A/N: This is set on the season 3 finale episodes "Snow Drifts" and "No Place Like Home" everything up until them going through the portal happened, everything up until Emma was in the dungeon with Marian, I have deviated off after that point but everything up until that point still stands. Will be eventual SQ, there are some initial feels to start off with but will end with SQ. Not entirely sure when but it will definitely be here. I will update Shattered Realms soon.
As always, I own nothing or no one from the TV series nor do I write for the show (I wish!) and therefore don't claim to, so please don't sue me. These are not my characters I am just borrowing them for a little while.
You Are Loved
Chapter 1
The sight that greeted her set her soul on fire, every pore screamed and her gut plummeted upon seeing her mother tied to that podium, her heart fell, her hands clenched and Hook's hand on her shoulder while she stood next to her father did nothing to appease her, in fact it only made her feel worse.
"We have to get down there before it's too late!" Emma practically screamed it, her insides wrenching apart at her mother's impending death, that was her fault... she had messed the timeline up, she was the one that stuffed it up in the first place and she mentally chastised herself repeatedly.
"I don't think we can..." Her father answered candidly in response, a hollow answer, one that she wasn't used to being so dispassionate when it came to Snow White, it was eery and wrong.
She could feel her magic brewing beneath the surface, she had been trying to hide it up until that point, even until they got home, she didn't want to stay there, she wanted to run off to the safety net that was New York where her and Henry were happy, no fairy tale drama... except... seeing her mother there on the podium facing her death, something stirred within her. She couldn't just stand by and watch her mother die... she had fought her whole adult life for a family and now she had one, she wanted to run screaming from it.
No.
Before she even realized what was happening and to the shock of the other's, she disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke and reappeared in front of Snow White, facing Regina, facing the harsh reality of the fact that this wasn't the brunette she knew... evident by the fact of the fireball that was careening towards them both and as she raised a hand, a will that she wasn't entirely sure was all her, surrounded them and the fireball bounced off the forcefield she had put up and fizzled to dust before their eyes.
Green and sepia met in an instant and plump dark lips raised in a curling snarl at witnessing the peasant she had locked up earlier thwarting the one thing she desired to achieve in this world, to kill Snow White and now... now neither of them were there, disappearing in a ethereal blue cover and The Queen screamed in frustration as she sent another fire ball hurtling into the space that was previously occupied by her enemy and her aid.
"Find them!" She screamed, the look she shot at her knights that were present would have flailed them alive had she been concentrating on it.
They landed on the ground with a literal thump, Snow grunted harshly as her wherewithal was thrown all over the place, the brown knapsack still covering her porcelain face and muffled curses reached the blonde's ears as she shuffled forward and ripped the material away.
"You're alive!" And before she has even untied her, the blonde hurtled herself forward, colliding in an almost painful embrace, all emotions she had been feeling until that point flooded her cheeks as a sense of relief filtered throughout her. Her mother was alive... she was alive.
"Not... that I'm not entirely grateful... and thank you... but that kind of hurts," The brunette mumbled quietly into thick blonde tresses, stilling any movements, not sure what to do with the sudden exuberance of touching and emotions from the stranger.
"Oh..." Emma pulled back quickly in that moment, she half waved a hand over the ropes that covered her mother's wrists, the rope falling off instantly and she sighed softly, the look in familiar green eyes was enough to stop her embracing the woman again, there was no clarity, no recognition and in that moment she realized, that even though she had saved her, she had lost her. The conclusion of her reality that like mother, like daughter, this moment had been what Emma had been doing to Snow White since the moment she had met her, since the very first moment she stepped into Storybrooke and the thought itself almost physically winded her.
"Are you okay?" Snow White inquired and the blonde shrugged it off with a nod, "Okay... so who do I have to thank? What were you doing there?"
"I..." Emma started then tried to think of something to say that wouldn't throw the time line off any more than it already had, "I... am... a good witch and I was sent to protect you in that moment," She nods almost to herself, she sees the skepticism in her mother's gaze so more words fall hastily out of her mouth, "Blue sent me."
"Oh," Snow's expression changes at once, all doubt immediately vanishing upon mentioning of the fairy, "Okay, that makes sense."
It doesn't take long before a couple of breathless figures run into camp, interrupting their conversation, a red blur dashed past her and she just makes out the wolf's muttering of her mother's name and she sighs softly and inches back away from the happy reunion.
"Swan..." Hook gasped, clamping his hand down on her shoulder again, she almost growled at the repeated contact that he insisted on using but realizes this time, it is merely because Red ran them pretty hard to get there. She waits a moment for him to catch his breath before she steps back out of his reach, glancing over her shoulder to see Charming standing almost awkwardly beside the two hugging women, "Looks like things are back on track, but how you going to explain that one?"
"I already did, I told her Blue sent me to protect her in that moment," Emma responded quietly and Hook smiled in response, liking the quick thinking of his blonde companion before indicating that everyone was moving out again and away from Regina's castle.
Emma had watched as her parents interacted, it was almost a shy, obnoxious confidence and she smiled somewhat to herself as offers of filling canteens floated to her ears.
"They're warming up to each other," Emma whispered over her shoulder to Hook, who was beside her on the log eating some form sandwich with his one hand, "This is good, this'll work."
"That may be, Swan, but we do have a problem in this whole thing," he nods towards the darker woman on the other side of the campfire, Emma's cellmate in the dungeons and she sighs softly.
"I had to save her..." Emma muttered quietly, green eyes tracing the woman in question making sure she didn't over hear their conversation.
"That was the noble thing to do, no doubt about that, but she is supposed to be dead. Her presence in The Enchanted Forest could have unforeseen consequences..." Hook warned and looked back to the blonde that sat beside him.
"She is just an innocent woman, Hook, how bad could it be?" Emma replied offhandedly, her brows furrowing in thought.
"What if she had a child who grows up to be a mass murderer? Or she gets a little tipsy one night and rides her horse into one of the Dwarves and then there are only six of them? Who knows what repercussions her remaining alive will do? We're best not finding out, it could change too much, she doesn't belong here, Emma."
"Okay, then I know exactly what to do," She answered confidently, "We'll take her with us."
They both turned to the woman in question then and as if sensing their stare, she turned confused brown eyes to them and as they came closer she opened her mouth to speak.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yes, sort of," Emma answered as she went into detail about exactly what needed to be done.
"The future?" She queried and she folded her arms somewhat defensively at the suggestion, this all sounded entirely too crazy for her, were these two drunk or something? The whole thing was preposterous.
"You can't stay here, you were supposed to die hours ago," Emma answered, green eyes surveying the brunette's reaction, She's gonna run...
"I don't understand. I just want to go back to my family," She pleaded and Emma felt her pain, she understood that but in order to protect everything, even the woman's family to some extent, things must continue on as if she had died.
"They need to believe you're dead because that's what they have always thought," Hook chipped in hoping to help and Emma saw the flash of anger within dark brown eyes.
"Trust us," She replied calmly, "Please."
"With all due respect, I do not trust you nor do I believe you, so unless you are kidnapping me... I'm going to find my family," She stated, the hardness in her tone signifying there was no leeway to be had, she literally in that second turned on her heel to leave the clearing, in search of her family.
At that moment, Emma without thinking, picked up a nearby log and smacked it into the back of her head, knocking her out, Hook seeing the action, just managed to lunge forward and catch the unconscious woman's body before she collided with the ground.
"I guess we're kidnapping you then," Emma answered sardonically as Hook laid the prone woman gently on to a nearby sleeping roll.
"I always knew you had some pirate in you, Swan," Hook supplied with a chuckle just as Charming returned to the camp.
The Prince's brows furrowed as blue eyes took in the unconscious form of the woman they had saved, who still had not revealed her name in fear of her family's lives being in danger and he nodded towards her.
"What happened to her?"
"She's... um... resting," Emma smiled and it appeared to appease him before she added hastily, "What's up?"
"Have either of you seen Snow? She went to the stream but she hasn't..." Then suddenly his eyes glaze for a second and his face drains of more colour, something Emma didn't think entirely possible considering his usual pallid complexion anyway, "The ring... she took it..."
"Really?" Emma tried to contain the smile and the giggle that welled up within her at setting them on the correct path again, this was great and she cleared her throat trying to throw off the almost manic reaction, "Do you know where she might be headed?"
"She was seeking passage on a pirate ship, there's only one way to the harbor from here... The Troll Bridge..." Charming muttered almost to himself as he scrambled around camp collecting his supplies back up.
"Oh, no... well you better get going," Emma smiled as he turned to her.
"Aren't you coming? Aren't you her protectress witch or something?" Charming answered with a frown.
"No, only in that moment," Emma supplied with a small shrug, "I may be sent again... who knows with that quirky fairy."
"Good point," The Prince replied before rushing off out of the brush and towards The Troll Bridge.
"What do we do now?" Hook asked as he turned his gaze back to the blonde.
"Wait..." Emma answers, Hook carrying on in a tangent about timing and not messing anything else up, but it's not that which she refers to, on the edge of her senses, a humming and then a familiar vibration on the end of her finger tips, "Oh gods..." before she can fill Hook in on any aspect of what she is going on about she disappears in a cloud of blue smoke.
"Bloody hell, Swan... now what?!" He growls into thin air.
When she reappears, she is directly in front of the troll bridge, Charming is standing to one side fighting off trolls and in the center, where he is screaming over his shoulder at The Evil Queen that holds Snow White up by some invisible force, the smaller brunette struggles to breathe, she hears more expletives from her father than she has ever heard before and suddenly her hands reach out again batting the older brunette across the bridge and away from Snow White.
"Run!" Emma mouths to her mother who takes off in the direction of Charming, throwing the magic dust from round her neck in front of the beasts and they depart hastily, trampling the bugs along the way.
"Well... well..." Regina growled upon standing, "If it isn't the little peasant girl... who are you?"
"That doesn't matter..." Emma responded calmly as they circled and she kept herself from giggling at how Western she felt right now, shame it wasn't noon because it almost felt like a magical stand off and she knew that in a long fight with the other witch, she wouldn't win, there was no way, Regina was a way more skilled practitioner who knew how to keep momentum and stamina going, she could be powerful but only in short bursts.
"Well I think it does because you keep getting in my way," The brunette snarled again, mentally the blonde noted that while it distorted the brunette's features, her confidence exuded so much sexuality it was hard not to be drawn to the darkness that was presented.
A flickering out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, suddenly in the clearing on the other side of the bridge, Snow White reappeared and released her notched arrow directly at the brunette across from her, Emma's immediate reaction was to hurtle herself in front of her son's other mother and the arrow careens off course into a tree with a loud thunk.
"Move, Leia, let me finish this!" Snow snapped from between gritted teeth and Emma simply shook her head.
"No," She replied confidently absently flicking a hand behind her, a protective barrier going up around the brunette and pinning Regina to the spot, "You may not realize it yet but Regina is very important and not in a homicidal going to kill you way."
Snow's arm remains rigid, arm bent on bow string, arrow still aiming and her face is hardened beyond anything Emma had ever seen.
"She will kill you, Leia!" Snow growled, refusing to lower her weapon and true to form her arm never wavered.
"No, she won't," Emma replied gently, her face softening but she didn't dare to turn to look at the brunette in question, "Just go, I can't explain right now but will one day. Just go, I need you to leave, Snow."
Hesitantly the brunette lowers her bow, she stares at the way Regina remains rigid behind the blonde for a moment before she nods acquiescently at her and backs out of the clearing.
Slowly, Emma turns to face Regina, waving a hand and the brunette is free to move as she wishes once more, sepia orbs glare her way, several emotions flickering rapidly across dark eyes, anger, defiance, confusion and a brief flickering of fear.
Emma's face softens at the reaction and the minute appearance of fear that presented itself, even if only for a moment and they stare at one another.
"Why?" Regina asked quietly.
"I can't tell you exactly why at this moment and all I can say is this moment is..." She pauses, trying to find the right words and instantly the brunette loses her patience.
"Is what?" Regina sniped.
"You are loved," Emma counters, swallowing as her voice catches, she smiles gently, "You can't kill me right now."
"What makes you so sure?" Regina scoffs, ignoring the emotion that suddenly welled within her at the words previously spoken, unwilling to let the stranger see the effect it had on her as she brought to life a fireball.
"Because I am just as strong as you are and you are supposed to carry on as normal, hunting Snow even," Emma chuckles softly at the latter.
"Well good, at least I can still have some fun," Regina growled and Emma could feel the frustration rolling from her, "You're still not saying something though."
"No matter, you will find out soon enough," Emma replied cryptically, "I have to go. As do you."
"I don't take orders from peasants," The brunette snarled but her actions contradict her words when the flame within her palm is distinguished.
"Take it as what you will," Emma shrugged and instead of leaving in that moment, she inches closer towards the older woman, her adrenaline rushes as she warily maintains control, ready to counteract any attack should Regina decide to strike her or attempt to.
She smiles gently at her when they are closer, there is a hesitation within chocolate orbs, that fear flashes once more but quickly reverts to anger and Regina scowls as a small pale hand reaches up, fingers touch hesitantly against her chin and briefly flick across wine coloured, voluptuous lips and the brunette flinches at the intimate gesture, "You will smile again, I've seen it and it is beautiful," her voice breaks briefly and the brunette's face falls for a moment, allowing the words to roll over her for a moment before Emma is pierced with a glare.
"How dare you!"
"Doesn't matter right now, Regina," She pulls her hand slowly away but she refuses to back away, her presence forced a reaction from the brunette that she couldn't quite comprehend but she spoke again before Regina could interrupt her, "It doesn't matter, just know that... it gets better and you won't remember me anyway," That is the moment she chose to depart, blue smoke swirling around her, blinding Regina for a moment before she her gaze falls on the empty space that the blonde had just occupied.
"I beg to differ," The brunette whispered quietly to the nothingness that remained, olive coloured fingers lifting and tracing the same pattern where the blonde's hand has just been.