Authors note: So, so sorry for the truly massive delay, I've just been busy with school and life and also a massive writer's block for this story. But anyway, I'm back and I'll try to update again as soon as I can. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

A little side note: I am in no way an expert on how such police matters go, I did some research but probably still made some mistakes, so apologies for that.

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~ One year ago, New York Police Department. ~

"Please, I need someone." Henry Mills practically begged as he moved to the first desk that came into his eyesight. "Bring me to your captain, please." He wasn't even sure he was in the right precinct, but it truly didn't matter to him. He just needed someone that could help him, help him find his family.

"Sir, what's wrong?" A kind looking police officer asked from behind the desk. She had red hair and freckles that almost covered all the pale skin of her face and chest. Kind blue eyes were narrowed with concern as she looked the old man up and down.

He looked wealthy, his gray hair neatly styled, matching the clearly expensive suit he was wearing.

"My wife and daughter." Henry almost yelled in desperation, clenching his hands in fists. "I haven't heard from them for almost a week, they went to North Korea for a business appointment and they were supposed to call me five days ago, but they never did."

"Please calm down, sir." The officer comforted and got up from her chair. Bringing a hand to the older man's elbow she slowly sat him down on the chair facing her desk. It wouldn't do to have him go into a panic attack.

"But, my daughter, my wife..." Henry stammered, twisting his hands in his lap, nervously playing with the golden wedding band that sat on his left hand. "You have to find them, please. You have to bring my family home. You have to find my little girl."

"Calm down, Sir." The redhead said softly, pulling a notepad from the corner of her desk. "Now, first let's start with some basic information like names and ages, alright?" She clicked the pen held it closer to the white paper.

"Yes- okay, that's...yes." Henry's breathing started to calm down somewhat as he answered. "My wife's name is Cora Mills and she's fifty-two." His dark eyes watched nervously how the woman nodded softly and wrote it down. " And my daughter's name is Regina Mills. She is twenty-six." His words were quick and jumbled as he looked up with tears in his dark eyes.

"Do you have any pictures with you, sir?" She asked and put the pen down again.

"Yes- yes I have." He reached for the pocket of his coat and pulled out his wallet. Giving the police officer the most recent picture he had, he begged again, "please just find them, bring them back to me."

...

~ Present. ~

"So, why did you lie to me, Emma?" Regina Voice was groggy, scraping against the tender flesh of her aching throat. She had been screaming, begging even, though she hated to admit it because it was not something Regina Mills would've ever done, for the better part of the day. Forced to play the part of slave again, the part she had been playing ever since she had been dragged into this house, this hell.

Emma slowly turned her head to the voice that was speaking next to her, her mind was woozy, her left wrist was pounding in dull pain, purple bruises already formed on the swollen loin. "Hmmm?" The words had never reached her fuzzy brain and so she asked Regina to repeat the question using only a low hum.

"Why did you lie?"

"Lie about what?" Her tongue felt thick in her mouth as Emma blinked slowly, she couldn't see Regina, but Emma knew she was upset by the tone of her voice. And for a moment she thought it was because the brunette had been lied to, but then she remembered Regina was being held captive as a sexslave and yeah, that explained it.

"You said you were a reporter." The voice got softer and softer, sounding as if Regina was about to fall asleep but Emma knew the brunette never slept, napped maybe, but never slept. "But Leo called you 'Agent Swan'."

Another hum, and Emma just didn't know how to answer the confused question. Yes it was true, she had lied and Emma was more than aware of the fact that Regina didn't like to be lied to. "I didn't want to- I don't actually know, to be honest."

There was a pregnant pause, and Regina suddenly let out a throaty chuckle that actually both surprised and frightened Emma. And for just a split second there, Emma thought this place had finally broken Regina, had finally caused Regina to go insane. That Emma's lie had been the drop that caused the bucket to overflow.

"You don't know?" A snort of laughter and Emma could hear Regina's smile through the words. "You don't know?" She repeated and the laughing fit that left her sounded genuine and it even caused Emma's lips to turn upwards with a small smile.

It went on for minutes and after the most was over, only occasional wheezes left Regina's lips. "Thank you." She said softly, her dark eyes blinking, staring into the nothing that surrounded them. "Thank you for making me laugh again, Agent Swan."

"Oh, it was my pleasure Miss..." She started, but stopped when she realised she didn't even know Regina last name.

"Mills." Regina answered the unasked question as she moved closer to the bars. "Regina Mills."

"Well then." Emma grinned even though Regina couldn't see it. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Mills."

And through Regina's snort of laughter, Emma wondered why that name sounded so familiar to her.

...

~ Two weeks ago, Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. ~

"What do you mean, went wrong?!" Mary M. Swan practically yelled. Her dark brown coffee mug was still lying in pieces on the floor, coffee now forming a small puddle at her feet, soaking the flip-flops she was wearing. She'd dropped it, just like that tall man wearing his dark suit had just dropped that news. That terrible, horrifying news. Mary's worst nightmare.

David Swan was just sitting at the wooden table, not knowing what to do, not knowing what to say. Though he was doubting he could even speak.

Emma, his beautiful little girl was somewhere out there, probably hurt, maybe even dead.

They never should've allowed her to pursue such line of work. Why couldn't Emma just have liked to teach, or hell, even paint? Why was his little girl always drawn to danger.

"Ma'am, we think their cover was blown." God why was Jerry Alderling always the one to bring the news, to drop the bom and destroy the family.

"You should've protected her!" David Swan finally joined the conversation. The thick vein in his neck was bulging and spit was flying from his mouth. "You and your agency, you said you'd do anything to keep her safe when she first joined your little suicide mission!"

Seeing as Jerry Alderling had always been the one to inform the relatives, he was trained to handle situations like this. There were many reactions, he knew. Some people started crying and screaming, tearing at his freshly ironed shirt. Some just went silent, forcing Jerry to watch their throat to make sure they were still breathing. And even though option one was the most common, he was no stranger to option three, which was blinding fury and blame. The exact reaction he got from the Swan family.

And so he started to try and calm them down with words like 'we're doing everything we can' and 'nothing is certain yet'. And though the words were true, they were still empty and Jerry knew that. Mary M. Swan and David Swan knew that too.

...

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