Emma

Back in New York, it takes Emma approximately two days before she realizes that Henry is avoiding her. At first, she'd thought it was his usual Monday dip, it usually took Henry some days to adjust to being back in New York, but he always seemed to take it in stride. This time though, he was sullen and withdrawn, and every time Emma tried to broach a subject, he would disappear to his room or suddenly find something to do. It was a stark reminder for Emma that he was more like a teenager than a child these days, which made her even more miserable than she already was.

Her visit to Storybrooke had left her feeling keyed up and emotionally strung, and Emma had so many questions she needed to ask Henry but couldn't. Not only because he was avoiding her but also because she didn't expect him to know what Captain Hook did in his free time or who he was seen with. And wasn't that just pathetic?

It took another day before Emma realized that not only was Henry avoiding her, but he was also angry at her, which was a first for them, at least like this. She's not even sure why exactly he's angry, which makes it even harder for Emma to broach the subject of Storybrooke.

By Thursday, she knows she can't avoid the elephant in the room much longer. Beyond her curiosity, it is the proper thing to do to teach Henry to communicate and share his feelings with her.

The irony of her being the one to give this lesson isn't lost on Emma as she starts planning the best moment to approach her surly teenage son.

"Henry, we need to talk, kiddo. It isn't healthy for you to bottle up whatever has you acting this way. You know you can tell me everything, right?"

"Mom, I really don't want to do this right now."

"Henry, no. I am on your side, and we don't need to turn this into a discussion. But I want you to at least feel comfortable enough to share with me when something is bothering you. Especially if it is because of me that you feel like this."

"It doesn't matter, it won't change anything anyways," he mumbled as he averted his eyes. More than angry, he seemed sad now and so small, and her heart ached for him.

"Henry, you don't know that until you tell me."

"Yes, I do! I do, Mom! Because we all told you to stay in Storybrooke, and you didn't! You didn't listen to us, and it's not fair!" The vehemence in his voice startles Emma along with his statement.

"Henry! What is this about? I thought you were okay with us moving back to New York. You said you liked it here."

"I do! But Storybrooke is home Mom, don't you miss it? I thought you'd realize by now that that's where we belong." He's crying now, and her heart aches for him, she'd never meant for her own issues to end up hurting Henry. She feels like the worst mother ever as she sees tears run down her son's face.

"Grandpa said you needed time and space and that we couldn't make a choice for you or try to influence it when you weren't ready. Maybe New York simply made you happier, and that was alright too. But it doesn't! I've seen how sad you are, so why won't you just go back?"

"You talked to David about this?" whispers Emma.

Henry rolls his eyes and sits beside her on the couch, the fight seemingly leaving his body.

"I kind of talked to everyone about this. I wanted to plan an intervention for you, but they said it would just make you run away faster."

His sheepish expression is enough to settle the irritation that rises in Emma at the thought of everyone having a roundtable discussion on how fucked up she was. She tries to see it through Henry's eyes, though, and understands that it was because they cared rather than because they judged her. She takes a deep breath and runs her fingers through his hair.

"Henry, I appreciate you caring enough to ask them. But you should have come to me, kiddo. I don't want you to be unhappy for my sake."

"I'm not unhappy, Mom. I do like New York, but I miss Storybrooke. And I don't like seeing you unhappy! You don't like it here, not anymore. Don't you miss home?"

Emma felt the tears pooling in her eyes and forced herself not to look away. How to explain to her pure, beautiful boy that she'd never truly had a home to know how it was to miss it? She missed Storybrooke, though. She couldn't deny it. Even though her visit had been bittersweet (she'd felt right at home but still like an outsider), she had enjoyed her time there, and she'd berated herself for not visiting sooner.

"I do miss it, Henry, but you have to understand it is a bit more complicated than that for me. But you are right, I have been unhappy in New York and should do something to change that. Can you be patient with me as I figure out how to?"

Henry looks at her with hopeful eyes, and for one second, she sees Neal and remembers her promise to him when he died. She had said she would be happy, and here she was, wasting Neal's sacrifice for Henry on her doubts.

"I can do more than that, Mom. I can help! Or even, you can ask Grandpa, you know, he gives good advice." His sweet smile turns into a smirk as he turns to look at her with pure mischief in his eyes, this time looking like both her and Neal. "Or even Killian, he also gives good advice."

Emma's heart skips at the mention of the pirate, but she rolls her eyes and hugs Henry to her side.

"Maybe I will. Now, how about some pizza?"

Later that night, she lies in bed staring at her phone as Henry's words spiral through her mind. She scrolls down to her newly acquired contact – Killian Jones – and wonders why she even bothered to sneak into David's phone to steal it when she knew damn well that she would never call him. She scrolls back up to David's number and begins a new round of deliberation. She'd been having an internal discussion about whether she should call him and discuss her and Henry's discussion and all the feelings it brought up in her. She usually would bottle it all up, but it feels disingenuous to ask Henry to trust her more when she herself refuses to do so with her own parents.

The phone rings twice before she hears David's voice, and suddenly, she is fighting back the tears for the second time that day.

"Hey, Dad," is all she manages in a whisper with a sniffle.

"Emma! Is everything alright? Is it Henry? Do I need to drive down?"

She can't help the giggle that escapes her at her father's concern and immediately tries to reassure him. A worried David is an unstoppable David.

"Everything is fine, Henry is fine. I am glad to hear your voice, I missed you and Mom."

She hears his soft sigh and knew exactly what face is he making, it was the same one he made every time she dared reach out a bit more to him.

"We've missed you too, princess. Your mother is already planning our next visit down."

"Ohh, there is no need. I think I will be there to pick up Henry in a week."

Her father is quiet for a moment, and then suddenly, she hears him chuckle in her ear.

"Henry talked to you, didn't he? I didn't expect him to cave in this quick, it seems I just lost myself a bet."

Emma tries not to laugh and shakes her head, even though David can't see her.

"Yes. Why didn't you say anything if you thought I was making a mistake?"

David sighs, and she hears a car door close. "We sort of tried to say something, but Emma, you pulled back immediately, and we didn't want to push you away. Your mother and I love you very much, and we have learned and accepted that you are not a child, and we can't make decisions for you. Besides, it seemed like you needed this."

It warms her heart, not only hearing that her parents love her but also seeing how well they sometimes seem to know her. In Neverland, she'd felt like they didn't know her or understand her. On that damned island, she had felt lost and alone, much like an orphan, and the presence of her parents and their expectations of her only made her feel more distant. The only one who had seemed to understand her, to whom she was an open book, was Killian . If she closed her eyes, she could still feel the sweltering heat on her skin, smell leather, rum, spices, and that musky scent that was all Killian Jones as she heard him profess his intention to win her heart. But this was not the time for that.

"I know, and I am sorry, but you're right, I kind of needed to learn on my own that coming back was not the best for me or Henry. But Dad, I don't think I even know what the best is anymore. Even though I miss Storybrooke, I don't know if I belong there with a bunch of fairytale characters, everyone knows each other, and I'm just - " she struggles to put everything she feels into words, but she somehow thinks he will still understand her. And that in itself makes her feel loads better. (Try something new, love, it's called trust)

"Emma, that is simply not true. I know we're in the book, and it all seems very magical, but it doesn't mean that our stories are myths. Everything in the book did happen to us, and it makes us as human as you. Besides, I didn't know everyone in the Enchanted Forest, and not everyone came with the first curse. There are people here, like Robin and the Merry Men or the Lost Boys, who I've learned to know here and who are also seeking and building a home among strangers," said David.

Emma sighs as she muses at her father's words, she knows he has a good point. She remembers a conversation with Killian and Tinkerbell about how this realm was so complicated for them and those who hadn't acquired all information automatically because of the curse.

"I guess I am always predisposed to think that I don't belong anywhere. But, I'm tired of running, Dad," she whispers into the phone.

"You can stop whenever you feel ready, Emma, your Mom, and I will always be here waiting for you."

A comfortable silence falls as Emma hums her agreement and wipes her tears away as she glances at the clock on her nightstand.

"Wait, did I wake you up? It's pretty late, I'm not bothering you or Mom, am I? It's still a school night"

"No, don't worry. I am on patrol, so this was perfect to avoid falling asleep." chuckled David.

"I thought you left the late-night patrols to the rookies?"

Emma can't shake the feeling that there is something wrong, something David isn't telling her. He hated late-night patrols on his own, and he wouldn't be doing them unless he didn't trust anyone else to keep the town safe. Which meant he felt threatened. But every time she had asked him or her mother if there had been any new villains, they'd reassured her and claimed Storybrooke was experiencing a period of peace.

She hears David sigh on the other side and can practically feel his exhaustion.

"I usually do, but I thought I'd start doing them occasionally. It is only fair, and I must set an example, after all."

Emma knows there is more to it but decides to let it go, the fight has left her body for today, and she has much to think about. Besides, she can always properly investigate when she's back in Storybrooke. Or try to get her mother alone on the phone to interrogate her.

So she bids her father goodbye and wishes him a good night. As she snuggles further into her bed covers, she idly wonders what she can tell her job to visit Storybrooke for longer than a weekend next time and hopes whatever time she manages to get away with is enough to catch an elusive pirate.