Emma's Daughter OUAT

Emma's Mistake

Emma Swan wasn't afraid of a lot of things. She supposed that growing up an orphan toughened her up quite a bit and made her used to fighting her own problems, even if she often chose to run away from them. She also knew that most of the reason she wasn't afraid was because she didn't have anything to lose. But that was before coming to Storybrooke. That was before she became a mother. Now she had everything to lose and because of this she found that she was terrified.

If there was one thing that Emma had learned since coming to Storybrooke, it was that Regina Mills was a piece of work and she would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. And if Emma thought Regina was bad, she knew that Cora was even worse. The two of them working together...well, that was what scared her more than anything. She knew that Regina and Cora would stop at nothing to get Henry and she wasn't willing to lose him. But if she didn't give Henry up, she would lose Macey. It was a no win situation. Because of this, Emma knew exactly what she had to do. She had to run.

Running was something that came natural to Emma. She had been doing it most of her life and it was second nature to her. Did she feel bad about leaving the one place that was starting to feel like home? Of course she did. But if leaving would keep her children safe, then that's what she was going to do.

Upon learning about their daughter's plan, David and Mary Margaret had immediately tried to talk her out of it. David had insisted that they were stronger together and that they would find a way to protect both Henry and Macey, but Emma wouldn't listen. Mary Margaret had given her an entire 'Hope' speech, but Emma ignored her. She had made up her mind. That night, when the town was asleep, she was going to pack up the kids and leave.

Henry was devastated at the news. He had begged Emma to stay in town, arguing that good always wins and they would figure it out, and while seeing her son so broken hearted hurt Emma, she knew that leaving was what was best for him. Macey, who had only been in town for a day, didn't really mind that they were leaving. She claimed she was used to moving a lot and that it didn't really matter to her. Emma wasn't sure which of her children's reactions was more heartbreaking.

It was just after 11:00pm when Emma loaded the last of the bags into the little yellow car. Turning around, she saw her son clinging to Mary Margaret, tears rolling down his cheeks as he begged her to do something. "Please, Grams." He sniffed. "You have to talk her out of it. Tell her she can't go."

Mary Margaret tried desperately to blink back the tears that threatened to fall as she held her grandson close. "Henry, you know I can't do that. Your mom has made up her mind. I can't...."

"But you're her mom." Henry argued. "You can't just let her leave. She has to listen to you. She has to..."

"Do what's best for you and Macey." Mary Margaret interrupted. "She has to do what she thinks is best for you and your sister, even if it means we have to be separated. If she thinks that leaving town is what's best, then there isn't anything that your Grandpa or I can do to stop her."

Henry took a step back as if shocked. "But it isn't fair." He almost shouted. "I brought her back here so she could bring back everyone's happy endings. I brought her back so we could be together."

David crouched down beside his wife, before reaching out and putting his hands on his grandson's shoulders. "And she did." He said gently. "She broke the curse and brought back everyone's happy endings. Now it's time for her...for all three of you, to get yours."

"But we won't be together." Henry cried. "What if we never see each other again?"

David and Mary Margaret shared a sad look. If they were being honest, they didn't like the idea of Emma leaving town. If they were being honest, they were just as worried about never seeing them again as Henry was. But they knew that Emma had made up her mind and there was no changing it. The best thing they could do right now was support her.

"We will." Mary Margaret said. "I don't believe this is goodbye." She reached out and wiped away Henry's tears with her thumbs. "We are going to figure this out, Henry. I promise. And the moment we do, you guys can come back."

"Besides." David added. "We have your mom's number. We'll call every chance we can. Okay?"

Henry looked as if he wanted to argue more, but he didn't. All he could do was nod as he threw himself into his grandparents arms. He clung on tight as if he never wanted to let go, and Emma was sure he didn't. Eventually Emma was able to pry him off, giving her parents the chance to say goodbye to Macey. Their goodbye was much quicker than Henry's and didn't result in tears from Macey like it did with Henry, but it was obvious that Mary Margaret and David were just as heartbroken about saying goodbye to her as they were with their grandson.

The last goodbye was between Emma and her parents, and was a lot harder than Emma thought it would be. She tried to keep a brave face for Henry and Macey, but the moment David wrapped his arms around her she broke down. She had waited her entire life for this and now that she had it, she wasn't ready to let it go.

"Call us." Mary Margaret sniffed as she joined the hug. "Call us the moment you get to where you're going. I don't care what time it is."

"Be careful." David added.

"And don't forget how much we love you." Snow said.

Emma closed her eyes and allowed the tears to fall freely down her face. The words that came out of her mouth next shocked everyone, even her. They weren't words she said often. In fact, she could count on one hand the amount of times she said them, and most of them had been to Henry. But here she was, saying them to her parents for the first time, and meaning every word. "I love you, too." She whispered. "Mom...dad...I...I'm sorry it took me so long."

Mary Margaret let out a choked sob as she held Emma closer, and David, who had been holding it together up until that point, shed a few tears of his own. They stood like that for a while, just the three of them, before Henry suddenly joined them, followed by Macey. And for the first time, they stood together as one perfect family. The family that Emma didn't know she wanted, but now knew she needed. Then, just like that, the hug was over and Emma was making her way to the car.

Emma watched her parents in the rear view mirror as she drove away that night, not knowing if she would ever see them again. It took everything in her not to turn around when she saw her mom burry her head her her dad's chest, her body wracking with each and every sob. She watched as they became smaller and smaller until they disappeared altogether.

"Where are we going?" Macey asked from the backseat. She appeared to be the only one who wasn't crying.

"Boston." Emma responded as she pictured her apartment that she hadn't seen since Henry had knocked on her door and changed her life for the better. "We're going to Boston."

Emma never made it to Boston, however. In fact, she didn't even make it out of town. She had just made it to the town line when she lost control of her car, spiraling out of control. And as she spun she saw her life flash before her eyes. Every decision she ever made, both the good and the bad coming back to haunt her. The voices of her past whispering in her ear.

"Find us."

"I can't be a mother."

"Are you Emma Swan? My names Henry. I'm your son."

"You found us."

"We love you, Emma. Don't forget how much we love you."

The car eventually stopped spinning as it crashed into a tree. Emma saw a flash of lighting light up the sky and she could have sworn she saw a familiar looking face behind the trees. A woman with an evil glint in her eyes. Cora. And the last thing Emma thought before she blacked out, was how she had made a big mistake. Possibly the biggest mistake of her life.