The Shadow of a Swan

Part 4

Someone is crying out at night...
Don't you forget to turn on the light!
Once the darkness embraces your soul,
There will not be the way back at all...

     Another month passed... 

     They were returning home from the market, but something bothered Emma as they made their way through the crowd... 

 -"Hey, Jake, don't you think people were a little weird today?" she asked suspiciously. 

 -"Well, no, I don't think so... Depends what do you mean?" 

 -"Well, they looked kind of weird... I don't even know, my sixth sense tells me that something is wrong..." 

 -"Emma, ​​don't worry, they're always like that, people are weird, you know... look at us"- Jake grinned -"and to be true, your sixth sense all the time tells something is wrong, so..."- he laughed. 

 -"Ha-ha-ha, how funny, young man... No, I'm serious, something is wrong... okay, don't pay attention..."- she muttered worriedly.

- "Emma, ​​don't worry, everything will be fine! What could happen? Besides, you're a Dark One! No one will hurt us!" - he reassured her with a tender smile on his face. 

- "Okay, buddy, let's hope you're right..." 

- "Of course I'm right, I'm always right!" he laughed again. 

- "Oh, shut up..." 

     And the boy burst into even more laughter, which was music to Emma's ears. 

- "Okay, kid, let's make us dinner, I'll prepare the meat, and you go pick some apples for beverage!" 

 - "Okay, I'll be right back!" - he answered and was about to run away when Emma managed to grab his hand. - "What?" - he asked, frowning. 

- "Wait. Come here..." - Emma pulled him into her embrace. The boy giggled. 

- "What's gotten into you?" he asked with a grin.

- "Oh, nothing... I just wanted to hug you..."  

- "Okay, we hugged, can I go pick some apples now, I'm hungry!" - he giggled and his stomach growled. 

- "Ooooh, always hungry child, don't be such a pain in the ass!" 

- "Eeeey, easy for you to say, you never want to eat!" 

- "Exactly! So appreciate my kindness..." - sarcasm seeped through her words, and a shadow of a smile broke through her serious face - "I don't even like cooking, but I do it for you, little ass, so don't be so rebel and at least let me hug you!" 

- "Ooooh, fine..." - he laughed, but became embarrassed and hugged her back tightly. They stood like that for a minute, maybe more... time seemed to stand still. 

- "I love you, buddy, you know that right?" 

- "Of course, Mom..." - he didn't even notice how it had slipped out of his mouth. They suddenly pulled away from each other a little, without breaking their embrace and looked at each other in shock - "Oh, I'm sorry..." - he began, but Emma interrupted him.

- "No, no, everything is fine!" - she assured him, while her eyes began to water... She thought about what was happening. It had been so long since anyone had called her that word... She had only been able to be Henry's mother for a couple of years, living in Storybrooke, but even that time was enough for her to get used to it and now she madly missed this feeling - being a mother...