Captain Swan - Sweet Salutations

Part 3

Emma hurries to count down the tills and the deposit for the day, locking the money in the safe when she's done. It's been a long day and she just wants to go home. Usually August stays to close up shop for her but he had to leave to visit his father at the hospital. Like her, he was put up for adoption and after the Swan family adopted her and gave her up because they had a child of their own, she was placed in the same foster home as August. Ever since then, they've been inseparable. He's been there for her like no one else ever has. And when she moved to Storybrooke to be closer to her birth-parents, August came with her and after she was reunited with them, he was inspired to find his birth-father. He quickly formed a close bond with him but now Marco is dying of cancer. Emma wants to be at the hospital with August, but she has to work extra hours to make up for his absence. And Elsa can't do it because she has night classes at Storybrooke Community College, trying to get her business degree. She and Emma have talked about Elsa buying into Swan Pastries as a part-owner after she graduates.

Emma locks up the office and finds her son sitting on a stool at the counter in the kitchen waiting for her.

"Ready to go kid?"

"Yeah. You're just in time. I finished all of my homework," Henry tells her as he gathers his books and school papers, shoving them in his backpack.

"You finished all of it?"

"Yeah, I didn't have that much today. Just some history and math."

Emma flips off the lights as Henry swings his bag over his shoulder and heads for the backdoor.

She follows behind him as they walk out into the cool evening air. She locks the door and puts her arm around his shoulder as they walk to her yellow bug down the road. She casually glances across the street to see if the deputy is there and she sees his car but the lights are off so he must be out patrolling.

Emma and Henry reach her car to get in and she can't wait to get home and fix dinner so that she can make hererself a hot bubble bath to relax in after being on her feet all day. When they're both buckled up, Emma pulls out of her parking spot and drives home while trying hard not to think about him. It doesn't work, though. The stupid bastard was all she could think about. And all she wanted was a mindless, one-time thing but then he had to go and ask her on a date. Dates involved talking and getting to know one another. And getting to know one another created feelings. She didn't do feelings. Not anymore.

"What are you thinking so hard about, Mom?" Henry asks, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Nothing, just work stuff, that's all."

Henry tilts his head to the side throwing her a doubtful look. He doesn't buy it. "Okay, now why don't you tell me what you're really thinking about?"

Damn her son for being so perceptive. "Since when did you get so smart, kid?" Emma asks, giving him a half grin.

"Mom, I know that look you have when you're thinking about doing something."

Shit. Why was she so easy to read? She needs to change the subject fast because she can't exactly tell her son she's thinking about doing the deputy. "It's nothing. How was school?"

Henry rolls his eyes at her because he knows she's deflecting. "It was fine. We got assigned a science project that's due next week so I was wondering if I go to Tyler's house this weekend to work on it."

"Sure. As long as you actually work on the project and not play video games the whole time."

"We won't. I promise."

"Okay, you can go, then." The whole weekend to herself doesn't sound so bad. She wanted to go to hospital anyway to be there for August. She could also use the quiet time at home. Maybe catch up on some reading. And well if she happened to cross paths with Killian for a non-date, that wouldn't be the worse thing in the world either. But she's kidding herself because she knows it's a terrible idea. For one, she wouldn't be able to avoid him afterwards and two what if he wants more? She couldn't give him more than that and she would just end up hurting him and then he would just leave and she wouldn't hear the end of it from her father. It would just be a huge mess so she really just needs to stop thinking about him. As if it were that easy.