"Time of death. Five thirty four pm"
Silence filled the OR as the doctors stared at the dead boy in front of them.
"How old was he?", a nurse asked and they all turned to her.
"Eighteen", a doctor said as he kept staring at the boy and they all shared looks.
They head doctor of the surgery walked out of the OR and down the hallway towards the family of the boy, who he knew was going to destroy. As he walked inside he saw the parents sitting and holding their two other boys.
"Family of Emmett Swan?", he called them out and the family turned to him, the mother immediately standing, her second oldest right behind her. Her husband was not far behind as he held his youngest, only a few months old.
"Doctor. How did it go?", the mother asked and the doctor felt his heart break as he could see the hope in the mother's eyes.
"I'm sorry mrs. Swan. We did everything we could"
The mother started to cry and turned to her husband hugging him tight without crushing her son. The father stood with his own tears as he kissed his wife's head, anger, sadness and regret filling his heart.
"No. No it cant' be true!", the second oldest kept saying to the doctor but the man nodded.
"I'm sorry son, there was nothing we could do. He was far too gone before he even got here"
"No! No!", the boy kept repeating and the father gave his son over to his wife before walking over to his second oldest and holding him, but the boy fought his father's arms.
"No! There must be something you can do", the boy kept shouting and his father held him tighter.
"I'm so sorry", the doctor said and walked back down the hallway, a tear falling down his cheek as the cries filled the entire hospital.
"Would someone please tell me what's going on?!", Emma asked angrily and Emmett and Regina shared a look nodding.
"Let's go sit", Emmett said and the two siblings did as they were told, sitting down by the table. Emmett looked at his wife before walking over to the table, sitting down as well.
"First I need to ask you. What has happened in your life recently?", he asked the both of them and the siblings shared a look before turning back to the man, Emma's eyes meeting Regina's.
"I'm going to the nationals in fencing for our school this weekend", she started out and Emmett nodded.
"Then you have already told them", he said and Emma knew what he was talking about.
"Yes"
Emmett nodded and turned to Regina who sat and fed Henry. He still needed food after all. "You will forget this once you're back to your own time, so I might as well tell you"
Younger Emmett turned to his sister who just stared at Regina and Henry. "About a year, a year and a half from now in your time... Emmett will... get in a car crash. The doctors will not be able to save you"
"What?", the two siblings said in unison and Emmett nodded in confirmation.
"By the time that happened, I... we would already have changed our gender", he continued and the two siblings furrowed their eyebrows for a few moments before Emma realized.
"Wait... you're not Emmett. You're me"
Emmett nodded in confirmation and Emma sighed deep turning to Regina who smiled softly back at her.
"So you and I..."
"Are married, yes", Regina confirmed and Emma nodded turning to Henry.
"Then how did we get him?"
Regina turned to look at her son and she smiled at him as he looked up at her. "We got a donor. We agreed we didn't want some random guy, so we asked my best friend Daniel to do it. He immediately agreed"
Emma nodded turning back to her older self. "Why didn't you tell us this?"
"Because we didn't want to comprise the future. One little thing and Henry could be gone"
The siblings went quiet after that, sitting and staring at the little boy in the baby seat.
"I need a walk", younger Emmett suddenly said and the boy stood from his seat and walked to the front door before anyone could say anything.
"Emmett", Regina immediately called out her husband and said husband stood from his seat.
"I got him", he said following the boy and Regina sighed deep turning to Emma.
"I'm sorry"
Emma shook her head and stood from her seat, walking up the stairs. Regina sighed and turned to Zelena and Ruby who looked back at her. "It's okay Regina", Zelena said with a comforting tone and the brunette nodded sitting back down.
"We didn't tell him", she said and Zelena shook her head.
"It's okay. There was a reason you brought them here. There was a reason Emmett created the time machine. And if you do this right... He will meet her"
Regina nodded and took the offered hand from her sister, feeling the comfort she needed.
"Emmett! Emmett wait!", Em yelled after his brother and Emmett stopped turning to the man that was now his brother.
"What Em? What?!"
"Emmett please. You need to relax. One move, and everything could change", Em tried to calm his brother down and Emmett sighed deep looking around him.
"What happens? In the accident? Was I driving?"
Em stood still as he watched his brother's face. What should he say?
"Em... please... I need to know. I need to make sure it won't happen", Emmett pleaded and Em furrowed his eyebrows.
"How Emmett? Once you and Emma are back in your own time, you will have forgotten about ever coming here"
"Why?! If you can save me—"
"Because it's too dangerous Emmett! I have a wife, a son! I can't lose that"
Emmett stared at his brother, with hurtful eyes. "So you would rather lose me?!"
"I have lived without you for almost fifteen years! If it means keeping Regina and Henry, then I would happily take fifteen more"
Emmett silently gasped and Em sighed knowing he had been too harsh. "Emmett—"
"Don't. It's clear how your priorities are. Emma and I will leave soon", he stopped him, starting to walk back to the house. "Find that remote"
Em stood left watching his brother walk away and he knew he needed to take them back. Fast.
Emma laid in the bed, looking at the ceiling as the many thoughts in her mind kept replaying over and over.
She will change her gender. Emmett will die in a car crash. She will lose her brother. But she couldn't. She wouldn't let that happen. He was her everything.
She got up from the bed in frustration and walked out of the room walking over to her older self and Regina's bedroom. They had to have some of the forgetting potion in here somewhere.
She walked inside carefully, so the others downstairs wouldn't hear them. What she saw was a normal bedroom. Nothing out of the ordinary. Sighing deep in frustration, she looked in the drawers, but all she saw was watches and ties, carefully taken cared of. She looked up to see shirts hanging in a line, shoes standing beneath them.
"Wow", she whispered and couldn't stop the smile on her face. She looked to be a very wealthy man once she got older. A wealthy life with a wonderful family, then she suddenly realized.
"I'm living in my dream house", she whispered and walked around the bedroom, watching the perfect made bed. The other side of the room where Regina's dresses and suits hang as well.
"Of course she has suits as well", Emma said to herself and turned to see a statue in the corner of the room. She furrowed her eyebrows and once she got closer she saw the animal was a fox. She smiled touching the head softly when it suddenly bowed backwards and a loud rumbling started out.
"What the hell?", Emma said to herself turning to her older self's closet move to the side, revealing an elevator.
"Wow"
She walked closer and looked to the door before walking inside the elevator. She looked at the buttons but only saw one. She hummed in confusion and pressed the button, letting the closet close immediately. The elevator went down and Emma felt herself stiffen.
After a few moments, it stopped and the doors opened, lights turning on to reveal a big laboratory. Emma's eyes widened at the sight. Was this hers?
"What the actual fuck?"
She walked inside, watching all the broken pieces of metal and resources. She turned to see a chair with six big screens on the wall, a map of New York filling the screens into one big picture.
Frowning at the sight she walked closer and saw a remote on the big desk. "Is that...?", she asked into nothing as she took it into her hand and turned to see a big opening in between two metal rods.
"Don't touch it!", a voice yelled and Emma turned to see Emmett standing behind her.
"You took it", she said holding the remote and Emmett sighed nodding.
"Yes"
"Why? I thought you wanted us to go back"
Emmett walked over to his younger self and took the remote gently from her. "I did. And then I didn't"
Emma furrowed her eyebrows at the man and said man sighed placing the remote down. He turned to his keyboard and pressed a few buttons before a picture of Emmett showed up on the screen.
"Why do you have that picture?", Emma asked looking at the picture of her brother. Laying dead on the table.
"I had it on screen every time I worked on the time machine. There were many times where I just wanted to give up. But looking at the picture, it gave me the strength to keep going"
Emma looked at the man as he spoke. For the first time since they arrived, she could truly see how broken the man was. Right now she couldn't bare the thought of losing Emmett.
"Regina told me our brother build it", she commented as she walked closer to the man and Emmett turned to her, looking down at her.
"Yeah, but she knew if she told you, I made it, you would find out the truth"
Emma sighed and looked into the man's eyes. Before she knew it, her arms were around him and hugged him tight. "You okay?", Emmett asked, but Emma just shook her head and hugged him tighter.
"How did I become so tall?", she asked and Emmett chuckled.
"Pills"
Emma chuckled as well and squeezed him one more time before letting him go. "Let's get you home", he said and Emma looked down thinking hard. "What?", he asked worried and Emma looked up at him.
"Can it wait for tomorrow?"
Emmett frowned at the girl, but couldn't help the smirk that slowly appeared. "Why do I suddenly feel that we have a plan going on in that head?"
"We?"
"Well I am you", he said and Emma chuckled.
"Right. I do good as a man though", she couldn't help but say, stepping a few steps away from him and Emmett chuckled nodding.
"Thanks"
Zelena and Ruby stood in the kitchen, cleaning the dishes while Regina stood with Henry in her arms. Zelena turned to see Emmett sitting in the living room on the couch and the redhead sighed with a sad face.
"Go over to him", Ruby said, noticing the redhead's look and Regina looked at her sister as well.
"What should I say to him?", Zelena asked nervously and the two brunette's frowned at her.
"Doesn't matter. Just give him some company", Ruby said turning the woman around and gently pushing her towards the living room. Zelena looked back at them, meeting an encouraging Ruby and a smiling Regina. She nodded and turned back to the couch to see Emmett sitting, looking out of the window, obviously deep in thought.
"Emmett?", she called him out softly and the boy turned to her, but didn't say anything, obviously waiting for her to continue. "Are you okay?"
Emmett gave a soft smile and nodded before looking back out of the window making Zelena turn to Ruby and Regina for guidance but the two women just pointed at the boy, indicating for her to keep talking to him.
Zelena sighed and turned to the boy, seeing how broken he was. She walked around the other couch and sat down, letting herself play with her fingers. They sat in silence and Ruby turned to Regina with surprised eyes.
"She's like a little girl around him", she whispered and Regina nodded turning to her.
"She loved him Ruby. Probably still does"
Suddenly a knock was heard on the door and Regina and Ruby shared a look, eyes full of confusion. Regina gave Henry over to Ruby before walking over to the door, opening and immediately punching herself in the face, when she saw who it was.
Oh no
"Hello darling", Cora's voice said and Regina stared at her mother, but she wasn't the only one. Behind her stood her father with Mary Mary Margaret and David, all of their arms filled with food.