"Do you think Emma is all right?" They had been walking side by side in silence for a long time before Henry finally spoke out what was bothering him.
"She's tough and she knows how to look after herself, even if I'm often reluctant to admit it," Hook replied, eyeing him from the side. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, I mean... She's had to fend for herself all these years, I'm not worried about that. It's just... What if that's why it's throwing her off track? It must be awful to have a family and then you go through that loneliness again. When my dad left and she was in prison, she was alone again and pregnant with me. Just like now."
Hook stopped and looked at him sharply. "Wait a minute, friend. Let's not forget one thing here: I didn't abandon Emma, I'm not here by choice. And she's not in prison either, she's in our modest but cozy house. So don't you dare compare her situation now with the one back then. Or me with your dad."
"I didn't mean it like that. Of course I didn't want to offend your honor," Henry said ironically. "Of course she knows that you haven't left her, none of us have. And yet she's alone. I hope she doesn't do anything stupid, that's all."
With that, he walked on, leaving Hook standing there for a moment until he followed him with slightly longer strides and caught up with him.
As Emma left Storybrooke behind her, she already had to turn on the headlights of her yellow Beetle. It was probably unreasonable to leave in the evening and drive through the night, but she wouldn't have lasted a moment longer in this deserted town. If she got tired, she could always stop at a motel on the way. That wouldn't be the first time either. If it had only been about herself, the tight feeling in her chest would probably not have spread, but as she was expecting a child and wanted to be a good mother to it, the doubts and fears could not be completely ignored.
When she reached the airport and had to leave her car behind, her heart felt even heavier. It wasn't hard for her to leave her town behind, but as often as she had moved in the past few years, at least her Beetle had always accompanied her everywhere and had also served as a roof over her head on more than one occasion when she hadn't known where to sleep. She gave it a quick pat on the roof to say goodbye and then slung her rucksack over one shoulder while carrying her bag in the other hand.
It was another 100 meters or so before Emma looked down at herself, out of breath, and brushed her hand over her stomach and it hit her like a blow. No airport employee in the world would let her on an airplane in her condition. The thought hadn't crossed her mind for a single moment because of her concern. She now stood somewhat lost in the large parking lot and let her bag slide to the ground next to her.
It was only after a while that she turned back to her car and tilted up one corner of her mouth. "Just the two of us again, then," she mumbled to herself and loaded her luggage back into the Beetle shortly afterwards.
Once she was back in the driver's seat, she pulled her road map out of the glove compartment and unfolded it. Nearly 3000 miles, it would take her at least three days, more likely longer, and then there could be no incidents. Her Beetle wasn't the youngest anymore and the baby in her belly would hardly stick to her preferred schedule for being born.
She hesitated only briefly before turning the ignition key and setting off. Every minute she spent hesitating was wasted. If Hook knew what she was doing here, he would be anything but thrilled, but then again, he was the one who had sent her on this mission.
The corners of Emma's mouth twisted into a grin as she automatically thought of a name for her project and came up with it shortly afterwards. Everything had to go smoothly, she had to be quick. And in her head, she heard her biology teacher at the time talking about the fastest animal on earth.
She put on the blinker as she drove onto the highway and turned up the music on the radio. To the rhythmic beats of 'Ain't no mountain high enough', she started Operation Peregrine.
Regina stared at the chocolate pudding that had been brought to her as if it had personally offended her. It wasn't the pudding, it was quite good. But it was there every evening and it told her that she had spent another day in hospital and there was nothing she could do to get anyone's attention and get out of here. At least she had been moved from the intensive care unit to a rehabilitation ward so that she was no longer connected to the monitors and tubes and could therefore leave the bed, but that didn't get her anywhere.
She poked around listlessly in the dessert without taking a bite. In fact, she had eaten less in the last few days than ever before and the already very roomy hospital nightgown hung off her shoulders like a sack of potatoes. Together with the painkillers and the other pills that were supposed to help with whatever, her low food intake led to dizziness and fits of weakness and she wondered whether she was really responsible for this herself or whether they were trying to sedate her here. Then again, obviously no one knew her true identity and the reality-based hospital knew nothing of magic and wands and short finger snaps that would have ended her pain, which was definitely real and not artificially induced.
Regina had tried three more times in the last few days. If she felt better, she would be released and she could at least try to locate the others. But after having seizures again after all three attempts, she was now convinced that they were connected to her magic... Somehow. So she had not tried to work magic in any form again and lo and behold, the seizures stopped, the doctors were satisfied, even if none of them could explain their origin or their absence.
Initially frustrated, she had accepted the new situation relatively calmly a little later. She had managed without magic all this time, so she would just have to do it for a little longer. Once she had recovered sufficiently naturally, she could no longer be kept here. It would just take a little more time than expected.
That was how Regina had thought about it the day before.
Now, however, she felt more like ripping the heart out of anyone who came too close. She could hardly bear to stay in her bed and behave herself, swallow the medication she was given and pretend to like the food.
The worst thing about it all for her, however, was that Emma had pushed her call away. The call had not gone nowhere, as it would have done if Emma's cell phone had been switched off or broken or even in another world. It had ended abruptly and so it was certain that it had actually reached its destination.
Unfortunately, she had a lot of time to think about what this meant at the moment and she still couldn't find a reason. Nothing had happened between them. Nothing that could cause Emma to ignore her mercilessly. Rather, it had been the other way around. But she had tried to make a connection a few more times and had failed. That couldn't be a coincidence, and if Emma had somehow felt the effects of the broken curse or Gothel's machinations as well, she should have realized that Regina wouldn't call her without a good reason.
Regina just hoped that Emma was all right and had just lost her phone somewhere. She told herself that, but didn't believe it.
"This waiting is driving me crazy," Henry groaned and dropped his head into his hands.
"Yes, and your aunt will soon be tearing the castle apart if we don't hear from your mother soon," Snow replied, who had been watching Zelena suspiciously for a while as she paced up and down the corridors like a wild tiger, stirring everyone up even more. This statement elicited a small smile from Henry, which Snow returned. "Emma will find her. You know your moms. One is good at finding people, the other knows how to survive in all situations. They're not helpless."
Henry nodded and leaned his head against his grandma's shoulder. "I wish it were that easy," he nodded after a while.
"I remember how optimistic you used to be ten years ago. You never assumed that anything could go wrong. You were convinced that everything would work out in the end. You need a dose of that now," she smiled and tousled his hair like the little boy's he once was.
"Thank you, Grandma," Henry smiled and got up from the edge of the fountain where they had been sitting. "You're right. I'll go check on my family."
Snow nodded and looked after the young man before closing her eyes and holding her face up to the sun.
"Pretty lady, may I join you?"
Snow smiled at her husband's words without opening her eyes and nodded gently. "Absolutely."
"What are you thinking about?" David wanted to know after he and his wife had enjoyed the warming rays for a while.
Snow shrugged her shoulders. "I've been talking to Henry, trying to calm him down a bit," she began to explain.
"And you're all upset yourself," he said sympathetically. "I'm worried too, but our daughter will find a way back to us. Just like she found us back then and we always find each other."
"But Regina... I know we wouldn't have cared a few years ago, but she's also Henry's mother and our friend. What if Henry is right and she..." She didn't manage to finish the sentence and put her terrible thoughts into words. Instead, she turned her gaze away from David and closed her eyes again.
"Regina is a born fighter and she has her magic. That already gives her an advantage. I want to see one person get in her way and win the fight."
The idea made Snow grin. "I wouldn't want to be in this person's shoes. I've had to feel that first hand for most of my life," she nodded and took David's hand.
"Luckily, it's only a few days until the next full moon. Maybe Emma will know more by then and can tell us what she's found out."
It would undoubtedly be endless days, but at least they had something to hold on to. And she was absolutely certain of one thing: if anyone could do the impossible and find a missing person, it was her daughter.