Chapter 7

The next morning Emma woke up in Mary's arms, she remembered calling Mary her mom last night, and she felt good about it. It rolled off her tongue like an instinct, she's finally willing to accept that they really love her and she loves them too.

Mary's eyes fluttered open and she saw Emma looking at her smiling. "Hey babe, you feeling any better?"

At first Emma was confused, then she remembered why Mary was in her bedroom, she remembered her nightmare. So she just shrugged in response to Mary's question. "A little I guess, but I'm fine."

"Come on hun. Talk to me."

Emma's eyes began to water up. "She didn't stop him." Emma said not even loud enough to be considered a whisper, but Mary heard it. "She never cared and neither did he. But I thought Ingrid did, but I was wrong." She admitted, a few tears falling from her eyes. "Kaitlin says that she's just as bad as Mr. F-Fisher." Emma stuttered at his name. "Kaitlin said that there wasn't any proof of Ingrid being the bad one too, s-so she did-didn't have to go to j-jail too." Emma said, stuttering and lightly crying.

"They can't hurt you any more babe. Neither of them."

Emma shook her head. "Ingrid can, she's not in jail like he is. She can try to take me away, I don't wanna go. I never want to see her again." Emma said beginning to raise her voice. "I-I-I hate her!" Emma was now sobbing and her mother was now lightly crying.

All Mary could do was hug her and do anything to soothe her. "David told her to stay away from you, so that's what she's gonna do." Mary told her. "You're not going anywhere, neither are we. You're stuck with us."

David woke up to the sound of sobs, he looked to where his wife was laying the previous night and saw it was empty. He felt the spot and it was cold, so he realizes she must have been gone for a while. He got up and followed the sobs to his daughter's room.

He was his wife hugging Emma and he decided to step in. "What's wrong princess?" He asked upon entering Emma's room.

Emma looked up and smiled when she saw David. "Morning…"

David sat on the edge of Emma's bed and wiped away her tears with one hand, and wiped away Mary's tears with his other hand. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Not anymore, not right now."

"I think I can understand that, how about I make some breakfast?"

Emma and Mary both shook their heads profusely.

David shook his head playfully. "You know, the lack of faith you have in me is offending." He said to his wife and daughter.

"I'll make us some pancakes." Mary Margaret said getting up. "You wanna help?" Mary asked Emma and she nodded.

*OUAT*

Mary, David, and Emma were all sitting at the dining room table eating their breakfast. Emma wants to ask them something, but she's nervous about it, so she keeps giving them awkward glances, very noticeable awkward glances.

"Princess?"

Emma's head shot up. "Yeah?"

"Do you want to say something?" He asked her.

Emma shrugged. "Not really." A few second of awkward silences passed. "Yeah… I do."

They both laughed and gave her their full attention.

"Can I… Would you guys… Ugh."

They both gave her a puzzled look. "Babe, just ask the question."

"You guys can say no if you want, it wouldn't bother me. I would underst-" david interrupted her rambling.

"Emma."

Emma smiled. "Sorry. Can I uh, can i call you guys um" Emma stopped and took a deep breath. "Can I call you guys mom and dad?" Emma asked in one breath and looked down at her food expecting to be shot down.

"Em look at us." David told her and she obliged. "We would love for you to call us mom and dad."

Emma smiled. "Really? 'Cause I would totally understand if it makes you too uncomfortable, I've only been here for 3 months and-" this time she was interrupted by Mary.

"Hun, we love you, and you can call us whatever you'd like." Mary told her, calmly, but she was internally jumping in excitement, she was ecstatic about the new level of trust they have with Emma.

"Great! Um can I go to Ruby's?" Emma asked hopefully.

"I don't know Em…" David said.

'Perfect timing...' Emma thought. "Please dad?"

David thought for a moment. "Fine, but be back by six."

"Thanks dad!" Emma squealed, then ran up the stairs to get her phone.

Mary laughed. "What?" David asked.

"She just played you, and you fell for it." Mary told him and looked utterly shocked.

Emma came bouncing down the stairs and saw her mom laughing and her dads shocked expression. "Bye mom! Bye dad! Love you!" She yelled and she was out of the door and on her way to her best friends house. 'Oh my God, I just told them I love them' Emma thought, stopping halfway down the street, then she smiled and continued walking, just thinking to herself about how she finally has her forever family.

*OUAT*

Emma knocked on the front door of Ruby's house and Granny answered. "Hi Miss Lucas!"

Granny let her in. "Hun, what did I say about the formalities, call me Granny." Granny said with a cheerful smile on her face.

"Sorry, Granny. Is Ruby upstairs?" She nodded. "Thanks Granny." Emma said then hopped up the stairs and into her best friends room.

"Ever heard of knock-" Ruby yelled, then stopped herself when she realized it was Emma. "Emma? Sorry, I thought you were Granny." Ruby apologized.

"That's okay Rubes, did you guys get in another argument?" Emma asked.

Ruby shrugged it off. "Nothing new. Not that I don't love that you're here, but why are you here?"

"Last night and this morning were very eventful." Emma told her, stretching the word very.

"How so?"

Emma took a deep breath. "Well last night, I ran into one of my old foster mom, she's a real bi-" Emma stopped herself. "She's a bad person." Emma corrected which caused Ruby to giggle.

"Who is it?"

"Ingrid Fisher, she pretends to be a good person, but she's not."

Ruby looked shocked. "The new ice cream lady?" Emma nodded. "She was asking me if I knew you last night at the Diner."

"What?" Ruby nodded. "What time?" Emma asked seriously.

"9-ish" Ruby told her, realizing how serious the situation was. "You should probably tell sheriff Nolan."

Emma contemplated for a moment. "Nah, I'll just tell him when I get home, no biggie."

Ruby reluctantly nodded. "What happened after running into Mrs. Fisher?"

"Well, I had a nightmare, but nothing that couldn't be handled." Ruby placed a comforting hand on Emma's hand. "My mom calmed me down and stayed with me."

Ruby's head popped up when she realized Emma called Mary her mom. "Mom?"

"This morning we all talked and I asked if I could call them mom and dad and yeah."

Ruby smiled. "That's great Em!" It was quiet for a minute. "Do you wanna talk about the dream?"

"I… Uh, no… Not really"

"That's okay, you don't have to." Ruby told her in an understandingly. "I'm surprised that they let you come after the whole Ingrid thing."

Emma grinned. "At first he said no, but then I called him dad for the first time and he broke." Emma said still grinning mischievously.

Ruby laughed. "That was wrong." She said, still laughing.

"I know, but the timing was just too perfect!" Emma smiled. "Oh and I told them I love them!" Emma practically squealed.

"I'm so happy for you Ems."

Their conversation was interrupted by Granny. "Emma! There's someone at the door for you!" She yelled from downstairs.

"That's weird, no one knows I'm here but my parents and they would've just texted me and," Emma checked her phone. "And no text messages." Emma stood up. "Belle probably saw me come over or something." Emma said getting up. "You just stay up here, if it's Belle, we'll just both come up anyway." Emma told her and then put her phone on the bed.

Ruby nodded and Emma went about halfway down the stairs.

"Who is it Granny?"

Granny smiled. "Some woman, she said she knows you." Granny said from the door.

When Emma got in view shot of the door, she saw who it was and froze.

"Hello Emma." The woman said.

"W-what are you doing here?" Emma asked unable to control the shakiness of her voice.

Granny noticed how scared Emma was. "Ma'am, who are you?" Granny asked her.

"Emma, I cared about you."

She shook her head. "My dad told you to stay away from me." Emma said, letting a tear escape her eye. "You never cared, you're as bad as he was."

"The sheriff isn't your father Emma and he wasn't a bad person Emma, he loved you, we both did." Ingrid stepped closer, but then Granny stepped in front of her and pushed her back. "You should have never told that boy those lies, we could have been a family"

Emma started crying. "You don't hurt the people you love!" Ruby heard and came out of her room and saw Ingrid. "I didn't lie! He did bad things to me! And you let him!"

"I think you best be going now." Granny told Ingrid, then turned to face Emma. "Hun, how about you go upstairs and call your dad."

Emma was frozen, she couldn't move, then Ruby rested her hand on Emma's shoulder, which caused Emma to snap out of her trance. "Come on Emma, it's okay." Emma nodded and followed Ruby up to her room.

Once the door shut Emma was silently sobbing, not wanting Ruby to notice, she avoided eye contact.

"Ems, I'm gonna call sheriff Nolan and tell him what happened."

Emma shook her head. "I-I can… do it." She said, trying to hide her sobs, but it didn't work.

Emma reached for her phone, but Ruby stopped her and hugged her, Emma just cried into her best friends shoulder.

"I have to call him now." Emma said breaking the hug, she grabbed the phone and called her dad, then sat on the ground and pulled her knees up to her chest.

"Sheriff Nolan, what can I do for you?"

Emma took a deep, yet shaky breath. "Dad…"

"Emma?"

Emma started to lightly cry. "Dad, can you come get me?"

"What happened? Are you okay?"

"Ingrid showed up and said all these things." A sob escaped from Emma's lips. "Granny told me to call you."

"We'll be there in a few minutes Emma."

Emma nodded. "O-okay dad." Emma said, then ended the call.

"It's gonna be okay Emma." Ruby told her.

Emma nodded. "I'm sorry Ruby."

"For what?"

Emma looked at her. "We were supposed to hang out until 6 and I messed it up."

"It's not your fault. It's Ingrid's fault." Ruby told Emma.

Ruby held her hand out to help Emma up off of the floor, and Emma took it. "I wanna go downstairs to wait, but… What if she's still down there?"

"I doubt it, Granny probably scared her off. You know she can be scary when she doesn't like someone." Ruby said matter-of-factly.

Emma smiled and nodded, and they slowly went downstairs, then they saw Granny. "Is she gone?"

Granny nodded and they both let out sighs of relief.

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