Of course I don't own Once Upon A Time but this story would not leave my mind so here it goes, hope yall like it, probably a one-shot.

Chapter 1

Alone, that was the one thing that had been a constant in the life of Emma Swan, so when she found herself being ripped away from her new found family and thrown toward an unknown land there was no fear as one might imagine but a calm that only came with the acceptance that you were born to be alone. Closing her eyes she realized that yes she would miss Henry and yes she would never give up on trying to get back to him, but she also knew that he would have the one thing that she never had, a family. Mary…no not Mary Margaret but Snow White and Prince Charming, her parents, would love him and protect him with their lives and give him the things that she herself never had. She found that no matter how much she wanted to forgive them for sending her away to save her from the curse that even though her brain knew the whys she couldn't get her heart to accept it. Twenty-eight years of being on her own, having no one to depend on had taught her to protect her heart and allowed for the many walls that very few could break through. Henry, Graham and Mary Margaret and while Henry was part of her, he had always had a place inside the walls, Graham was gone almost as quickly as he arrived and Mary-Margaret, she turned out to be the mother that abandoned her, the one that she had waited for but also the one that she hated with everything she had. All the emotions that had hit Emma had been overwhelming and seeing the love in her mother's eyes had only confused and scared her so as far as she could tell the magic hat, well maybe it knew that her staying in Storybrook would only add to the disappointment that her life had been, she could never be the mother or daughter that they all expected her to be.

These were the thoughts that were holding Emma together because if truth be told she wasn't ready to accept that there could be any other life for her, no matter how much deep down she wanted it. Startled out of her thoughts by a hand grabbing on to her arm she looked up to find those eyes, the ones that radiated a love that had never been directed at her, a love that she didn't know how to respond to and found that her anger had returned. Before she was able to shake her off or even form a question to ask how the hat had managed to grab her too there was only darkness as she lost consciousness.

Squinting her eyes, Emma lifted her head as she tried to sit up and gain her bearings while trying to figure out how much she had to drink last night, when all at once the memories came pouring in. She quickly looked to her side where the hand was still attached to her jacket and surveyed the woman, not her best friend anymore but her mother, searching for signs that she was hurt before pulling her arm away and calling out to her. "Mary-Margaret…Snow White, come on you need to wake up."

"Um…Emma, I've had the craziest but most amazing dream." Her roommate said beginning to move around a little.

"Afraid not Snow…unless we're trapped in the same nightmare." Emma answered with a smirk on her face.

Snow jumped at the words as she remembered who she was and whom she was with and turned to face her daughter, "Emma, sweetheart are you alright?"

"I'm fine Mary…Snow, I'm sorry." Emma answered quickly trying to look anywhere that wasn't her mothers' eyes.

"It's okay honey; I'm not entirely sure who I am anymore, it's strange having two sets of memories, but I have to believe it'll get easier with time." Snow reassured her daughter while wanting so desperately to pull her into her arms and never let go but knowing Emma well enough to keep her distance.

"I hope so but for now could you just explain to me how you ended up in the hat? What about Henry and David?" Emma had so many questions and not enough answers for her liking.

"Henry and your…James are still in Storybrook, I jumped in the hat before it could close." Snow answered while holding her daughters gaze in her own.

"You…did…what?" Emma thought she was prepared for just about any answer other than that one.

"I…." Snow started to say before being interrupted.

"There they are, they are the reason that our Prince is dead, they caused this and should die as punishment."

"I got this Emma, don't worry about it." Snow said as she easily maneuvered herself in between her daughter and the woman holding the sword toward them.

"Wait a minute Mulan, I want to hear what they have to say for themselves." Her companion said as she came closer to the pair. "Who are you and what are you doing here? Why have you brought the Wraith here?"

"I am Snow White and this is my…daughter Emma, this is, was our home but were sent away from it 28 years ago when my step-mother enacted a curse to keep us from our happy endings. We were told that our homeland was destroyed and that sending the creature here was the only way to keep it at bay. I am truly sorry that your Prince is dead but we'll do everything in our power to make it right."

"Silence," the one called Mulan said, "I do not trust them, let me put an end to the lies now and be on our way back to the camp."

"No, we will take them with us and decide from there what needs to be done, I will not make hasty decisions on someone's fate while I am only beginning to understand what's happening myself." Turning back to Snow and Emma she said, "I am Aurora, you will go with us but please do not make me regret my decision to spare your lives."

"We will go with you," Snow answered giving Emma a look that said don't fight me on this, do as I say. Emma kept her mouth shut and followed Snow's lead even though she hated handing control of her life over to two women that she had no knowledge of.

With their hands bound together they were led away giving Emma time to think, she needed to figure out how to get out of this mess but her mind kept returning to the same place, the look of pure love on Snow's face when she said "I jumped." What the heck was she thinking? Why? Emma couldn't figure it out but with that one sentence Snow seemed to think it was the best answer in the world, that the why should be easy to figure out. Between looking at the ground and sneaking peeks at her mother Emma had no clue as to where they were or anything that happening until Snow screamed at her to run. Instead of trying to figure it out she took off with Snow close behind until she heard her fall and Emma found that she couldn't leave her, turning back she rushed over and fell to her knees. "Mary-Margaret," quickly she turned her attention to the woman that was the cause of this, "what did you do to her?"

"Take them to the pit!" Mulan screamed in answer.

Emma fought and screamed to no avail as her and Snow were carried away and dropped into a hole that wasn't near wide enough to keep Emma sane, she hated small spaces and more so since her injured best friend and mother were one in the same and also trapped in the same space that she was in.

"Ughhhh," Emma screamed moving over to check on Snow. "Mary-Margaret, come on you gotta wake up, you gotta be okay, damn it Snow wake up!" Emma bellowed hoping she would respond to one of the names, she didn't care which at the moment as long as she woke up. Not thinking, only responding to the feelings that were coursing through her veins, Emma gathered her in her arms and finally allowed the tears that she had been fighting since the curse had broken to fall. She didn't know who she was crying for or why, but Emma Swan broke and she was crying on the only person that had ever made her feel like family. She doesn't know how long she sits like that but when she lays Snow's head back in her lap, there they are again, those eyes and Emma doesn't know whether to rejoice or run.

"Umm your awake, are you okay?" She asked while trying to get away from the glare of her mother.

"Yeah, other than my back hurting some, I'll be fine, did they hurt you?" Snow asked, her voice laced with concern.

"No they didn't, I stopped when you fell so they didn't…"

"Why?" Snow interrupted.

"Why what?" Emma questioned.

"Why did you come back? I wanted you to get away, I wanted to save you."

"So you wanted to send me away again? Too bad I'm not as easy to get rid of this time around." And the walls came right back up.

"No Emma, that's not what I was doing either time, I only wanted to give you your best shot." Snow shot back as her daughter got up and started pacing the ground like a caged animal.

"You keep saying that, maybe one day we'll both believe it."

"It's the truth Emma and you'd know it if you'd just talk to me, open yourself up and allow your heart to hear."

"So why did you jump if you were only going to try and send me away again?" Emma demanded looking Snow in the eyes.

"Because I couldn't lose you again Emma, you are the most important person in my life and if I have to follow you into oblivion to make you realize it then so be it." Snow said as tears flowed down her cheeks.

"You had your chance and you choose your Prince over me, so why now, to ease your guilty conscience, you shouldn't have bothered I'm not worth it. You and David could've started over with Henry, he's young, doesn't have the walls built up that I do or have a baby, you're both still young enough for it." Emma didn't want to hurt Mary-Margaret or Snow for that matter but it was too late and the words were rushing out and she couldn't stop them.

"Emma I wanted to come with you, I was meant to come with you …."

"Then why the hell didn't you mother , why did you send a boy to do your job?"

"What are you saying Emma? What boy?"

"You didn't know?" Taking in the broken look on Snow's face she realized that her mother honestly had no idea what she was talking about and she was truly sorry that she had caused the woman the pain she was now seeing.

"Know what? What the hell are you telling me, that you didn't go through alone?"

"No…August, well Pinocchio I guess." Emma was at a loss, out of her depth on where to go from here, her perspective on everything had just been shattered in those last few moments.

"I missed your first words, your first steps, every damn aspect of your life and you're telling me I didn't have to, I could've been there to protect you , I'm going to kill someone when we get home….."

"No Snow, I'm sorry I shouldn't have said anything, I didn't mean to hurt you, lets just forget it and find a way out of here before it's too late." Emma wasn't sure she wanted to continue this anymore, her flight instinct was up and she wanted to run.

"You can't run Emma, and I'm not done here so you're going to listen to me." Emma noticed the new confidence that showed in her eyes, the broken woman that was before her had pulled herself together for the sake of her daughter and with renewed determination came to stand in front of Emma.

"When I found out I was pregnant with you it was the happiest day of my life, but also the scariest because my step-mother was always in the back of my mind, she was determined she was going to take away my happy ending if it was the last thing in either world. When the Blue Fairy came to us and told us of the enchanted tree, we commissioned Gepetto to construct the wardrobe that was to take us away, to save you but then we were told it would only carry one. Only one, so it was decided that I would leave the Enchanted Forest while I still carried you but on the day that the construction was finished I was already in labor with you and it was too late. The curse was released at the time of your birth and the queen's soldiers had already broken into the castle, James he told me we were too late but all I could think was that she would kill you, I couldn't let that happen so I made him take you to the wardrobe, it was my decision Emma, mine, not his so please don't hold it against him. If it is destined for you to hate me then so be it but do not hold my decision over his head as well, but Emma know this if I was given the chance to do it all over I would, if I have to live knowing that you hate me then I can handle that much better than not ever having the chance of knowing my dead daughter." Emma wanted to say screw it all and run into her mother's arms, to tell her that all is forgiven and try her best to be the daughter that Snow so desperately wanted but she couldn't, not yet, there was still more to be said and it had to be done.

"When I jumped into the hat, there was no way I was losing you again, I made the mistake once sending you away alone, I'll be damned if I do it again. I chose you that time too even though fate had other ideas, I will always choose you over anyone, you are my daughter and that trumps everything else rather you believe me or not. Emma I love you and nothing you say or do will change that, I've always loved you, even when I didn't know you were my daughter, the connection was always there and you felt it too, you loved Mary-Margaret and I have to believe that that love is still there.

"I…"

"I'm not finished Emma, I want you to listen very carefully to what I'm going to say next." Snow reached up and guided Emma's eyes to her own daring her to look away. "Don't you ever think that I could replace you with either my grandson or another child, no one could ever take your place in my life, in my heart. I suppose it is possible that another child could join our family but they would also join you in my heart, you're there sweetheart for forever. I'm sorry for sending you away, sorrier than you'll ever know, I know it's not been easy but I hope that you'll give me a chance to be there for you now, to at least be your friend. You don't think you need a mother and maybe you don't and if being your friend is all I can be I'll have to accept that because I'm not leaving you again."

Emma knew that the ball was in her court and her mother had just given her a lot to think about but she also knew that this could be a turning point in their lives, and she had to make the decision to either meet her half way or walk away from the one woman that had just showed her how much she was willing to put up with to keep her in her life. After what seemed like hours Emma finally spoke, putting hope into not only her heart but her mothers' as well.

"The thing is, I don't know how to be a daughter, Mary-Margaret was the first person I ever felt any connection with other than Henry, but I guess deep down I found what I'd been looking for my whole life in her, I found you. I can't promise it'll be easy, I have a lot of issues, hell my issues have issues but if you're willing to try than so am I."

"Oh Emma…" Snow said engulfing her daughter in the hug of all hugs.

"Whoa, I didn't mean to get all mushy, ah the hell with it, go ahead and get it out of your system so we can find a way out of here and get back home." Emma smiled knowing she had made Snow's day.

"I do love you Emma!"

"I know and well, thank you for choosing me." Emma rushed through, still uncomfortable in this new role as daughter.

"Always my darling, always." The two remained that way for a few minutes before deciding that escape from the pit was a high priority on their list but that they would have a better chance working together. And did they escape? Yes they did and were once again lost in the Enchanted Forest but as they worked together to find a way back to Henry and James they told stories about the lives that each had lived, Snow often of when her and James first met and Emma found that telling her mother about living in the system and the hardships that she had endured made them a little easier. By the time they reached home a bond had been formed and even though it wasn't always easy it remained unbroken.

Okay so this is my first attempt at Once Upon A Time, I love the show and just couldn't be happy without writing this, it was gnawing at me and wouldn't go away. Hope yall like it, if anyone would like the same chapter in Snow's POV let me know by reviewing. Thanks for reading.