Lily's Swan

Chapter 1

Disclaimers::: I do not own OUAT or its characters, just my imagination.

Emma Swan was a very extremely angry person. So many things had happened to set off a series of events that led to this moment in her life. There was a darkness growing deep inside of the blonde sheriff of Storybrooke. She was pissed off at the Charmings, pissed off at Rumplestiltskin, pissed off at herself. She felt like her entire life had been one huge lie after another. She'd been born to be the Savior. Things had happened in her life that brought her to this moment. Everything had been planned, written in stone, it was foretold that she was to be the Savior. She absolutely hated it. She had not wanted that kind of responsibility. She hated it that events happened that dictated who she was to become. She wanted to break away from that mold and be someone else. She wanted to be Emma Swan. Not the Savior, and certainly not one of those heroes. And now she had killed Cruella only to find out that she was never any danger to Henry. She would never have killed her son. But because she was a mother, Henry was her priority and she had done what she did in order to protect her son. Unfortunately, Cruella was just a pawn in fate's design. Much like she herself was. And now because of fate, she had darkness growing inside her.

It was truly ironic. Before she'd been born, the Charmings had heard of her potential for darkness. They'd taken things into their hands and found a way to rid her of the darkness by stealing Maleficent's unhatched child and putting Emma's darkness inside her before the baby had fallen into a portal. When she found out what the Charmings had done, and who that baby really was, she'd lost it. Emma was so angry, so pissed off that this happened to her childhood friend. Her best friend. The one person who she'd turned her back on. It caused her to have so much regret at having done that to Lily. It no longer mattered to her that Lily had lied to her and ruined her chances at having a family. It was a moot point now that she knew the Charmings were responsible for her being that way in the first place. Emma's own darkness had made Lily's life a hard one. She felt responsible for having been born with the darkness that was now inside Lily.

Emma gripped the back of the chair until her knuckles turned white. Emma growled, feeling like she was going to explode. She was so furious! She hated it that the Charmings had decided for her, what her future should be. They had not left things alone and had caused unnecessary pain to Maleficent and to Lily, all because they were afraid that Emma was fated to be a Villain herself. Snow White had called them monsters. Yet Emma had been forced to be a hero, a savior because they had not trusted Emma to make that decision herself. Unbeknownst to Emma, that lie was only the tip of the iceberg. Things were about to get much worse before things would get better.

"Emma! Please! Don't do this. We had no choice… We.." Mary Margaret tried to justify their actions. She wanted Emma to understand what she had done, she felt was justifiable by the very reason Maleficent and her daughter were dragons and monsters so it didn't really matter that she'd put Emma's darkness inside Maleficent's unhatched baby.

They were in Granny's Diner, Maleficent had come to Emma and in front of everyone, asked for Emma's help in finding her daughter, Lily. She had then decided to reveal to Emma everything her so called parents had done to them. She told her how they had been involved with the abduction of her missing daughter. Regina had moved from her seat to stand next to Emma and Maleficent and was shocked at what she was hearing.

Emma snapped then. "YOU ALWAYS HAVE A CHOICE!" There was an explosion of light bulbs, glass breaking, electrical fires breaking out as people exclaimed in surprise and fear and began running out of the Diner, screaming. "YOU destroyed Lily's life without thinking of the DAMNED... CONSEQUENCES! Because of YOU…she… HER. LIFE. WAS. HELL!" The tables and chairs moved and slammed against the walls in every direction. She panted heavily, feeling her fury overcoming her. She knew she needed to get out of there. She was feeling overwhelming emotions flood over her. She looked around, seeing what her rage and magic did and cursed as she took out the cash she had at hand and gave it to Granny. "Sorry." She muttered before she ran out, needing to find a way to deal with what she'd found out.

Maleficent had been thoroughly surprised by the intensity of Emma's fury. She'd not expected it from the normally calm blonde. To see the sort of powers the sheriff exhibited, made her wonder at where that came from. She looked at the Charmings with a truly dark smirk of satisfaction on her face. There was absolutely no way they were Emma's parents. Not with the kind of powers Emma had just displayed. There just wasn't anything that showed that they were actually Emma's parents. Hell even Neal had no powers whatsoever and he was supposed to be a child created by true love, like Emma right? She inhaled deeply noticing that they smelled nothing like the sheriff. She looked at a stunned Regina. "Now that's a very interesting scent." She mused as she shook her head.

"What are you talking about Mal? What's going on?" Regina asked. She was trying to make sense of what happened. She was also reeling from everything that had happened between Emma and her parents. She was surprised to see what Emma had done.

The Charmings were shocked by how angry Emma was with them. They got mad at Maleficent and Mary Margaret snapped at the older woman. "Why did you do that? You shouldn't have told our daughter anything and now because of you… everything is ruined!"

Regina wasn't having any of it. She got into Snow's face. "No no no no... How dare you?! You LIED to Emma. That's why she's very angry with you. How dare YOU do that to Maleficent and her daughter?! What the hell kind of people are you?!" Regina snapped at them. She huffed angrily, remembering exactly why she hated them.

Ruby came up to them slowly and in shock as she looked at Mary Margaret. For so long, they'd been best friends, but right now she wasn't sure where things stood between them. "Are you sure Emma is your daughter? Because she smells different… She doesn't smell like you. How could you d…"

Maleficent laughed then. "That's what I was wondering myself." She smirked. She was glad the wolf said something. "She doesn't smell ANYTHING like you Charmings. She smells like the boy. He is definitely her son."

Regina's eyes widened in surprise at this bit of news. She had not expected this turn of events. "Emma isn't a Charming?" She found herself smiling as she realized this was bigger than she was aware of. Oh yes things were getting very interesting indeed.

Rumple arrived and answered, "No dearie Emma isn't." He smiled, pleased with the direction things had taken with Emma. "She never was."

"You're lying! That's not true! You told me… You knew we were… I was pregnant! We came to you and you said…" Mary Margaret was upset and very livid at Rumplestiltskin. "I gave birth to her! I named her…"

Rumple smirked. "You were barren as Snow White. But not as Mary Margaret. I needed you to name her. So I could use it to my advantage. The moment you gave me her name, I saw who she really was. I said she would be the Savior. She would break the curse. But it was your actions that cursed Emma's True Love." He giggled at the looks of shock and surprise around him. "You made Maleficent's daughter the vessel for Emma's darkness. At the same time, I made you the vessel to bring Emma into the world." He clapped his hands gleefully. "Emma will find Lily and bring her home. What did you call Maleficent and her sweet little babe? Oh yes! Monsters! Emma and Lily are forever connected. Once she finds HER dragon… They will be bonded forever... Mated. Nothing you can do will stop what must happen, dearies." He giggled evilly.

Maleficent threw her head back and cackled at the turn of events. She loved the irony of the whole situation. She loved how everything would come full circle for them. Especially her daughter. She had an evil smirk on her face at what it all meant. She felt extremely protective of Emma now that she knew Emma and Lily belonged together. It meant that Emma would become her daughter in law, she was going to be a part of their family. "Well in that case, I'd

better go find Emma. Coming darling?" She looked at Regina.

"No! Stay Away from our daughter…" Mary Margaret started. The last thing she wanted was for Maleficent or her daughter to get their hands on her daughter.

Maleficent laughed evilly. "I will not. She doesn't want anything to do with you. You lost. Regina and I will be the ones to help her pick up the pieces. Not you." She smirked, taking such pleasure at their despair.

The Mayor wanted more than anything to make sure Emma was okay. The blonde sheriff was her best friend. It shocked her to hear what was going on with the Charmings and to hear what Rumple had said, it made her realize they needed to be there for Emma. She knew that Emma wouldn't want to face the Charmings. She smiled at Maleficent and looked at Ruby. "Keep an eye on Henry until I call you." She looked at her son who was also in shock. "Stay with Ruby and Granny. We will find your mother." She promised.

Henry nodded. "Okay mom." He moved to sit at a bar stool, not feeling comfortable being around Mary Margaret or David right now.

Ruby sat with him, keeping him company. She couldn't believe her old friend. What Snow and Charming had done a long time ago, bothered her. She felt as if she didn't know her anymore and had glared at the teacher. She'd remembered a time before she found out that she was really a wolf, how Snow White really felt about the beast. She'd called her wolf a monster, not realizing the wolf was what Ruby was.

Regina couldn't believe how much things had changed since Emma stormed out of the Diner. She knew her son's mother deserved to know what else had been revealed in her absence. "So… Lily and Emma? How do you feel about that?" She was glad to know that Emma wasn't a Charming like she'd thought.

Maleficent chuckled. "Surprisingly happy. I just love the irony of it. All I want is for my daughter to be happy and if Emma makes her happy, that makes me happy. I feel protective of her. Like I want to know more about her."

Regina smiled knowingly. "You'll find she's nothing like the Charmings. When I first met her, I had no idea how much she would affect my life. It's also ironic. She was supposed to be the savior, but she protected me from those so called heroes. She wouldn't let them kill me. I realized I loved having her as my ally, my best friend more than having her as my enemy. Now I realize I made the right choice. Our son, Henry is the reason we are a family."

Maleficent smiled, but needed to ask. "And how do you feel about Lily becoming a part of the equation? Is it going to bother you, knowing my daughter will be a part of Henry's life too?" She wanted to know if there was going to be a problem if Lily was going to be Emma's mate. Would Regina be jealous that Emma would spend more time with Lily now?

Regina chuckled. "I'm sure she is a much better choice than the Pirate who loves chasing after Emma so that will be a very welcome change." She smirked. "After all, she's a dragon like you right?" When Maleficent nodded, Regina grinned. "Well then, the pirate has nothing on her since they seem to have history together." She replied. "I want Emma to be happy. She deserves it after everything she's been through."

They found Emma in the woods with her yellow bug. She was sitting on the hood of her car with a box of liquor and a pack of beer sitting next to her. She had a trash bag full of cans and tins which was open and she'd arranged the cans on a wooden fence and was shooting at them. It was clear she had skills as a sharpshooter, never missing a shot as she made the cans dance. She had a bottle of beer in her other hand and was drinking. She then noticed she wasn't alone anymore. "Regina… Maleficent." She was surprised to see Maleficent had come with Regina. She sighed heavily as she began firing more rounds. She was still feeling angry.

"What are you thinking about, Emma?" Regina moved to take the box of liquor and placed them on the ground as she moved to sit next to her. She knew Emma came to this spot whenever she wanted to let the steam out. She didn't blame her for being upset, and she wanted to be there for her friend.

"How I wish I never met Mary Margaret." Emma growled angrily, firing more shots.

Maleficent looked at the box of bottles and smiled knowingly. "Maybe you need a drinking buddy or two?" She smirked as she took one bottle of cinnamon whiskey and opened it. She winked at Emma when she got her attention.

Emma stopped firing her gun as she looked over at the dragon, in surprise. Since when were they on friendly speaking terms? She thought about Lily and it hit her. Of course. That explained why. Maleficent was her childhood friend's mother. The dragon still needed her help in finding Lily. So of course she'd have to be friendly.

Regina chuckled at Emma's reaction to the dragon. "That's a good idea. Count me in." She waved her hand and the three of them had cups in their hands as Maleficent poured their drinks.

Maleficent had a dark smile on her face. "We can all agree that we share in a mutual hatred for Snow White." Her eyes had a wicked gleam in them.

Emma had an equally dark smile on her face as she raised her cup in agreement and the three of them knocked their drinks together before they downed their liquor.

"Why did it have to happen? Why did I kill you when Rumple told me to? Why did those damned Charmings do that to you and… And Lily?" Emma started talking as Maleficent filled the cups again. She downed another shot of whiskey as she continued talking. It was all coming out. "Am I supposed to be dark instead of the Savior? What the hell am I supposed to do? Who the hell am I supposed to be? Was I supposed to be a villain instead of a hero?" It became clear that she'd been thinking a lot about what happened.

Regina hugged Emma. "You're supposed to be you. Not what they want you to be. Don't let them take advantage of you again. Let's make a deal, Em-ma." She smiled, sharing a look with Mal before she continued. "Whatever you decide. I will agree not to let anyone tell me how I should be. I gave up being the evil queen just to get a taste of the other side. I want to go back to being whole again once you find yourself Emma. If they don't like it, too bad. You shouldn't have to be someone you aren't. If we help you get what they took from you… You can decide who you want to be and we will support your decision and be there for you every step of the way." She promised.

Maleficent smiled knowingly at Regina before she turned and looked at Emma. "I don't hold anything against you anymore. You didn't really kill me. I was just in another form for a while. Besides, now I know the truth of what happened. I want to be your friend." She assured her. "After you left, things got even more interesting back at the diner." She chuckled as she moved to sit on Emma's other side, scooting closer to Emma so the three of them sat hip to hip.

Emma was surprised to hear what Maleficent said and couldn't help but wonder what had changed the dragon's mind about her. "What happened back there?" She asked, her curiosity piqued as she relaxed more.

Regina chuckled as she drank another shot with Mal and Emma. "A lot. But Mal and Ruby called it first. They both knew something none of us did. And then Rumplestiltskin showed up and confirmed it…" She smirked. "You're going to need to brace yourself dear." She nudged her friend gently.

"Brace myself for what?" Emma asked, taking another shot. She let Maleficent and Regina try their hand at shooting.

Maleficent answered with a very wry chuckle. "After you caused everything to explode and crash at Granny's, I knew there was absolutely no way possible for you to be the daughter of Snow White or her Prince Charming. You smell nothing like them darling. Right after I came to that conclusion, Ruby came out and said the very same thing I was thinking." She laughed softly before continuing. "Wolves and Dragons have a very strong sense of smell." She smiled as she tapped her nose. "You have a very unique type of scent. And you darling, do not smell human."

The blonde's eyes widened at this. "But… Why would Rumplestiltskin tell me one thing and then change his story? He made a big deal about me being the product of true love. Of being their daughter. I mean... What the hell?!" Emma was starting to get upset again. She hated it when people played games with her life. At the same time, things were starting to make sense and click into place.

The dragon sighed. "I know we haven't known each other very long. But I have no reason to lie to you Emma. Trust me when I say you are not their daughter. You've known Ruby longer right? Has she ever lied to you? Do you trust Regina to tell you the truth? You're friends, yes?" Maleficent asked.

Regina took Emma's drink from her hand and replaced it with her own hand. "You can't ever trust Rumplestiltskin. He will lie to get what he wants. He will trick you into doing things for him. He always has an agenda. I should know. He used to be my mentor. Mal was also my mentor. They both taught me to be who I am. I trust Maleficent more than I trust that imp. I won't lie to you Emma. Not now, not ever. You and I share a son. And I get a good feeling you and Maleficent will become the best of friends and very soon. Emma, you can trust her." She smiled.

"I do trust you." Emma nodded as she looked at Regina. "I always have." She then looked at Maleficent. "I trust you… Friend." She smiled. She knew she could trust her. It was a feeling she had and Emma had always trusted her instincts. They never failed her.

In response to that, Maleficent smiled and winked as she took Emma's other hand into her own. "Can… Could you please tell me about Lily? How did you know her? I heard what you said to Mary Margaret about Lily and it sounded like you knew her. Did you?" She asked, glad they were friends now.

Emma closed her eyes and sighed heavily as she thought back to the life she knew. She had not told Regina everything that happened to her as she grew up. But now it was time especially since Maleficent was Lily's mother. She didn't blame her for wanting to know more about her daughter. It was time she knew everything that happened. She looked down at her hands which were being held by both women.

"It's okay Emma. We're not going anywhere. Let us be here for you." Regina encouraged her to share her story with them. Maleficent nodded in agreement as she squeezed her hand gently in encouragement.

Emma swallowed the lump that formed in her throat as she nodded. "Regina knows I was abandoned as a baby. The Charmings basically threw me away when I was barely an hour old and I was brought to this world. Pinocchio went with me. But he left too. He was just a kid. I was moved from foster home to foster home all my life. People didn't want to have anything to do with me. Things always happened around me as I grew up. You saw what I did back at Granny's. Things like that always happened around me as I grew up. Before magic came back to Storybrooke, this was a world without magic. Yet that didn't hold true for me. I always had magic, no matter what happened. What you saw at Granny's is just a small part of what I can do. I freaked people out. They were afraid of me. I was always being thrown around. Never finding stability. Never finding a place to call my own. I was bullied, beaten, raped, even drugged when they found out I wasn't normal. They'd drug me in order to get away with what they did to me. I tried my best to hide who I was. But the older I got, the stronger I got. I started fighting back. I always ran away when things got out of control. But the system always found me and brought me back. I was forced to go through it all again and again. I'd get into trouble. I stole in order to survive when I was living on the streets. That's how I met Lily." Emma smiled at the memory. "She'd caught me stealing pop tarts and saved my neck when security stopped me. She came up to me with a cart and flashed a credit card she'd stolen. They had no choice but to let me go." Emma smiled. "We became fast friends and we connected. We felt drawn to each other. We made plans to get together. And she told me a story after I told her that I was a foster kid. She said she was too. And then this guy chased after us and she claimed he was social services. It wasn't until later when we broke into a house and made promises to be friends forever, to be together always… We made a video after we stole a camera. But then the people who owned the house came home and we tried to run away, but not before the police arrived and this man came for Lily… That was when I found out he was really her adoptive father and not with social services like Lily had claimed. I forgave her for the lie because we had so much fun together. We exchanged our phone numbers and promised to stay in touch. Of course the foster family I had been with had kicked me out and I was back in the system waiting to be put with another family." Emma sighed heavily. "Then I had to go through it all again. This time, the family I was with seemed more promising albeit more strict. We planned to go camping and I went to the garage to get a sleeping bag. I heard someone moving around in there and that's when I found Lily. She'd found me." Emma smirked at this. "She was hiding in there having run away from her family. She begged me to let her stay with me. She'd gotten into trouble with the law. Her ex boyfriend was the leader of a robbery gang and she had been caught on camera with a gun he'd given her. She had wanted nothing to do with that lifestyle. We came up with a story of how we knew each other and my family allowed her to stay with us for two weeks. She went camping with us and we had so much fun together until one day she asked me to go back to her old house to get her necklace. I was willing to do anything for her. So I left and got it for her. When I got back…"

Emma shook her head and sighed again, signaling that the story was getting harder for her to talk about. She continued. "The police were there and my foster parents confronted me with how they'd found out Lily wasn't who we said she was. They found out she'd been involved with the robbery and that she'd also stolen from my foster parents. They told me they wanted nothing to do with me." Emma sighed, shaking her head. "I was upset. I was mad because that was the same day we'd declared our love for one another. I felt betrayed. She'd lied to me again. I told her... I said I didn't want to ever see her again." Emma sniffled and wiped her tears away.

"That was the last time I saw her. I never stopped thinking about her, wondering how she was doing… If she was okay...if she was happy?" Emma whispered. "We were kids and I turned my back on the only friend I ever had. And then today, when… When I heard about…" She began shaking with fury. "When I heard what those damned Charmings did… To you...to Lily…" Her voice cracked as she began sobbing, her face became distorted as rage bubbled beneath the surface. The wind around them picked up.

Maleficent lifted Emma's hand and brought it to her mouth, kissing her hand gently before bringing it to her own wet cheeks in a very tender way. Her heart had broken when she heard Emma's story. She could feel the love Emma still had for Lily. She knew without a doubt that there was absolutely nothing that Emma wouldn't do for her Lily. Maleficent knew right then and there, that there wasn't anything she wouldn't do for Emma either. Like them, Emma had been a victim of circumstances.

Emma looked through her tears at Maleficent and saw the tender look in her eyes. Her chin trembled as she cried again. "Why? Why aren't you angry with me?"

Maleficent pulled Emma closer and held her in her arms. "Because you love my daughter. You loved her even when she hurt you. I'm so sorry for what you've been through. I need to know… Will you please find my daughter and bring her home to me?" She looked at Emma. "You still love her so much don't you?"

Emma nodded. "Yes I do. I really do. I promise I will find her and bring her back. I will never forgive what has been done to either one of you." Things were going to change now. She would see to it that Maleficent was reunited with Lily. She didn't know what would happen when she saw Lily, but she wanted to make things right between them again.

Regina wiped at her own tears. She didn't blame Emma for feeling that way. She could see the determination in Emma's eyes. "I'd like to go with you, Emma. If you will let me. Maybe Henry can stay with Mal. I doubt he would want to stay with the Charmings. Speaking of which… We still need to find your real parents."

Maleficent smiled. "I'd like to help you with that. It's the least I can do since you are helping me find my daughter."

Emma finally smiled as she wiped her tears away. "Thank you, I'd like that." She nodded.

"Let's go get our son." Regina smiled and hugged Emma. "When do you plan to leave?" She asked.

"Hopefully tomorrow morning. I'm going to make a call or two, and see if I can find out where she is. Then I'll start packing. The sooner the better." Emma really wanted to find Lily and nothing was going to stop her.

Maleficent smiled happily, feeling like things were going to be better for them now. She didn't tell Emma what she knew would happen, but she was looking forward to the future.

They left for the Diner and when Emma walked into Granny's, Ruby ran over to Emma and hugged her friend tightly. "Are you going to be okay now? I'm sorry for what happened to you. They shouldn't have done that to you." She noticed the three women had been drinking. Maleficent and Emma didn't seem to be affected, but the mayor was slightly tipsy.

Henry ran out as well and hugged his mom tightly. "You're back! Don't scare me like that again. I was worried about you."

"I'm sorry Kid. I love you and I didn't mean to scare you." Emma kissed his head and held him for a while. She looked at Ruby and Granny. "You're apologizing to me? I wrecked this place. I should be…"

Maleficent smiled at the special moment between Emma and her son, Henry. She knew that Emma would do anything for her family. So would Regina.

"Don't worry your pretty head. You paid for the damages and then some." Granny smiled. "It's alright child. The blame is not on you. Ruby and I don't blame you for reacting like that. Now that was some fancy fireworks you did." She chuckled as she turned the closed sign and had them sit down so she could serve them some dessert and drinks. "It's on the house."

"Thank you." Emma was touched by their kindness and decided to make some calls while they enjoyed their dessert.

Henry noticed how Maleficent sat with his moms. He could see the dragon cared about Emma. He wondered what had happened, after they found his ma, but said nothing. He would just have to see what would happen next.

Regina could see how curious Henry was and smiled at her son. "Your mother is going to help Mal find her daughter. And I'm going with her." She explained.

Henry smiled. "I'm glad. She's good at finding people. I know she'll find her." Maleficent smiled when she heard what Henry said.

Not much later, Emma scribbled on a paper and then hung up. "I have her last known address right here. Looks like Regina and I will be leaving first thing in the morning." Emma smiled.

The dragon lit up at this. "I know you'll find her. Thank you so much darling. I love you." She hugged her tightly.

Emma smiled, her heart going to the dragon. "Love ya too."

Regina smiled at Henry. "You can stay with Maleficent at my place, or you can stay here with Granny and Ruby. The choice is yours."

Emma smiled. "It's up to you Kid."

Henry smiled. "I love staying with Granny and Ruby. But I would like to get to know Mal. Cause it looks like something happened with you guys and I want to know what happened. She can tell me everything."

Maleficent chuckled. "If it's alright with your moms, I'd like that very much and maybe you can even help me out while they are out." She winked.