Wow! What an amazing response! Thank you so much to everyone who followed/favourited the story, I'm so incredibly glad you like it. Just wow. A huge thanks especially to those who reviewed it.

For some reason a few days ago the story said it had updated. I hadn't put any new material on so I'm not quite sure what happened! I'm really sorry to those who thought I had, and this chapter's longer to make up for the wait.

Also, a really valid comment was made about Emma's response to the man (running away) as it is a bit unlike her. I did think about this when writing but I chose her reaction for a few reasons. The biggest one is that I really felt as though, in that moment, pretty much the only thing Emma can think about is Henry. Her first instinct is to get her family (meaning both Henry and Mary Margaret) to safety. Also she's unfortunately pretty traumatized, so she's not thinking clearly. She's spent her life running from her past and now she has to face it, and she's not quite ready. Thanks for asking :D I really appreciated the feedback! I hope this helps you all understand why Emma responds the way she does.

Just so you know this chapter contains references to violence and some pretty shocking things, it is rated T. Also, as much as I wish otherwise, I don't own OUAT!

"You should have seen her, Charming," Mary Margaret whispered, "She was truly terrified. It was awful."

They were in the kitchen, preparing coffee for Nicko and Emma who sat in the living room with Henry, talking intently.

"And there was no explanation for it?" David whispered back, "She just freaked out over seeing this man?"

"Yes, I've never seen her like that. It scared me to death. Charming, I'm really worried about her."

"We'll talk to her. Let's find out more about this Nicko guy, first."

Mary Margaret gave a quick nod before walking back to the others with the drinks, followed by David.

"What happened to you?" Emma was asking her brother, "Why did you keep going?"

Mary Margaret couldn't help noticing the pain buried in Emma's voice. What had happened between these two?

"I'm sorry Em." His voice broke. "I couldn't go through with it. Not again. But you were so young. You still had so much… spirit. You really believed that things could turn out better, and I couldn't keep you from that life if it existed." He looked around. "Looks like you found it," he said with a small smile.

"Actually," she said with an affectionate glance at Henry, "It found me. I've only been here a few months, but I've finally found a home. These guys are my family."

Mary Margaret's heart almost stopped. Emma thought of them as family. She knew, of course, that they technically were, but there was a big difference in being a bunch of related people and being a family, and she was painfully aware that no one knew this better than Emma.

Nicko smiled at her. "That's good. I'm glad you've got them."

Mary Margaret couldn't help but feel a certain warmth towards this man. He obviously cared a great deal about Emma. She noticed the stubble on his cheeks and the bags under his eyes with concern, clearly he'd been on the move for quite some time.

"Do you have anywhere to stay Nicko?" asked Mary Margaret gently. He shook his head. "Well you're welcome to stay with us as long as you want."

"Yeah!" said Henry enthusiastically, "You can have my bed!"

"That's really nice of you, thanks," Nicko said, "But then where will you sleep?"

"I'll sleep on the floor. I have a sleeping bag I never get to use! Emma can sleep on the couch."

"Sounds good to me," Emma confirmed. "Besides it's a good idea not to be wandering around town if Reece is…"

She trailed off, avoiding the eyes of her family. There was a moment of silence before Nicko spoke.

"I don't know, I don't want to intrude," he stated uncertainly.

"Don't be silly, I'll go and make up the bed with new sheets for you," Mary Margaret asserted.

"Thank you," he replied with a polite smile.

She assured him that it was no trouble then headed upstairs with Henry to tidy the room, while David wandered into the kitchen to find snacks for everyone.

X

"He calls you Emma." Nicko noticed.

"Yeah, I was eighteen when I had him. Broke, no house, no job. He deserved better so I gave him up."

"You gave him up for adoption?" Nicko said incredulously. "After all that happened to us. To you…"

"I know, but it wasn't like that. I was told the people who wanted to adopt him couldn't have children of their own, lived in a huge house and had a steady job. There was no way he was going to be a meal ticket, or sent back and forth between houses." Emma knew it was a poor excuse, but she still believed that Henry had been better off growing up in a stable home, if only that home was with someone other than Regina.

"Even the best of houses can turn out - well, we know better than anyone."

"Nicko what we went through… it wasn't normal. Those types of tragedies don't happen everyday, and even if they do adults are generally equipped to deal with them. What happened to us was the exception, not the rule." Emma grimaced. It didn't make what had happened to them any less painful.

"Well, okay," said Nicko, looking thoroughly unconvinced, "I guess you knew what you were doing. Thank you," he directed at David, who'd offered him a sandwich.

Emma took a good look at him. It had been just over twenty years when she saw him last, and he looked practically the same. Same mess of brown hair. Same steady look in his eyes. She couldn't help feeling pained that they hadn't grown up together.

"Why is Reece here, Hayden? Oh, Hayden, Nicko, whatever," she amended impatiently at his look. "Why now?"

Nicko sighed. "Fifteen years ago I settled down. Small town, about 3 weeks drive from here. About a month ago I was at the bar when out of nowhere, Reece shows up. He looked terrible. Really unkempt. Just as I was ducking out he caught my eye and I could tell, in that instant, that he hated me for what had happened. His gaze drilled into me and the hope I'd held that he would have forgiven me, moved on after all these years, it vanished. I started running. Haven't stopped since."

xxx

She could hear singing. Felt an arm wrapped around her shoulders. Could smell a roast dinner cooking. All around her there were spectacular colours, a whirlwind of sounds and sights. Her brother laughed, and the sound infected Emma. She giggled along with him and was joined by a deep, rumbling chuckle and a woman's soft laugh.

The scene abruptly changed. The arm holding her fell away, and in place of laughter there was silence. A fear settled itself in Emma's stomach and she could feel her heart pumping in her throat. There was the sound of shattering glass and she felt a sharp pain slice across her cheek. A familiar pain. The shadow of a man loomed over her. "This is your fault" he hissed, "You did this". The worst thing was, she knew he was right.

Emma jerked upright, her blanket falling off. She gulped for air. It took a moment to remember what was happening. It was only 10:30 but everyone was asleep, her parents in the next room and Henry and Nicko in the room upstairs. They had opted for an early night, as Nicko was exhausted and both Henry and Mary Margaret had school the next day. Emma attempted to steady her shaking hands and, unable to remain indoors, she quickly donned a shirt and some jeans. Not even bothering to grab her jacket she burst out of the apartment, oblivious to the icy rain pelting her skin. She stumbled past the bug, unsure of where she was headed, weighed down by the overwhelming desire to escape. She kept going for a few minutes, somehow ending up at the site where Henry's castle used to stand. Without thinking about what she was doing she slid to the ground. It was her fault. She lay on the ground, unmoving. She was so sick of running, but she just didn't have the energy to fight. It was like she was a child again. She willed the rain to wash away the memories of her early life.

xxxxx

"Get her inside. What happened?" Emma heard someone say in a panicked whisper. She thought it sounded a lot like David.

"I don't know. I woke up and she wasn't there. Nicko was already awake, getting a drink so we went to look for her around town. I didn't want to worry you. We took her car. I was just about to call you to help us look when I remembered Henry's old spot. Put her down on the couch."

Emma felt herself being lowered onto the couch and vaguely realised that she was being carried. She didn't like that. Surely she could walk by herself! She tried to move but soon became aware that she was unable to do anything other than shiver violently.

"She's ice cold," said Mary Margaret anxiously. "Go get some towels and blankets, both of you." Emma could feel herself being dressed in dry clothes. Okay, this was ridiculous! She attempted to speak but all it got her was a slight ache as her teeth chattered uncontrollably and she bit down on her bottom lip.

"Emma, honey, can you hear me?" Emma focused on her mother's distressed face. "You're going to be okay sweetheart, try and get some sleep now."

Emma's eyes obediently slid shut, almost without her conscious consent. She could still hear the others murmuring around her.

"No, don't tell Henry, he'll find out in the morning anyway. It'll just upset him, and there's nothing he can do." Mary Margaret sighed, sounding distraught.

"I'm really sorry about all this. I know it was probably my leading Reece here that's upset her so much."

"Look, I want some answers," whispered David aggressively, "Who is this Reece? Why is Emma so frightened of him?"

There was a pause before Nicko sighed. "You might want to make yourselves comfortable. It's kind of a long story."

There was a bit of rustling before an expectant silence.

"I was ten years old at the time, Emma had just turned six. I was up to my third foster family, Emma her fourth or fifth, I think. My name was Hayden Waver. At first it was just me and my foster parents, Eliza and Reece. They were perfect. They took me in when I was eight, the family that had me last had just dumped me into an orphanage. They adopted me, no questions asked. Reece was a great dad, and he thought the world of Eliza. He taught me how to play baseball, and got me into all kinds of sports. Eliza showed me how to play piano, and I ended up loving music as much as she did. For the first time I didn't have to pretend to be happy when the social worker visited, I was genuinely thrilled to be living with these incredible people. I even loved the house, it was in a rural area so we were always outside when we got the chance.

It was a little lonely, though, with just the three of us. After almost two years together Eliza asked us both what we thought about adopting another child. Reece was overjoyed; he was on board within seconds. He was so excited, all I can remember is him picking her up and swinging her around and then doing the same with me. She said she was thinking a girl this time, and Reece assented eagerly. I said I wanted her to be younger, or my age. And that was it. We made all the preparations, and then we waited for her.

I won't ever forget how she looked the day she came to live with us. She was tiny, with huge eyes peeking out from a tangle of blonde curls. She was coming straight from another home, we were told, and they hadn't treated her well. She was so thin you could count her ribs." He sounded bitter. "Bastards hadn't even fed her. Bruises and cuts layering her back and stomach, burns marring her arms and legs."

Emma heard Mary Margaret struggle to take a breath and attempted to drag herself away from the brink of unconsciousness, to no avail. This wasn't a story she wanted her parents to hear, but she was too far gone to stop it.

"It took a while but she opened up to us. We were happy. Did all the normal family things; fairs, movies, that sort of thing. I couldn't ask for anything more, school was going well for me, but Emma wasn't going. Her last house had been too indifferent to even get her into a school, so my parents were told they should wait until next year. Emma was the best little sister. Never bugged me to play with her. Actually," he laughed, "I was the one nagging her to play. Really sweet, and pretty shy. Totally convinced that every little thing that went wrong was her fault. Second night in she wet the bed. I honestly think she would have slept in it rather than risk angering us by waking anyone. But I was in the same room as her and I smelt it, so I went and got Reece and Eliza. They stripped the bed and I remember Emma apologizing over and over, telling us it wouldn't happen again, begging us not to send her back. It was heartbreaking. Eventually Reece couldn't stand it any longer. He got down and told her that she hadn't done anything wrong and there was nothing to be sorry about. From then on whenever something went amiss, a broken window, or even the flu, he was the first person she looked to. She always got the same answer. You've done nothing wrong, it was an accident.

Five months later everything changed. It was almost the holidays. Eliza had gone to the shops, to get us Christmas presents, I'm pretty sure. Reece was asleep with a headache and had told us not to bother him. Em and I were playing in the backyard and she accidently fell face first onto the concrete. She looked like she was going to cry so I led her inside, got her a drink, and went to find bandaids in the cupboard like a good big brother. I searched for about 10 minutes because they weren't where they normally were and when I came back Emma had the phone to her ear. In her panic she'd convinced herself that she was seriously injured and, unable to cope with the fear any longer, she'd called Eliza. The thing was, Eliza was driving. Apparently the call distracted her from the road and she… well, she didn't see the semi-trailer coming."

Nicko gulped and Emma remembered the police officers that had come to their door that night. Suddenly she was six years old again, and could feel the world crumbling away in front of her.

"We all torn up but Reece… something broke in him. He could barely look at us. He spent most of his time avoiding us, and started drinking to drown out the world. I convinced myself that it would get better, that it was alright because he only drunk at night, that he was handling it and everything would be okay soon. When he started hitting me I told myself it was because I was a terrible son, and I wasn't helping him enough. So I took on extra jobs, cleaned more, made dinner for Emma and me. When Emma got hurt though, that was painful. She was so scared, but it was the way she accepted it that upset me the most. She'd seen this all before, and everything that happened she was certain she deserved. I tried to protect her as much as I could, get in the way of his fist if I was close enough, that sort of thing, but mostly that just got us both hurt.

During the day, when he was sober, he just ignored us. So I went back to school. Pretended that everything was normal so they wouldn't take us to another home. I couldn't handle that, I knew. And we kept going like that for a few weeks. Until this one day I remember coming home after school and seeing the empty bottles on the floor. My stomach sank to my feet as I realised this meant he'd been drinking during school hours, which had never happened before. I could hear shouting coming from the living room and I ran towards it with my heart thumping so hard in my chest I could barely breathe. Emma was on the floor curled into a ball and clutching her stomach. Reece was standing over her, roaring curse words and brandishing something I couldn't identify in his hand. Glass shards surrounded her and she had cuts on her face and arms. He'd thrown bottles at us before so I knew what was going on.

He was screaming at her. That it was her fault she'd died. That if she hadn't made the call Eliza would still be alive. Every accusation was punctuated with a kick. Her expression said that she knew he was right, that she truly believed him. And why wouldn't she? From the very start Reece was the one who had told her the truth, and reassured her that she hadn't done anything wrong. So when her was telling her that it was her fault, that she could have stopped it, what choice did she have but to believe him? He lowered his hand towards her and that's when it hit me. The thing in his hand. It was a gun."

"What happened?" Mary Margaret asked fearfully. Nicko paused.

"He shot her."

Sorry to leave it on that note! As always guys let me know what you're thinking and what you like or hate about it. I really am grateful to everyone who reviews and lets me know how they're feeling!