A/N: Hey, it's been a while since I've written anything at all, but this idea was stuck in my head and I needed to write it down. It's my first SwanQueen story so bear with me here. Its looking like it will be 4 or 5 parts when its all said and done. I'm rating it as T just as a precaution for the latter half of the story. The first chapter is a little back story, and I will post chapter 2 later on. -xoxo Ash
Disclaimer: I do not own rights to anything from OUAT. :(
The first time Emma's magic manifested she was around 15 years old. It wouldn't have been that unusual if she grew up in Storybrooke. But Unfortunately for her, she never knew Storybrooke existed. Growing up bouncing between foster homes was something she was used to. Here at her 8th foster home, she finally thought she found her forever family. Her foster mom Lex always made sure she had everything she needed and urged her to focus more on her school work. Having gone to so many different schools, she never really became invested in making friends and doing well. She barely got by in most her classes at the last school she had attended. She's been with this family for a little over a year and enjoys spending time with the twins the most. Riley and Shay are 10 years old and think Emma is the coolest. Emma sits in her room every night thinking about how she finally feels safe and happy, to have a home and a family. But she knows it's probably not going be there forever so she's revelling in every moment.
It was a pretty quiet evening in the middle of June when the incident occurred. Emma's freshman year had just ended and she was enjoying some pool time with the twins. Lex was making the girls dinner in the kitchen while watching them do cannonballs through the window. Emma was lounging on a raft when she began to feel a little sick. Not wanting to leave Riley and Shay alone she just decided to go ride it out up on the pool deck. Emma felt like her whole body was on soon called for the girls to come eat, Emma reached out for Shay and as she did Shay screamed. Lex ran outside to see what was happening. A large hand shaped red mark appeared on the young girl's arms where Emma had touched her. It looked almost as if they were patches of angry sunburn. Stunned Emma stumbled backwards trying to understand what had just happened. As Lex looked over the mark left on the Shay, she immediately turned on Emma "What the hell did you do?" Emma stuttered "I.. I don't know. I was trying help her out of the pool. She started screaming, I.. really just don't know what happened." Lex looked in disbelief at the burn mark on her daughter's arm and then back at Emma. Shay was still crying but knew she needed to say what happened. "Mommy, please don't be mad at Emma, she's telling the truth. She was trying to help be out of the pool but when she grabbed my arm it felt like fire." Emma looked down at her hand confused, what had she done and how? Lex ushered the twins inside and took Shay to go put burn cream on the mark.
Emma couldn't think of anything else to do or say so she opted to go take a cold shower and start packing her things. She knew that what had happened will end up making her have to leave this family. Riley and Shay came into Emma's room while she was folding her clothes and shoving them into her suitcase. Emma looked down at Shay, "I'm so sorry Shay, I don't understand what happened. Is your arm okay?" "Em, it's okay. It doesn't even hurt that bad anymore. I know you didn't mean to do it." How can she be so understanding when I don't know understand it at all, Emma pondered as she looked at the twins. "Where are you going?" Riley asked, eyeing Emma's suitcase. "I will probably have to leave soon because I hurt Shay, and your mommy won't want me here anymore." Emma didn't hold back when she started to cry. Riley came over and wrapped Emma into a big hug. Emma stiffened hoping she wouldn't hear the little girl scream if she touched her. Thankfully Riley didn't make a peep, she just held Emma as she cried a mix of sad and thankful tears. Lex finally came up to speak to Emma, "Alright girls, go play in your room, Momma needs to talk to Emma." "Mommy, we love Emma please don't make her leave," Shay replied before giving Emma a hug and left the room.
Lex paced back and forth unsure what to say, which made Emma more nervous than before. "None of this makes sense Emma, I really don't know how to handle this. I love you and so do the girls. I have an appointment with an attorney next week to start the process of formally adopting you. I was going to announce it at dinner but, with what just happened I'm scared."
Emma looked at Lex in the eyes and seen the hurt and confusion. "I wasn't feeling good, and felt like my body was on fire. But I don't know why. Then I burnt her, I didn't mean to and I am at a loss for how it happened. I love the twins, and this family but I don't want to hurt anyone." Emma began to cry again. She could've been adopted and happy for once in her life! She screwed everything up. In that moment Lex knew she couldn't give up on Emma. "Stop packing, I'm not going to make you leave. Now come eat dinner." Stunned, Emma wrapped Lex in a hug and buried her head in her neck. After dinner and everything settled, Emma laid in her bed still trying to wrap her mind around how she burnt Shay. The next month went by pretty uneventfully, Shays arm has pretty much healed and it was the day of twins 11th birthday party. Emma had just finished skimming the pool and was about to start setting up the canopy. She didn't feel quite right, a little nauseous but no big deal. She got the framework up and called Lex, Shay and Riley over to help with the canopy. They each grabbed a corner of the trap when Emma started feeling like she's on fire. "Lex something doesn't feel right, I feel like I'm burning up." Lex looked at her soon to be daughter with deep concern and rushed over to her. Emma dropped her end of the tarp, "No, don't touch me. This is how I felt when I hurt Shay." Emma sank to her knees and tried to focus on breathing. Shay and Riley stayed on the other side of the yard watching their sister crying in pain. Emma held out her hand and tried to reach out for the canopy pole to help herself up, but when she did a fireball materialized in her hand. Everyone stared at it in awe. Emma realized she felt better if she focused the heat she felt into her hand. "Get me a bucket of water!" Emma yelled at Lex who stood there stunned.
Lex doused the flame with the water and Emma checked her hand. No sign of burnt skin. So weird. "Mommy what just happened, is Em okay?" Riley looked at her mom trying to make sense of it. Emma was the one who answered, "I'm fine, that was weird but I'm fine." Now that she was effectively soaked all she could think about is getting a towel. She was still a bit unsteady on her feet, she wished the towel to appear in her hand. In a puff of white smoke it appeared. "What the hell!?" Emma yelled. "Emma, how did you do that?" Lex wasn't sure what she had just seen. "I don't know, I wanted a towel and it appeared in my hand." Shay and Riley excitedly yell "Emma that was so cool, do it again!" "I don't know if I can?" Emma replied, not sure what to do. "I just... I could use a bottle of water." With that the bottle water on the table next to the twins poofed into Emma's hand. "Mommy! Emma is magic!" Emma stared at her hand, "Magic?"