said, looking at me as if she wanted to enjoy her baby, but doesn't know if she can. I sighed, I feel the same way about Amelia.

"You're not gonna hold him up in front of the clock tower and present him like the Lion King, are you?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Dad laughed. "Of course not." He adjusted the baby in his arms and continued. "In fact, we decided to forgo all pomp and circumstance for a nice potluck at Granny's."

"The important thing," Mom said. "Is to mark the occasion. Remind ourselves that after all that we've been through, we're still together… as a family."

I looked at my parents and their baby. Then I looked toward the stairs where both my children were. A family. That was what we were. Henry came from upstairs. "Hey, check it out, I found us a place," he said, holding the newspaper.

I furrowed my brows. "You were looking for apartments?" I asked.

"What do you think?" He asked. He knew I was still undecided as to whether I was going to stay or go back to New York.

"Yeah, Emma, what do you think?" Mom said, laying it on thick.

I wasn't going to give this argument any legs because it was going nowhere. I turned and wrapped my arms around Jade and said, "I think your grandparents can't decide on a name for your uncle, and they are using a fairy tale tradition to buy themselves some time."

They smiled at me. I winked. "I'm going to go see Regina. Thanks for watching Amelia for a little while."

"Sure, Emma," Mom said. "That's what family is for."

I gave a fake smile and headed out to go see Regina.


I was greeted by a romantic setting in the office. There was a picnic and some grape juice. I smiled at Regina, and she guided me to sit on the blanket in front of the fireplace. We made a toast with the grape juice to the normalcy that we were dealing with, hoping it would last.

"How do you feel?" I asked her.

"Happier and stronger than ever," she said, and we kissed. She lingered and just kind of stared at me.

"What?" I asked.

"I just never thought I'd have this," she whispered to me, placing a hand on my cheek. "My first love, Daniel, died because of me, just because he loved me."

"And that's why you've never been open to this before?" I asked.

"Tinkerbell told me it was possible," she said, looking at me. "She led me to this tavern, to a man who she said I was destined to be with. But I never saw his face…"

I blinked. "Well, I'm not a man," I said.

"No… Emma, don't you see?" Regina stated. "Having the possibility of love is the promise I needed. The man also had a lion tattooed on his arm, and it was an ugly tattoo."

I laughed and pulled up my sleeve. "I have a lion flower tattooed on mine. Do you think that counts?"

She leaned forward and kissed me again. "I don't see why not."

"Well, maybe things work out when they're supposed to," I stated. "Maybe it's all about timing."


We all gathered at Granny's for the potluck. It was a nice time with everyone, but I sat in the corner of the room, listening to Henry read to the babies about my parents' love story and texting with Foreman about work. He told me to stop texting him because I was on maternity leave, but I really had to get my things in the apartment taken care of.

Mom was talking about becoming a farmer's wife and getting away from everyone and everything.

"Like mother like daughter," Hook mumbled.

"Hook," I stated, looking up from my texts.

"What is he talking about?" Henry asked.

I looked at Henry, then at everyone around me.

"Should we read more stories?" Dad asked.

"No, I'd like to know what the pirate is talking about," Regina said, shifting Amelia in her arms.

"It's nothing," I said.

"Are you planning on going back to New York?" Regina asked.

"Why would we go back to New York?" Henry asked.

"You're not," Regina said to him, then turned to me. "Right, Ms. Swan?"

"It's complicated…" I answered.

"Why would we leave?" Henry asked. "This is our home."

"Henry, this isn't the time or place," I stated.

"I think it is," Regina challenged.

"No, it's not," I answered and walked away. Home is the place that when you leave it, you miss it. I have never missed Storybrooke. I care about the people, but this place… these circumstances…

It reminded me of my first date with Neal. We were going to go to a bar, but instead, we ended up going to a closed carnival. He turned on the carousel lights, and the two of us sat together under the lights and talked.

"So, what's your story, Neal?"

He paused and looked at me. "That's an interesting choice of words. My story is that I left a screwed-up situation, and it kind of screwed me up."

"Crappy home life, I get it," I empathized.

"No, but it wasn't always," he said with a shake of his head. "That's the problem, it was… It was really great once."

"So why don't you try to go back and fix it?" I asked.

"Can't really go back…" he said, pausing. "It's my father."

"Bad guy?" I asked.

"Not at first," he stated, "but he changed, and before that, it was nice. That's how you know you've got a home. When you leave it, and you miss it. It's a feeling that you can't shake."

In a fit, I decided to take a walk in the woods to clear my head. There was a noise behind me and I was startled turning. But at that moment, I slipped and fell, hitting my head. When I woke up, I didn't recognize my surroundings. I was hearing hooves in the background and I scrambled to hide.

There was a white carriage passing by. It stopped, and a man stepped out. It was my dad. I gasped, nearly calling out to him, but then I looked up at the trees, and there she was, Mom up in the tree. I watched firsthand the story of how my parents got together.

But I was now stuck in this time because I had no clue how I got here. Suddenly, I was in a castle, and I saw my parents' wedding. Then Regina walked into the wedding and reminded them all that she would destroy them.

A bit later, I saw Mom pregnant, with me. We were in a nursery, my nursery. I saw the anguish my parents went through, the decision to let me go on my own was not easy.

We were supposed to go before she gave birth. I would have had my mom. I am still not sure that being cursed with them wouldn't have been better for me, but I wouldn't have Henry or Amelia if I had.

Dad put me in the wardrobe, and I cried out, "Please don't."

But, of course, he didn't hear me. So I put my hand on the wardrobe and yelled, "Emma, wake up!"

I blinked. "Owww…"

"You idiot," I heard, and Regina embraced me. "What happened?"

"I slipped…" I moaned and sat up.

"We've been looking for you for hours," Regina stated.

"Amelia?" I said, standing carefully.

"She's with your mother," Regina said, and finally I noticed her demeanor.

"Are you mad at me?"

"You're trying to go and take my son with you, of course, I'm angry at you."

"Babe,... I'm not going anywhere," I answered. "Besides, I was planning on taking you with me."

"You're not going anywhere?" she said, facing me.

"I'm home," I stated. Regina smiled and kissed me. "I should dump you for giving me this heart attack."

"I agree, I wasn't fair to you… Hey, what's my brother's name?"


As I sat in the cozy diner booth with my family, a sense of anticipation hung in the air. I had just asked the question that had been gnawing at me: "What is my brother's name?" The atmosphere shifted as my father, always a charismatic speaker, stood up to address the entire diner.

With a commanding presence, he began, "Oh, that… May I have your attention, please?" The clinking of cutlery and hushed conversations ceased as people turned their focus to him. This coronation ceremony was a long-anticipated event, and I could feel the weight of its significance in the room.

My father continued, "The arrival of our new son has been the cause of great joy for our family." There was a warmth in his voice and a hint of pride that was evident to all. "And we hope you can share in it as we named him for a hero. Someone who saved every one of us. Who we loved, and he loved back."

My mother, with a radiant smile, held the baby close to her chest, embodying a sense of maternal love that had always been a powerful force in our family. She spoke with a gentle grace, "People of Storybrooke, it is our great joy to introduce you to our son. Prince Neal."

The name resonated in the diner, and I could feel the significance of it. Neal. A name was chosen not just for its sound but for the memories and emotions it evoked. I leaned over and kissed my little brother's head, welcoming him to our family with a mixture of emotions, from curiosity to protectiveness.

As the ceremony concluded, I held Amelia close, cuddling with Regina. I couldn't help but express my gratitude, saying, "Thank you for finding me."

Regina's response whispered tenderly in my ear, carried a world of emotion, "Thank you for deciding to stay." Her kiss was a seal on the commitment we had made to our family, a testament to the bonds that held us together, and a promise of brighter days to come.