AN: time jump about a week later, when everyone is packed and ready to leave. Lots of fluff ahead!

"This is RIDICULOUS!" Emma groans, pouring herself another cup of hot coffee. "Remind me why we got plane tickets at a time where we have to wake up at a godforsaken hour?"

"They were the best deal. I don't want to make this vacation into a spend fest." Regina says, backing her decision up, but fights an almighty yawn so big it waters her eyes.

"Where's the Kid anyway? This is his vacation. Isn't he supposed to be up?" She sighs, downs the rest of her coffee and starts for the staircase. "I'll get him." She all but stomps up the stairs, just for the sake of having an attitude, but feels the dull ache in her skull every time she makes too much movement. It's way too damn early, and Emma's never been much of an early bird. She always assumed Regina was, but judging by her disgruntled appearance, she's not so much. Although, to the brunette's credit, she's trying her darnedest to look and act put together at five in the morning, and Emma's just barely rolled out of bed, dressed appropriately for the airport in sweats, a tank, and an oversized grey cardigan.

Having reached Henry's door, she barges right in, although the fact that maybe she should have knocked and checked if he was decent hits her as an afterthought after it's too late. Luckily, he's still in bed, sleeping peacefully as a quiet alarm plays on his phone looping the calming tune over and over again. She rolls her eyes, and shuts off his stupid useless alarm, but not before she takes in the fact that he's still curled up in his childhood bed, complete with blue sheets. It's rather comical, the sight of such a large person scrunched into a small bed, but she stops the snort right before it comes because he just looks so darn cute. She shakes herself out of her little trance to whip open his curtains to rouse him, only to realize it's so early the sun isn't even up. She groans and stomps over to the bed.

"KID!" She nearly yells, and smirks when it wakes her son with a huge jolt. The sudden movement of his body rocks the bed a little, and he lets out a tired groan.

"Oh my....godddd, Ma," he mumbles, and turns to face her, all bedhead and sleepy eyes. He looks at the time on his phone, squints, and like the dawn, realization spreads over his face. He slaps his phone back down on the nightstand and flops back down on his back, hands over his eyes. "Shit."

"Yeah, kiddo. Come on, get your ass up and moving. There's coffee waiting downstairs." She says, through the weird feeling she gets in her stomach at the realization that shit, her son lives on coffee in the morning and swears just like a normal adult. "Also, don't let your mom hear you say that." It's a weak reprimand, and they both know it.

He rolls his eyes at her, sass fully engaged even at this hour. He slides out of bed, wearing nothing but the same adidas sweats he was wearing the evening before. She feels almost personally offended that her kid goes to bed shirtless and has honest-to-God abs, and dammit, when did he get so old?

To hide her inward meltdown at the sight, she makes a big show of shielding her eyes and backing away. "Oh, my god, you could at least tell me you're not decent."

He scoffs. "Are you serious? Ugh. Had to make it awkward, didn't you?" He moves to his suitcase, picks up a tee shirt, and shoves it on. "All better?" He mocks. Emma un-shields her eyes and nods.

"Better."

"Whatever, okay. I'll be down in a few." And with that, he walks past Emma to the bathroom using those ridiculously long strides. She resists the urge to roll her eyes for the umpteenth time over Henry's attitude that's  just like the teenager he no longer is. She goes back downstairs to Regina, who's sitting up straighter, even wearing some freshly applied makeup, making Emma feel slightly inadequate with her impressive eye bags and messy ponytail, but she shrugs it off. Both women seem too tired to even strike up a conversation, so they sit in drowsy silence until Henry's telltale heavy footsteps start down the stairs. Regina jumps to life, and is halfway through getting off the stool at the island before Henry strides in, wearing skinny black jeans and a white tee shirt haphazardly tucked in. He still has a bit of a bedhead, but a comb was yanked through it a couple times and it was flicked up from his forehead. Although Emma would never admit it, she thinks he looks kind of handsome with messy, wavy hair. She wants to groan at how put together the Mills family can look at 5:30 AM, for a trip to the airport. Maybe she should put on some mascara.

Henry walks past Regina and puts a hand on her shoulder, gently easing her back down into her seat. "It's fine, I got it," he says softly, affectionately. Emma doesn't really understand their soft, beautiful relationship, and she would feel a bit jealous if she didn't know that she definitely is not made for all the mushy stuff. She's perfectly fine with her and Henry's gruff, teasing, noogie relationship.

Regina hums at him, smiling, and reaches up to touch his chin. She's pleasantly surprised at how smooth the skin is under her fingers. He obviously shaved last night, and Regina's grateful for it. She prefers him clean shaven, because it makes him look younger, but these days hardly anything makes him look like her little boy.  "Have something to eat," she supplies, every bit his mother.

He shoots her a sidelong glance as he pours himself a cup of rapidly cooling coffee.

"Have a banana. You'll be hungry later."

He laughs, but agrees. Emma's grinning at their little family. She feels a little bit excluded, but it's hard to be sorry for yourself when watching Regina and her "Little Prince." God, what is it about the Mills that's so damn captivating? Not that Regina's captivating in any way. She sighs and flops down on the island counter, head resting in her arms as a pillow. "Wake me up when we're leaving."

Henry shakes his head, finishes his banana and washes all three mugs in the sink. "Okay, where are your bags?"

"By the front door, sweetheart." Regina tells him, smiling at him like she can't get enough of him. He and Regina walk out of the kitchen, followed by Emma, who's rubbing her hands across her face, even more tired after her little three-minute nap. She stops in the foyer to see Henry refuse his mother's help and carry four of the bags from the pile by himself. Emma joins Regina at the door, crossed arms mirroring the brunette's position.

"Our kid is loading the bags in the car for the vacation like a real man of the house," she cracks, but feels the same pull in the pit of her stomach as Regina. Henry strolls back in, grabs the remaining suitcases, and both mothers follow him outside. Regina opens the driver's door, holding the keys, as Henry finishes arranging space in the Mercedes for the suitcases. (Emma had been upset when told that the Mercedes would be taken instead of the Bug, but Henry had complained that said Bug was too cramped for his long legs, and Regina had pointed out that Emma's beloved car was on its last breaths anyway.) After finishing his task, Henry closes the trunk with a satisfying click, and swept in, taking the car keys from Regina.

"Mom, I'll drive. I know you're tired." He says soothingly, smiling down at her with that knowing lopsided grin. Regina nods, moves out of the way, looking a little lost.

Emma wastes no time. "I CALL SHOTGUN!" Ever since she can remember, the Mills duo occupied the front seats, and she can't wait for the leg room and radio access that comes with the coveted shotgun seat.

Henry just looks at her with an eyebrow raise that's all Regina and says, "You know the rules." Emma looks on in shock as Regina smiles smugly at her and slides into the front seat.

"Wha--I called it!" She says in a tone that could easily be labeled a whine, but climbs into the back, acknowledging defeat. She slams the car door for good measure.

After backing out, Henry reaches behind and hands Emma his phone. "Tell me the directions of the GPS after we get out of Storybrooke. Also, you can put the AUX cord in. I seriously don't want Mom to pick the music." Emma sticks her tongue out at the accused, who has her lip out in a faux-pout. She opens Henry's music folder, nodding at his good taste. To start the trip out, she puts on Nirvana's classic Smells Like Teen Spirit, and Henry starts drumming his fingers on the wheel, giving Emma a grin through the review mirror, making her smile in return. Maybe the back seat isn't so bad.

---

"What is that noise?" Regina demands, sitting as regally as she can in a plane seat, but her shaking hands give away her nervousness. Emma could cry at how happy she is that security went without a hitch. Regina yelled at a few people, but nothing as major as the time she went with Henry and Mr. Gold to find his son, who was actually Neal, who at the time didn't know he had a son, Henry....yeah, she has a crazy life. (Emma still cringes when she thinks of the security guard's face after Mr. Gold threatened to impale him with his cane. Yep, no magic memory-containing articles of clothing this time, either.)

Regina has never been on a plane before, and has absolutely no trust for them. Her knuckles are white from clutching the plastic tray in front of her. Another suspicious notice is heard, and the plane begins moving on the runway. "We're moving," Regina states the obvious, words scratchy at how dry her throat is. Henry gently eases her cramping hand off the tray and puts his own calming hand over hers, a hand that now dwarfs her own. Henry has been extremely calm during this whole airport business, having lots of experience from going to and from college for breaks. He guided them seamlessly through security and even stopped for Cinnabon's with Emma after a shared laugh over the memory of him adorably breaking the tension between Emma and Gold by exclaiming, "Guys, there's a Cinnabon's here!" Emma found it especially funny that eleven-year-old Henry referred to the Dark One and her as "Guys."

"Mom. It's okay. This is supposed to happen, I swear," he informs Regina, before he and Emma share a knowing smile. It's hard not to find it funny that the powerful Mayor and former Evil Queen is losing her shit over a plane moving. "Just hold my hand." He's trying to be sweet, but is unprepared for the sudden death grip of his mom, who has her eyes squeezed shut. "Yikes," he mutters, but only Emma hears, whose face is twisted in a valiant effort not to burst out laughing.

"Next time you're sitting next to her," he whispers fiercely.

"No, I'm not." She grins.

"Yeah, you aren't." He agrees, and stares out of the window to distract himself from the crunching pain coming from his hand.

---

After a slightly hard time of figuring out how to hold and maneuver all the bags and locate the old apartment, the trio stands in front of the gate.

"Damn," Emma is the one who voices what everyone is thinking. After a minute of silence, she walks up to the building. "Well, let's go in!" Henry follows her eagerly, and Regina stuffs her hands into her pockets before joining them much more slowly. After a few minutes of elevators and walking down halls, they're standing in front of the door. Both of its former residents seem to be paralyzed before Emma snaps out of it, and sticks the key into the door and swings it open. Henry lets out a tiny gasp, and Emma's slack-jawed.

"I can't believe I'm back here," Henry says slowly, running his hand over one of the walls, a wall that Regina can see no importance to. Henry and Emma start walking through the apartment, talking excitedly amongst themselves. Neither seem to notice the brunette in the doorway, a pained expression on her face.

Why did Regina agree to this again?

AN: sorry it's so short compared to the first chapter! I just wanted to get through them arriving in NY, where the drama is just WAITING to unfold. Sorry it's a bit slow at the moment, I promise if you hold on it'll pick up speed! Leave a vote or comment if you enjoyed:)