Blue Eyed Bandit
By LockedSoulsAM
Summary: Regina was expecting to find a thief in her garden at seven a.m. not a pint-sized blonde with blue eyes. AU
Chapter 2 Hunger Pains
"I'm not a baby." Emma cried as her foster brothers surrounded her. They were laughing and poking at her as she continued to back away from their prying hands. Jackson, the oldest Williams' son at 16 years old, teased Emma about not wanting to watch the scary movie that they were about to turn on Netflix. The other two Andrew,14, and Steven,12, bear, played along with their brother. Emma thought it seemed like they loved torturing her. They were always just so mean to her and she was tired of it.
She rubs at her eyes forcing the tears to stay at bay. Emma hated when people surrounded her and especially hated when they laughed at her. All she had said was that she didn't want to watch the scary movie with them. She was content on playing in her room alone. But her foster brothers wouldn't take no for an answer.
Now here they were teasing her because she was afraid of the movie.
"Leave me alone !" She cried. Holding onto her bear, Emma backs away from the boys only for her back to hit the wall. She had been cornered.
"Or what you gonna tell our parents?" Andrew laughed. "They won't believe you. They already think you're a big baby anyway."
"I'm not a baby." Emma whimpered out. "I'm five."
"Since you're not a baby you don't need that bear do you?" Jackson asks her. "Give it to me. You're much too old for a bear."
"No." Emma grips onto her brown bear a little tighter. She'd had the old bear since she was about 2 years old. She had never let anyone touch Mr. Waffle.
"Give it to me or I'll make you." Jackson stood over Emma menacingly.
In that moment all Emma felt like doing was crying. She just wanted them to leave her alone. She doesn't know what to do at this point. But one thing she knows is that she refuses to let them see her cry.
"Emma just give it to him," Steven speaks softly to her. He's never been really fond of the little girl but he knows that his brother won't quit.
"No." Emma challenges. "I'm not a baby and I will not give you my bear." She stands up a little straighter and holds her ground. She wasn't afraid of them. She wasn't afraid of anybody, she tried to tell herself.
"Fine, you leave me no choice." Jackson grips onto Emma's arm and pulls her down the hallway.
"Ouch!" Emma cried out as her grip on her arm tightened. "Please let go! I'm sorry. I'll watch the movie with you please leave me alone."
Andrew and Steven followed their brother down the hallway right to where he stopped in front of the hall closet. Opening the door he throws Emma inside and watches as she lands on her bottom with a hard thump. He wasn't going to truly hurt the girl but just scare her a little.
"I'll leave you alone alright." Jackson rips the bear from Emma's arms and quickly closes the closet door. His brothers laugh at the sound of Emma crying inside of the closet. She was being such a baby.
Emma didn't know what to do being in such a small space. Banging on the door, her cries fall on deaf ears as she begs to be released from her confinement.
"Please, I'll be good," Emma begged. She could hear ripping noises from the other side and she just knows that they hurt Mr. Waffle. Why were they so mean to her?
Emma backs away from the door and settles into the ground. She figured that they wouldn't be letting her out for a while. One thing about Emma was that she was deathly afraid of the dark. She did not like it at all and it terrifies her to no end.
"I'll be good," Emma whispers as she tries to focus on her breathing.
For five minutes, five whole minutes Emma is stuck in the closet. For those five minutes, Emma accepted her fate. This wasn't the first time the Boys had done this but she surely always hoped it was the last.
She can hear footsteps and the door open before the footsteps run away and the front door slams closed. Emma jumps at that sound. Loud noises were not her thing.
Growing up in foster care, even at five years old Emma had been through a lot. She had endured more than the average five-year-old. She had gone her whole little life without being loved. Why would this house be any different?Why would she expect for the boys to be good babysitters when the Williams were away?
Slowing peeking out of the closet, Emma spots pieces of Mr. Waffle on the floor. She kneels down beside the torn bear and let's a few tears fall. They were so mean to her and all she wanted was for a family to love her.
They had ripped the only thing she had ever love. Mr. Waffle was the only constant in her life and now he was gone. Emma picks up the detached arm and leg of Mr. Waffle and runs to the kitchen where there is tape.
She climbs on top of the bar stool and finds the tape on a cabinet above the sink. If she fell it would be disastrous so she was being extra careful. After jumping down from the counter, Emma attempts to take the tape and put Mr. Waffles together again.
Tears of frustration fall down her cheeks as the five-year-old realizes that she can't put her beloved bear back together again. Emma doesn't know what to do but she does know that she is hungry. It's almost 2 pm and she hasn't eaten a thing.
It's been two days since she was caught in Gina's backyard. Two days since she met the wonderful lady. Two days since the last time she had eaten too. The Williams's called it punishments. They didn't allow her to eat because of Regina calling them and her being in a strangers house.
Emma didn't understand it but those were rules. Suddenly an idea pops into her head. Running upstairs, Emma finds her dirty overalls from the other day, Emma finds the small piece of paper with Regina's number. She quickly makes her way downstairs to the house phone.
She didn't really know how to use it but it couldn't be that hard. All she had to do was press the numbers and hope Regina answers.
On the other side of town, Regina is just finishing up a town meeting with the councilmen when her cell phone vibrates in her pocket. Not many people have her personal number so she doesn't know whom it could possibly be.
"Madam Mayor?" Sydney Glass the editor of the town paper interrupted her just as she was about to press answer.
"How can I help you, Sydney? "Regina has to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Regina wasn't blind to see that the man clearly had a crush on her.
The insistent buzzing of her phone in her pocket took Regina away from the conversation at hand. She could not focus.
"Sydney, how about we talk about this over the phone another time?" Regina held her hand up to stop him from talking.
Sydney nods and walks away. He already knew not to bother the mayor when she was busy or she seems to be. Her phone would not stop ringing and he had to wonder who it was.
Regina breathes a sigh of relief as Sydney walks away and leaves her alone in the conference room. She sits down at the head of the table and pulls out her phone. She has one voicemail from an unknown number.
Typing in her password, Regina quickly unlocks her phone to listen to the is a little rustling before a tiny but strong voice comes through the phone.
"Gina? Gina, is this your phone?" Regina quickly recognizes this to be the voice of a certain blue-eyed little girl. "Gina you told me I can call you if I was hungry. But I don't know how to use the phone all that good."
Regina smiles down at the tiny voice. A part of her heart is broken at the fact that the little girl had to call her on this.
"Gina? If you get this message can you call me back?"Emma rustles again. "My foster brothers left me all alone here and I'm getting hungry. Maybe I can use the microwave but I'm too little. Bye"
"No! Don't use the microwave." Regina finds herself speaking to the phone. She has to call Emma back.
After hanging up the phone, Emma makes her way into the kitchen. She has seen her foster brothers make ramen noodles a million times. She grabs the package of ramen noodles and puts them into a bowl. She is just about to put them into the microwave without water but the phone rings again. Setting the bowl on the counter, Emma can only hope that it's Regina.
"Hello?" Emma answers the phone. "Gina ?"
"Yes, Emma it's Gina."Regina smiles through the phone. She was so relieved to hear from the little girl.
"Gina? I'm hungry." Emma lets out.
"Emma where are your foster parents ?" Regina cuts to the chase. She needs to get the answers out of the little girl.
"They are at work," Emma reveals.
"Emma, who are you home with ?" Regina keeps the questions going. "Why aren't you in school."
"I don't have school it's summer." Emma smiles. Her friend sure was silly.
"Ok, silly me." Regina smiles also. "Who are you home with Emma ?"
"I don't think I'm supposed to say." Emma's voice lowers. "they will get angry if they find out."
"Emma what if I came over would you like that ?"Regina tries a different way.
"I would." Emma immediately lights up. "Then we can play with my toys."
"I'd love that Emma." Regina didn't know why she felt this way about the young girl. "Do you know the address ?"
"Nope." Emma's little voice rings through the phone. "I can never remember the home numbers. I've been in a lot of foster homes."
Regina's heart breaks at that revelation. The little girl deserves so much better. Regina quickly makes her way into the office where they have a directory of everyone in the small town. Finding William's home address, Regina quickly grabs her jacket and makes her way out of the office.
"Stay on the phone with me, Emma."
"Okay, Gina." Emma agrees.
"What did you do today Emma?" Regina tries to keep up the conversation as she drives down the street to the Williams place. They live in a small house over on Donald Street.
"I colored in my book." Emma began to tell her new friend. "I also did play with my toys. But the boys ripped Mr. Waffle."
"I'm sorry to hear that Emma ." Regina turns the corner and parks in front of the house. "Who is Mr. Waffle?"
"He's my bear and best best friend in the world," Emma explains.
"Emma, when you hang up the phone I want you to come and unlock the front door for ?"
"Okay, Gina." Emma agrees and waits for Regina to hang up the phone. Emma quickly runs to the front door and opens it.
"Gina, you're here how did you find me ?" Emma runs and jumps into the woman's arms. Regina is caught off guard a little by the heavy weight or lack thereof Emma. The little girl practically weighed nothing to be five years old.
"I told you whenever you were hungry I would come help you."
"But Gina, can we stay inside I don't want to get in trouble. "Emma pouts.
Regina nods and carries the little girl inside of the house.
"How would you like grilled cheese ?" Emma nods and smiles up at the woman. She wraps her arms around Regina's neck and lets herself be carried into the kitchen.
Regina sets her on top of the counter and begins her work of fixing Emma food. She has no idea how such people could leave a five-year-old home alone but they would certainly not get away with it.
While cooking, Regina spots Emma clutching on to the remains of what looked like a bear.
"Is that Mr. Waffle?" Regina asks her. She noticed the way Emma looked down at the bear. As if he was the most precious thing in the world.
Emma nods sadly.
"I can fix him for you if you'd like." This causes Emma to raise her head and she searches Regina's eyes for a lie.
"Can we watch tv too?" Emma asks hopefully. "They never let me watch tv."
"Yes." Regina helps Emma take her plate and Mr. Waffle into the living room. She turns on the tv to a kid friendly channel and makes quick work of sewing up the bear.
"Gina, why don't you have kids you would be a good mommy?" Emma takes a bite of her grilled cheese sandwich. There had been a comfortable silence where they both were in their own worlds. Both comfortable in each other's presence.
"Well, I'm not married and you need to be married to have kids." Regina doesn't look up from the bear.
"But why aren't you married? You are very pretty."
"Thank you, Emma." Regina smiles over at the girl. "I think you are very pretty too."
"Really?" Emma's blue eyes widen. No one had ever told her she was pretty before.
"Mhmm," Regina assures the girl. "In fact, you are one of the prettiest little girls I ever laid eyes on."
"Thank you." Emma makes good use of her manners.
Regina stops her sewing and hands the bear over to Emma. The amazement on the girls face is priceless.
"Thank you so much you fixed him." Emma quickly hugs Regina. They linger for a little bit longer and Regina figures that the girl craves attention.
What had these people done to her?
"You don't think I'm a big baby for having a bear?" Emma pulls back to look into Regina's brown eyes.
"No, I don't." Regina is saddened by this. She needed this little girl out of this house. "Who told you that?"
"Jackson did and then he locked me in the closet."
"Emma, can you stay here while I make a few phone calls?"
Emma nods and turns back to her grilled cheese and inspects Mr. Waffle. Regina must have known magic or something to be able to fix him.
As soon as Regina is from the phone, there is a key turning in the lock and the front door is opening.
"Boys, whose car is that out front ?" Mrs. Williams asks as they step into the kitchen.
"Your boys are not here." Regina scowls at them as they enter deeper into the house.
"You!" Mr. Williams notices Regina first. "What are you doing here? I should have you arrested."
"I'm the mayor I run this town." Regina simply scoffs. "I could also have you arrested for child abandonment and endangering of a minor. I've already called CPS."
"What?" Mrs . Williams seemed to be confused.
"You haven't been feeding that little girl in there. She's been locked in closets you name it."Regina puts her hands on her hips in the most regal way. "Now tell me why I shouldn't kick your asses myself."
"We don't know what you are talking about." Mr . Williams speaks first. "Whatever that little girl has told you is a lie."
"Really because the bruises on her arm say otherwise." Regina's voice booms through the foyer. "I pulled some strings with CPS And I'm taking Emma with me. If you so much as come anywhere near her, I will destroy you."
"We aren't afraid of you."
"Oh dear, you would do well to be afraid of me." Regina's voice lowers so that Emma can't hear her in the next room. "I'm taking her and don't bother following me."
Regina quickly moves into the living room to take Emma into her arms. The little girl doesn't protest as she is taken out of the house and set inside of Regina's car.
"Gina where are we going ?"
"Somewhere safe Emma," Regina speaks up.
"But I live here !" Emma was so confused.
"Not anymore you don't." Regina buckles the girl into the seat belt and gets into the front seat of the car.
Emma didn't fully understand what was going on but she didn't protest. She didn't have much of a choice.
Would she be going home with Gina? Or was Regina taking her back to the group home?
a/n: do you guys think Regina overreacted? Now that Emma is out of the house and Regina has taken her away do you think Regina will get in trouble? Reviews are welcome