Emma Rose Montgomery quietly searched through the boxes in front of her. She was sitting in the room her mother grew up in. Emma very much like her mother in a lot of ways. She was smart beyond her years, and when she sat her mind to something, she was unstoppable.
Summer vacation had just begun, and at the strong urging of the eight year old girl, her mother was letting her stay with her grandmother in Rosewood. Emma adored her grandmother, and with teacher's having the summer off, she begged for the chance to stay with her. While one on one time with her grandmother was something Emma was looking forward to, she had a deeper reason for wanting to be in Rosewood. Emma was trying to find her father.
Growing up, Emma remembered her mother telling her stories about her father, they made her mother smile, and they fascinated the young girl. As she got older, her mother was less and less willing to discuss him. It didn't take Emma long to realize her mother was hiding things about him. While it always bothered Emma not to have a daddy, like the other girls, she only recently discovered that he was someone her grandmother worked with, and he did not know anything about her.
It was a few months ago, when her grandmother came for a visit in Philadelphia. Emma was going downstairs to get a drink, when she heard her mother and grandmother having an argument. "The girl needs her father" Ella said sternly. "I am her mother, I am more than capable of taking care of her" Aria shot back. "At this point you know this just isn't right" Ella pressed. "Since when are you the defender of all things Ezra?" Aria responded annoyed. "I see him almost every day, he's a good man, Aria. He doesn't deserve this" Ella tried to reason. "I know that, don't you think I know that?" Aria screamed. "I just can't face him, and I can't spring this on Emma, she's not ready" Aria said quietly. "What are you scared of?" Ella asked exhausted. "That he'll hate me. He's probably moved on and happy, all I could do at this point is crash his world" Aria said sadly. "Don't be silly, Aria. Ezra is no more over you, than you are over him" Ella snickered.
At that moment Emma promised herself she would find him whether her mother wanted it or not. Quietly sneaking back up to her bed, her mind was racing. A big part of her was so angry to find out after all this time, the only reason she didn't have a dad, was because her mother made it that way. At the same time, to know he was out there, in Rosewood, and just maybe he would want her. It was one of the best feelings she could ever remember. She was going to find him, she was know for sure.
"So are you ready to go snooping?" Emma jumped at the unexpected voice in the room. "You scared me" she exclaimed. "Sorry" the boy laughed out. Chris Jenkins was Emma's only ally in her secret quest. Though they were not blood related, Emma's uncle was married to Chris's mother, and as long as she can remember, Chris has been her cousin. "Well it looks like our mission starts here" Emma smiled at him. Chris walked over and joined Emma on the floor, picking up one of the boxes in front of him. It didn't take long for them to find what they were looking for. A black and white box held souvenirs of Aria's youth.
Sifting through the ticket stubs, random spoon, and coasters, Emma found the jack pot, pictures. As soon as she saw the face of the man holding her mother in the pictures, she knew he was her father. He had the same eyes she saw in the mirror, and he had dark wavy curls. Emma beamed with joy. She could just tell by him smile that he was a kind and funny person. She couldn't wait to get to know him.
With a little help from Chris and google, Emma learned that her father's name was Ezra Fitz, and he was an English teacher. "Hey, I know him" Chris told her. "He always talks to my dad". "Do you think you can introduce me?" Emma asked excited. "Well sure, if we run into him, but who would I say you were?" Chris asked nervously/ "Hey Mr. Fitz, this is your daughter" he laughed. "I've already thought it through, I'm your cousin, from your mother's side. I'm staying with you for the summer." Emma beamed with confidence. "What about grandma?" Chris questioned. "Don't you think it would come up?" "Well grandma is not allowed to say anything about me, and I'll tell him my name is Elizabeth" she smiled.
Chris paused for a moment, considering how much he actually believed her schemes were going to work. "Well then it looks like we need to arrange a run in" Chris smirked. Emma's confident smile was now replaced by a look of deep concentration. "I got it, tell your dad that you are working on an Essay contest, it's about teaching, and you want to see if Mr. Fitz can help you with it". "That's a stretch, but yeah, I'll ask him". "Text him now" Emma insisted. Chris did as he was told, and then the two took their attention back to the boxes in front of them.
"Emma, Chris!" Ella called out from downstairs. "Lunch is ready". Quickly Emma placed all Aria's items back in the boxes and Chris helped put them back on the shelf. A few minutes after sitting down and eating lunch with their grandmother, Chris's phone buzzed. Emma held her breath in anticipation. Chris just simply smiled at her, and she knew that the plan was a go. She tried not to make it too obvious, but she was elated. She was actually going to meet him.
"What's got you two so excited?" Ella questioned. "Well I'm not excited, I'm anxious. I just entered an writing contest. Emma wants to help me with it. I guess things like that excite her." Chris said sarcastically. "A writing contest" Ella responded impressed. "What's the subject?" Chris paused for a moment. "Public Education". Ella's smile grew. "Oh and I guess you having a teacher in the family, is a nice advantage huh?" "Well actually, I really wanted a guys perspective, I asked dad if he would talk to Mr. Fitz for me" Chris answered nervously. Ella froze and dropped her spoon. "Mr. Fitz" she questioned, "Why him?" "Well he's always been really nice, and a lot of the kids look up to him. I'd figured he'd be the best choice." Chris finally answered.
"And you want Emma to help?" she questioned further. "I want to help, I love this kind of stuff, you know that." Emma interjected. Ella sat there silent for a moment, obviously deciding how to react to the new information. "Well I wouldn't go telling your mother, your helping Chris with is essay, she would probably say he needs to do it for himself. But as long as you're with Chris I don't see the harm." Ella smiled. Emma grinned at her grandmother. Even though she couldn't come out and say it, she just became Ella Montgomery's biggest fan.
SOOOooo, what to you guys think? Lots of Ezria coming at you soon! Please let me know what you think so far. I chose the name Emma as my little homage to Once upon a time.