21I don't own OUAT
She saw the kid for the first time when she was in the middle of stopping a robbery and he waved at her. The brief second this distracted her was enough for one of the big, more brawn-than-brain guys to punch her. She staggered backwards and could only barely stop the guy from punching her again.
She twisted his arm and kicked his legs from under him. The grunt he released when he hit the floor was one of the reasons she mostly loved her job. The throbbing of her jaw, on the other hand, was one of the reasons she hated it a little.
Also, what the fuck was a kid doing here?
She punched a henchman on her right, jumped back (nearly stumbled over her cape, which Fuck) and threw one against the wall. She quickly grabbed the kid's arms and pushed him towards the exit. "Go kid! It's far too dangerous here, are you crazy?".
" Are you Emma Swan?".
" What – holy – yes , I am – kid go! " She swirled and kicked another mountainous guy ( like where were all these big-muscled criminals even coming from?) who merely stumbled and swung his fist at her face. She dropped and kicked his ankles. He fell like the first guy, face first. She should probably feel sorry about or check that he was okay, but really he was a dick.
" I need you to take me home" the kid yelled over the sound of grunting, yelping men and fists meeting faces. By the time Emma could get to him again, her knuckles were hurting because she had used them to break two noses, a weak jaw and a counter.
" Okay.. listen …"she panted slightly. All the robbers were unconscious on the ground, so she could probably talk to the kid without being attacked from behind. Probably. " We have to get you of here. Let me tie these guys up and we can go, okay?".
Without waiting for an answer, she used super speed to tie them up, then checked whether the jewelry's store owners were okay. The man nearly shot her when she opened the door.
" The Orphan" he breathed, staggering backwards and blinking rapidly. He was still holding the pistol in his left hand, the right gently cradling's his partner's.
" Yes sir. They robbers are all tied up. Can you handle this situation?".
" I- yes I suppose. Wh-".
And Emma was gone, running (at slow speed, the kind normal humans would) outside. She was extremely relieved when she saw that the kid was still there. " You were saying?".
" You need to take me home".
" Kid, couldn't you have asked the police or-".
" You're a superhero, you're way better than the police. Please? I am really lost".
Emma sighed. No way that she could say no to a kid with such supreme pouting abilities. Besides, she would suck at being a superhero if she just let a pre-teen wander around in the dark. " Okay fine. Let's go to your house".
" You need to wear civilians clothing" the kid said, opening the backpack he had with him, taking out some clothes and throwing them in her face.
" Pff what the- why do I need to –".
" Just change okay? I will guard".
Emma thinks about arguing with the kid, or just not putting on the clothing he got her. However, it would kind of be silly, the police is coming (she doesn't really like the police. Superhero her might be mostly liked by them, but her alter ego was arrested a couple of times)
She takes him to one her addresses- she has one true apartment, but she has several places where she sometimes changes or just stays to confuse villains- and uses the toilet to change herself. When she returns, he is drinking orange juice. He gives her a look that's way too judgmental for a tiny thing like him, but shrugs and sighs.
" You will have to do "he says.
" He !" she says, glaring at him. She glances down at the tank top, jeans and jacket that he picked. " You're the one who picked these!".
" The jeans. I picked the jeans. That .. jacket and the top is from your closet"
" Well yeah, you picked a blazer that looked like it was worth my entire salary"
" Superheroes have salaries?".
Emma smiles sheepishly. " I meant my alter ego's job".
" Isn't the supposed to be a secret? You really should be more careful and secretive " the boy remarks, then jumps off the stool he was sitting on and tugs on her hand. " Come on, we have got to go".
" What about the-"
Henry picked up the blazer Emma had left hanging over a chair and managed to fit it in his backpack, all without ever stopping. He just tugged on Emma's hand and basically led her out of the door.
Really why is he even nitpicking about my clothes?
Wow. Like big wow. Apparently the reason Henry was nitpicking, as well as the reason that he owed a super expensive blazer and had an A-level judgmental look was his mom. Who lived in a very nice house and had very nice clothes and had the nicest brown eyes Emma had ever seen.
The moment Emma rang the bell, the door swung open and Henry's mother was running outside. "Henry!" she exclaimed, gathering him in her arms and pulling him close. Emma felt like an intruder, an outsider and seriously considered leaving.
That's when Henry's mom finally let him go, though she kept her hands on his shoulders, and gave Emma a small smile. "Thank you for bringing him home, miss…?".
"Oh Swan. Emma Swan. And no problem, anyone would've done it".
" You are too humble, dear". Emma's stomach somersaulted until she realized that 'dear' was something this lady casually used, not the term of endearment it was to many. " Goodbye" Henry's mom said, starting to gently guide him towards the open door.
"Mom. Aren't you going to thank Emma?".
" I thought I just did Henry".
" Yeah, but I mean actually do something in return" Henry widened his eyes and jutted his lip out a little. Emma had to admit that was adorable. "Like … invite her for dinner! Your cooking is amazing, so she must like that".
" Kid. Come on, you're making your mom uncomfortable" Emma intervened when she saw the look in the woman's eyes.
" It is fine, miss Swan. Henry does have a point. Are you available on Thursday?"
" Uh yes, I think so".
" Very well. Seven O'clock. Do not be late" and with that, the son and his mother started to walk to the door, Henry thanking her once more.
" Lady! He lady" Emma called, right when the two arrived at the door. The woman in question turned with an annoyed look that was quickly smoothed into a polite albeit fake smile. "Yes dear?".
Emma grinned. " What is your name?".
The pretty lady arched an eyebrow. " Regina Mills".
" Well, your majesty, I will see you Thursday then".
"Your majesty?" If Emma hadn't known better, she would've though Regina was shocked and alarmed.
" Your name. Regina. It means queen, right?".
" Oh yes off course. We expect you on Thursday. Goodbye miss Swan".
Emma waited until the door was shut , waved one more time at Henry who appeared behind one of the windows and walked back to her car. She was already looking forward to Thursday. After all, Emma swan would never refuse free food.
Inside, a ten-year-old boy was huddled under his bedcovers with a flashlight pointed at the notebook laying in front of him. It was brown and had 'once upon a time' written on it. He opened it , to a page that had the following written on it:
Operation Redemption
Operation true love
Operation Chameleon
Operation Save Mom
1-Get superhero ( Hood? She didn't like him. She was really mean) ( The orphan) Discover Orphan's identity
The Orphan aka Emma Swan. Despite being an awesome superhero, she didn't notice me following her. She eats a lot of fast food ( disadvantage? Mom is all about eating healthy… but! Mom also likes snacks, I found her secret stash so maybe she will be okay), she bench presses /runs ( mom likes people who sport a lot. And I asked auntie Kathryn, who said mom has a thing for blonde people. Funny because auntie herself is blonde. But she is also a villain, so I can't make her/mom fall in love. Also, auntie is super in love with her husband) Kind ( ehh mom probably likes?) really clumsy ( she tripped over her own feet. And cape) but smart because always figures out where the bad guys are. Her jokes are kind of lame… (might need to help her with this) She has really cool powers. She is a lot better at fixing stuff than mom ( mom just uses her magic to fix things, but it doesn't always work well, which is why my toilet exploded last week)
2- Make sure that mom likes superhero ( civilian clothes so that mom won't try to destroy 'their happiness'?)
3- Make sure mom is a superhero instead of super villain
4- Make creepy vault into awesome cave
5- Be a family
He now wrote Mom was pretty nice (compared to usual anyways) to the Orphan. Give them some alone time Thursday? (Also, make Emma buy flowers? It's going to be more difficult to sneak away though, mom is going to be careful now)
" Henry, darling, you've got to go to sleep" his mother's voice suddenly interrupted his plotting. He quickly closed the notebook and disguised it again as comic book, then put it underneath his bed. He placed the flashlight on his nightstand and closed his eyes.
I hope Emma can save mom.