At fifteen, Emma knew more about the world than she wished.
The world was dark and cruel and had no sympathy for kids like her. The real world was competitive, sink or swim. No one would help you. No one would give you a break.
The world was full of self serving people who could never see past her previous sins and wrong doings. Every foster family let her go because she did something. No one could love her because of her past.
All she could do was run. Run from city to city, hoping to find a home. Somewhere she could fit in and feel at peace. She though she had found it, but Lily ruined it for her. She tricked her into sneaking out of the house so Lily could steal money from her foster family. Her foster father got angry so Emma dis what she always did-ran.
Emma prayed one day she could stop running, but she doubted that would ever happen. Dreams don't come true in the real world.
At seventeen, Emma saw how people really worked.
She could trust no one. Even people she though she could trust, people who were just like her, would leave her. Everyone left her-it was inevitable.
Neal set her up. It had been three months, but it still didn't feel real. He set her up and left her. Left her alone, in jail and pregnant.
Neal was no different than everyone else in her life. Her biological parents abandoned her on the side of the road. Her first foster family sent her away because they were going to have their own family. Every foster family after that sent her back for some reason. Lily set her up to take the fall with her little stunt. And Neal got her put away in prison, using her to make money and then leave.
Emma didn't understand him. He gave her the car keys to the bug. The car that was theirs. Attached to the keys was the key chain he had stolen for her. Was he playing her? Trying to mess with her mind? Put it in her face that she was once again alone and he had gotten away clean?
Whatever that man was doing, Emma knew only one thing. She could never trust anyone, because in the end, everyone left her.
At twenty-eight, Emma's world was flipped upside down.
It all happen fast. Way too fast. A little boy had shown up on her birthday, claiming to be her son. That set off a series of events that would forever change her life. The boy, Henry, brought her back to him hometown of Storybrooke, Maine. Henry has a theory about the town- every one was a fairy tale character, but had been cursed by the evil queen so they forgot their true identities and were trapped inside Storybrooke. And to top it all off, he believed the only person who could save them was Emma.
As it turned out, Henry was right. But the aftermath of breaking the curse was just as crazy as his orignal theory. Emma was sent back to the Enchanted Forest with her mother Snow White and met Aurora, Mulan, Captain Hook, the queen of hearts and a giant. It was all to much to take in. Any normal person would have lost in.
But in the words of August, she wasn't normal. Her life would never be normal again. She was now living in a magical world in which fairies, spells, potions, giants and ogers were considered normal. The change had happened so quick. She couldn't wrap her mind around it all.
The worst part was everyone was just expecting her to embrace the new lifestyle. No one understood how hard it was to forget what she thought she knew for the last twenty-eight years. But for the first time in her life she was a part of something, and maybe they wouldn't leave her too.
At thirty, Emma finally let her guard down.
Seeing her mother die was a catalyst for change in Emma. Being with her parents, but them being unable to remember her was an awful punishment. She longed to get back to Storybrooke and make things right. She wanted to stay with her family and be happy. To allow herself to be happy was a privilege Emma had rarely indulged herself in, but she was ready to change that.
Being in the Enchanted Forest yet again finally made her life sink in. She was a princess, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Her step-grandmother was the evil queen and her son had the heart of the Truest Believer. His father was the son of the Dark One who was the son of Peter Pan.
In her two short years since first coming to Storybrooke, she had broken a curse, went to the Enchanted Forest twice, went to Neverland, defeated the Wicked Witch of the West, Peter Pan and countless others. She had reunited with her parents, with Neal, and with her son. She has made many new friends and had finally found a place that felt like home, a place she didn't want to run from.
At thirty-five, Emma finally felt complete.
Emma had accepted the fact that her life as the savior would consist of many changes and circumstances that would be outside her control. Ever since becoming the Dark One five years ago, Emma had pushed herself to enjoy the quiet moments in her life when she was not facing danger or saving the town.
She let herself her happy with her family. Her parents had another child, a little girl, Ruth. She loved the little girl and spent much time at the most watching after Ruth and Neal. Her son was growing up. Henry would be twenty in just a few short had grown into a strong, smart young man of whom she was very proud.
She opened herself up to having a happy ending with Killian, who was more than okay with the idea. They married a year after she was saved from the darkness. They spent the past four years enjoying simplicity, amidst the new villains and were together and that was all that mattered. She loved him and loved their life together, despite the inevitable changes that always came their way.
But along the way, Emma found that not all change was bad. Her life had changed leaps and bounds when Henry had brought her to Storybrooke. She changed from a broken little lost girl into a joyful, powerful savior.
She went from having no one to having a family. A real family with a mom, dad brother and sister. She even got to start her own family with Henry and Killian, and now her own little girl, Evie Cassidy Jones.
Emma loved her little girl more than she could express. She was named for two important people in her life-her grandmother Eva, whom she had never met, but had taught her mother the importance of doing what was right, and after Neal, who had taught her how to make a true sacrifice and the importance of family.
Emma couldn't help but smile when she though of how far she had come. Less then ten years ago she believed she was alone and that every one would leave her. Little did she know that one day she would have a real family and be truly happy. She had always hated the cliche phrase "Dreams do come true", but maybe it wasn't entirely wrong. Maybe life was more than just a dream though. It was a journey, and Emma had finally let herself believe that hers could be a happy one.
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