The Only Exception (Swan Queen)

Chapter 34

If there is one thing I am sure of, I am sure that you have always belonged with me. ~Akif Kichloo

Emma pulled up outside the station at 7am the next morning and made her way inside with a strong cup of coffee in hand. It was nearing midnight by the time she got back to her apartment after driving back from Storybrooke and it took almost three hours before sleep eventually took over.

She was greeted by the Captain who was talking to Hank at their desks. He smiled. "Welcome back, Detective. I assume Henry got home safe?"

She simply nodded in response. "Yeah, he did," she mumbled sleepily.

"Okay. I'll leave you to get caught up then, Swan," he said before making his way back to his office.

She slumped down in her chair and let out a sigh. She took a long swig of her coffee. There was so much going on inside her head. She felt guilty for leaving again but it felt worse now than it ever did before.

Hank raised an eyebrow. "You okay, Swan?"

She shifted slightly. "Could probably do with another couple ours of sleep but other than that, I'm fine," she muttered.

Hank shook his head and leaned back in his chair. "Hm, no. I've worked with you long enough to know what a tired Emma looks like. This isn't her. This is more, a worried and confused Emma," he observed.

Emma stared at him, completely dumbfounded. "You know me too well," she muttered, drumming her fingers against the takeaway cup.

"I wouldn't say I know you at all, actually," he piped up and Emma frowned. "You're a little closed off about most things but I have learned your body language throughout the years," he explained honestly.

She sighed – he wasn't wrong. She was closed off, she didn't talk about her personal life the same way he did with her. They didn't have that level of friendship despite working together for two years. Emma knew it was because she didn't like talking about her family or her past but she wouldn't even know where to start.

"Did everything go okay in Storybrooke? You didn't really elaborate much on the stuff that happened before you left."

Emma lowered her gaze. She hoped her wouldn't ask about what happened when Henry found her all those years ago but he was. She scoffed. "You'd call me crazy," she muttered.

Hank leaned forward. "Try me."

She looked up to meet his gaze. "Henry took me to Storybrooke to save my parents from a curse that the Evil Queen cast," she said, looking him straight in the eye with a dead expression across her face.

He chuckled. "Right, and who are your parents? Snow White and Prince Charming?" he asked jokingly.

She sighed, she knew he wouldn't take her seriously. She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Actually, yes."

His laughing ceased and he stared at her with wide eyes. "Wait, you're being serious?"

Emma let out a nervous bark of laughter. "I wish I was kidding." It was crazy – she knew that first hand. She'd spent weeks denying that any of it was true, even when she started to see magic for herself with her own eyes. It was too extraordinary to seem real.

"Okay, um... What happened after that?" he asked, completely unsure of how to respond.

She chuckled. "I don't think you'd be able to handle it – it's a lot."

Hank leaned back in his chair. "I'm sure I can keep up." He smirked.

She sighed. "After I broke the curse, I accidentally got sent through a portal to the Enchanted Forest. I came back, nearly got killed by Rumpelstiltskin. Came to New York with him to find his son who turned out to be Henry's father. Do you want me to stop for a few minutes so you can process? It took me a while to adjust to." She'd been watching Hank's face grow more and more confused with everything she told him.