Here's a short little chapter. I thank those who are reviewing! I really appreciate it. Please continue! :)
It took about a week for the town to get back to normal after Graham's unfortunate death. Emma was not only heartbroken, but having to go home and tell her sister that the guy they both have grown to love and who carried her all the way to the hospital had died unexpectedly. Avia was shocked, and as was the rest of the town. The job of Sheriff was automatically passed down to Emma who had no problem agreeing despite Regina's efforts to stop it. Regina wanted to appoint the town's journalist, Sydney Glass, as the sheriff which caused an election to take place. Fortunately, Emma won, and Regina was furious. But seeing as there was nothing she could do to stop it, they decided to move on and continue with their life because that's what Graham would have wanted.
It took everything in Avia not to yell out 'she's free' when she walked out of school. Mary Margaret decided it would be best to add on a few extra 'rest' days before sending Avia back to school. She would have extended it for longer if it wasn't for Emma who had to remind Mary Margaret that she'll be right next door in the next building in case anything went wrong. Not to mention Emma is the police, so she'd probably make it to the junior high before Mary Margaret could even step out of her classroom. Avia was just happy to have somewhat of her independence back. She was grateful to have people in her life now that wanted to take care of her, but it was good to be able to step outside without a 'bodyguard.'
So, Avia was going to take full advantage of her first day out on her own. She and Nick decided to go into a convenient store to pass their time.
"So, we have forty-five minutes before Mary Margaret goes home." Avia says, looking up at the clock on the wall behind the front desk.
"Okay, then, lets take advantage of your freedom." Nick smiles. The kids walk through the store looking through the junk food and magazines on the shelf. "Mary Margaret would kill you if she knew you were buying junk food."
Avia shrugs. "Emma sneaks me chocolate all the time."
As Nick follows Avia town the aisle, he runs into a girl who is looking at a magazine. "Oh, sorry." He quickly apologizes.
The girl looks at him with a smile. "It's fine." She shakes her head. "Hey. You both go to Storybrooke Junior High, right?"
Avia eyes the girl curiously. "Uh. Yeah." Nick answers. "I think I've seen you around."
"You're the mayor's kid, right?"
Nick looks away. "Sucks being the mayor's kid, huh?" Avia smirks, patting Nick on the back. She puts her hand out to the girl. "Name's Avia Swan. This is Nick Mills."
"Karley Zimmer. You live with that teacher, right?"
Avia nods. "Mary Margaret. Um. I don't have to be home for another thirty minutes. You can hang out with us, if you want."
"Sure." Karley smiles.
"Diner?" Avia smiles at Nick.
"Let's go before your probation officer looks for you." He jokes.
Avia rolls her eyes as they start walking to the door. "Funny." But before they leave, Mr. Clark, the convenient store clerk, slams the door shut. "Uh. Excuse us?" Avia scowls.
"Where do you think you're going?" He sneezes, causing the kids to flinch away. "Open your bag." He points to Nick.
"What?" Nick exclaims.
"Don't think I didn't see you rob me. Open your bag."
"Dude, you're crazy!" Avia exclaims. "He didn't take anything." Mr. Clark grabs Nick's bag and looks inside.
"Hey!" Avia and Nick shout in unison.
Mr. Clark pulls out three candy bars. "And a liar, too."
Avia and Nick turn to Karley who looks away. "Seriously?" Avia shouts.
"How did you even do that?" Nick asks. He didn't even feel his bag being touched until he… "You ran into me on purpose, didn't you?" But Karley was too embarrassed to look at them.
"I'm sorry, Madam Mayor, but your son was shoplifting." Mr. Clark says to Regina who glares down at her son and the girls.
"Were you?" She asks Nick.
"No!" Nick exclaims.
"Look for yourself." Mr. Clark points to a various of things scattered on the counter.
"We're not even allowed to eat that stuff." Avia jumps in. She was not going to go down for this, and she wasn't going to let Nick either.
Regina glares annoyingly at the girl. "This one, however, I wouldn't put it past." Avia gasps, staring at the mayor, mouth agape. Of course Regina was going to place blame on her.
"Avia didn't do anything!" Nick glares.
Emma walks in. "Emma, thank God!" Avia was relieved to see her sister even though she wasn't surprised since she is the police.
"Avia." Emma furrows her brows in confusion. "What happened?"
Regina sighs obviously peeved to see the older Swan. "Come on, Nicholas." Regina orders her son, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. "Miss. Swan, I suggest you inform Miss. Blanchard to keep a better eye on her charge. I don't need her corrupting my son with her street rat ways."
Avia goes to lunge at Regina, but Emma stops her. "Whatever you think Avia did I'm sure it is a misunderstanding. I got it from here."
"Doubtful." Regina grabs her son and walks out of the store.
"Emma, I didn't do anything!" Avia exclaims. "It was – " She points to Karley, but Emma interrupts before Avia could place blame.
"What's your name, kid?" Emma asks the girl, ignoring her sister.
"Karley." Karley mumbles.
"Did you call her parents?" Emma asks Mr. Clark.
"The number she gave me was…disconnected." He tells her.
Emma looks suspiciously at the girl. "Did you give Mr. Clark a fake number?" Karley shakes her head. "Then why is it disconnected?"
"Cause my parents couldn't pay the bill." Karley says tearfully.
Avia looks sadly at the girl. Now she felt bad for lashing out at her. Emma looks at the things on the counter. "You were just trying to help out." She says knowingly.
"Please don't arrest me." Karley pleads, her voice shaking quietly. "It'll just make things worse for my parents."
Avia looks up at her sister. "Emma." She exhales. Emma looks down at her sister. If Avia was in this situation, Emma would hope someone would help her. So, Emma knew what she had to do. She pulled out her wallet and paid Mr. Clark for everything on the counter.
"Really?" Karley says, surprised. "But you don't even know me."
"You're right. But if Avia was in your situation, I would want someone to help her, too." Emma tells her.
Karley raises her brows up at Avia. Avia realizes then that Karley had no idea that she and Emma are sisters. "My sister." Karley simply nods, understanding, but she was still feeling uneasy about all of this.
Emma pulls up to a house with Avia sitting in the passenger side and Karley sitting in the back seat.
"This is it?" Emma asks. Karley just nods, somberly, unbuckling her seat belt while Emma does the same. Karley panics, realizing that Emma was planning to walk her to the door.
"Please. No." Karley says quickly. "If my parents see you, they'll be so embarrassed."
Emma glances at Avia who shrugs awkwardly. Emma turns around, facing Karley. "I have a superpower, you know. I have the ability to tell when anyone is lying."
Avia rolls her eyes, looking into the backseat. She could see the fear in Karley's eyes and couldn't help but see herself. "It's true."
"So, tell me the truth." Emma proceeds. "Money problems aside, is everything okay at home?"
"Yeah, it's great." Karley assures her. "Can I go?" She asks impatiently.
But Emma wasn't buying it. "Alright." She says, letting her go anyway.
"Thanks again." Karley grabs the bag and jumps out of the car, waiting on the porch of the house for Emma to drive off.
"Wait. We're really leaving?" Avia asks as Emma leaves. "I think you need to check your batteries because she's lying." Emma grins. "Why are you smiling?" Emma turns the car around and parks it back out front.
"I wanted her to think we were leaving." Emma says. Avia looks impressed. "What? Don't looks so surprised. I am the sheriff after all."
"So, what are you going to do?" Avia asks as she looks at the house.
"Stay here." Emma gets out of the car and heads for the house. She quietly walks inside and sees the place completely empty. It didn't look like anyone had lived there for years. She begins looking through the house when she finds Karley with her back turned towards her, unpacking the bag of necessities Emma bought. "Why'd you lie to me?" Karley gasps, turning around. "Where are your parents?"
"I don't have any." Karley finally admits with fearful eyes.
Emma decided to bring Karley back to the apartment until she could either find the girl's parents or find a good placement for her. She and Avia sympathized with Karley. They, too, don't have parents, but at least they have each other. Karley doesn't have anyone, and Emma was not going to just let her live off on her own inside of an empty cold house with no food or water.
Emma and Mary Margaret are standing in Mary Margaret's bedroom, looking across the room at Avia and Karley who are sitting on the couch.
"Do you know her?" Emma asks the teacher. "She's a grade below Avia."
Mary Margaret shrugs, sadly. "I've seen her, but I had no idea. None of us did."
Emma opens the file she attained from the school. "Karley Zimmer. Said her mother was a woman named Dorrie Zimmer. She died when Karley was born. No one seems to know her or remember her."
"And the father?"
"There isn't one – at least not one that she knows."
"What does social services say?" Emma sighs, looking at the girls. "You didn't report her." Mary Margaret says knowingly. She had only been living with Emma for a couple of months, but she learned how to read Emma and Avia's faces when it came to certain things. And since this girl doesn't have a home or parents, Mary Margaret understood Emma's reluctance.
"I report her, I can't help her. She'll go into the system."
"The system that's supposed to help."
"Yeah, says the woman who wasn't in it for ten years." Emma snaps. "Do you know what happens? She'll get thrown into homes where she is just a meal ticket. Nothing more. You see how Avia is. You see how I am." Emma stresses. "We've been tossed around so many times. As soon as they think Karley has become too much work for them, they will get rid of her, and the process will start over again."
"But they're not all like that."
"All the ones we've been in. Avia is one of the lucky ones as of now." Mary Margaret smiles softly for the small compliment. "But before you came along, they were all like that."
"So, what are we going to do, Emma?"
"I want to look for her father. She doesn't know him. He may not know she exist."
"And you think if he knows he'll want her?" Mary Margaret asks.
Emma shrugs, uncertain. "I don't know. But what I do know is it's hard enough finding foster families to take in a kid that isn't theirs. It's her best shot or – "
"You're not sending her into the system are you, Emma?" Avia interrupts, coming from behind. Emma and Mary Margaret look down at Avia's big green eyes. "You know how that place is." Avia looks at Karley who is immersed in the book Avia gave her.
"No. That's not going to happen." Emma says way too quickly for Mary Margaret. She didn't want Emma to lie to her sister – to Karley.
Avia glares at her sister. "You're forgetting… I have that same superpower."
"Avia – "
"Come on, Karley." Avia ignores Emma and grabs her bag. "We'll be upstairs." She tells her foster mother and sister before she and Karley run upstairs to her bedroom.
Emma looks desperately back at Mary Margaret who was just as lost as she was.
"Excuse me." Emma walks into the courthouse office. She was hoping to get more information on Karley than the school has. "Mr… Kry-zowksi?" She reads the name placement.
"It's Kryzyszkowski." The man corrects as he walks over to the front desk. "But everyone calls me Mr. K."
"Mr. K., I am Sheriff Swan. I'm hoping to look at the birth certificate of Karley Zimmer."
Mr. K. pulls out a sheet of paper from the bottom of the desk. "Well, just fill out this form in triplicate." He walks to the file cabinet looking through the many files for Karley's. "I'm so sorry." He apologizes. "That document has been recently removed."
Emma found that odd since no one seemed to know anything about the kid. "By who?" She scowls.
"Don't worry, Miss. Swan. You can relax." Regina says as she stands from her desk. "I've contacted social services." Emma sighs heavily. This was exactly what she didn't want to happen but leave it up to Regina to mess everything up. How was she going to explain this to Avia? "Turns out this girl has been on her own. She needs help."
"Which is exactly what I'm trying to do." Emma tells her. "I'm trying to find her father."
"Well – " Regina pulls out the file she took from the court house and hands it to Emma. "He doesn't exist."
"He has to."
"Well, of course, biologically, he exists, but there's no record of him, which means we have no choice. This child needs a home, so she will be put into the foster system."
Emma furrows her brows in disbelief. "Storybrooke has a foster system?"
"No, but I've contacted the state. The same place your sister came from." Regina says. Emma tenses up. The same place they both came from. "Maine's group homes, unfortunately, are filled, but they've put us in touch with two homes in Boston – a girls' home. You need to have her in Boston tonight."
"Me?" Emma questions.
"Well, you wanted to be Sheriff." Regina reminds her. "This is what sheriffs do. Yes, you're taking her."
"No." Emma refuses. "I promised Avia I wouldn't put Karley there."
"Well, then perhaps you should stop making promises you can't keep. I'm sure whatever friendship your sister has developed with this girl is less important than this child finding a home. I'm just trying to find the best one."
Meanwhile, Avia and Karley are upstairs in Avia's bedroom. Karley is walking around looking at the many things Avia and Emma have possessed since their time in Storybrooke – including the storybook. Karley traces her fingers over the leather bound book.
"So, your sister…" Karley exhales. "…is she as good at her job as you say she is? You think she'll find my father?"
Avia shrugs from her bed. "I said she's good at finding people. But now that she is the sheriff, her priorities have taken a turn."
"And this foster system…" Karley sits down on the edge of Emma's bed, looking across at Avia. "…it's really bad?"
"It's terrible." Avia answers immediately. "I refuse to sugar coat how bad it is so you'll have a bed to sleep in. Sometimes having a bed can be just as worse than sleeping in the woods."
"You've done that?" Karley asks, raising her brows. "Slept in the woods?"
Avia nods. "A few times. I've slept a lot places, but I was found every time."
"By Emma." Karley assumes.
"Yep."
"If it's so bad there then why did she keep bringing you back?"
"She didn't have a choice. If she kept me then they'd charge her with kidnapping and send her to jail and then she would never get the chance to have custody of me." Avia explains.
"Is she still trying? I mean, it seems great here."
Avia sighs. "Mary Margaret's one of the best places I've ever stayed. I was in a really bad home before I came here. I mean, all of them were bad, but this one was just – " Avia shakes her head, shuddering. She didn't want to think about it. "Let me just say if Mary Margaret ever decides she doesn't want me anymore and she sends me back to that place, I won't survive."
"But you'll have Emma."
Avia shrugs. She wasn't sure anymore. "Maybe."
"Then we better hope she finds my father." Karley sighs as Avia simply nods, agreeing. "So, you ever wonder where your parents are?"
Avia looks away, pulling her blanket that is tucked under her pillow closer to her. "Sometimes. But then I think about how they left me and Emma on the side of a highway when she was just a kid and I was a newborn, and then I start to hate them again. The only things they left for us was our blankets."
Karley looks down at the green stitched blanket in Avia's hands. "Maybe they were in trouble. Maybe someone was out to get them and the only way they could keep you and Emma safe was to hide you away."
"But in the woods?" Avia questions, doubtfully. "They could have found us a home. A good home."
Karley shrugs. "Maybe they didn't have time to. I mean, if they left you blankets then maybe they really did care about you."
"You don't remember them?" Avia asks curiously about Karley's parents. She wanted to get off the topic of hers.
Karley shakes her head. "I've always been alone from what I can remember."
"It must have been really lonely."
Karley shrugs. "I never thought about it, really, until I met you – and Nick. Emma doesn't remember your parents?"
"Nope. She can't remember anything. It's like someone took away her memories of the eight years she was them. It's weird."
"That is weird." Karley agrees. "You know, you look like her."
Avia furrows her brows, confused. "Who?"
"Miss. Blanchard. Mary Margaret. You look like her. So does Emma." Avia just smirks, amused. "Strange, right? Maybe you're right where you belong." Avia wasn't sure what to say. She never belonged anywhere. "So, the mayor's kid – " Karley says.
"Nick."
"Is he like your boyfriend or something?"
Avia laughs out loudly. "You're kidding, right?"
Karley smiles at how hard Avia is laughing. "Well, I wasn't." She chuckles.
"No." Avia shakes her head. "We're just friends. He's a good guy even when he forces a friendship on you." She rolls her eyes playfully. "Hey. If you stay, maybe we can all be friends."
Karley smiles, happily. "I'd like that."
"Cool." Avia smiles back.
Awhile later as Avia and Karley are coming downstairs, Emma runs in. "Oh, good. You're here. Stay here." She orders them before running upstairs. Karley gives Avia a questioning look, but Avia just shrugs as they go and sit at the kitchen counter. Moments later Emma comes downstairs with a box. "I want to show you something, Karley." She puts the box down and takes out a blanket that's similar to Avia's, but purple.
"It's just like yours." Karley tells Avia who gives her sister a confused look.
"I already told her about our blankets." Avia informs Emma.
"Good." Emma pants. "Then you know it's something we've held on to our whole lives. They are the only things we have from our parents. We've spent a lot of time with a lot of kids in your situation, and all of them – all of us, we held on to stuff. I want to find your father, but I need your help. Is there anything of his you've held on to?"
Karley and Avia glance at one another. "I might have something." Karley pulls out a compass from her pocket. "I've been using it for as long as I can remember, but I can't place where I got it from." She hands the compass to Emma.
"A compass?" Emma queries curiously.
"Emma, you really think you can find her father with that?" Avia asks, unsure.
Emma could see the hopefulness in her sister's eyes, but she could also see the uncertainty. For the three years Emma spent trying to find theirs, it had all become hopeless. She was starting to doubt her capabilities of finding people because of it. But she refused to put doubt into these girls' eyes even if she was doubting herself. She had to kind Karley's father. Not just for Karley, but for herself and Avia as well. "I'm sure as hell going to try." She says confidently.
The bell above the door jingles as Emma walks into Mr. Gold's pawn shop.
"Emma." He says. "How lovely to see you. I'm flattered you'd take time out of your busy schedule for me." Emma glares at the man, unamused. "What can I do for you, Sheriff?"
"I'm looking for information on this old compass." Emma places the compass in front of Gold. "Any idea where it could've come from?"
"Well, well." Mr. Gold looks at it, intrigued. "Look at the detail. You know, this is crystal, this jeweled setting? Despite the rather unfortunate shape this is in, this is actually a very unusual piece. The person who owned this obviously had great taste."
"And where would someone like that buy it?"
"Right here, of course."
"You know it?"
"Indeed. A piece like this is difficult to forget."
"Do you happen to remember who bought it?" Emma asks.
"Well, I'm good with names, Miss. Swan, but maybe not that good." He chuckles as he walks to the front of the store. "However, as luck would have it, I do keep quite extensive records." Mr. Gold looks through a file of cards he uses to keep track of those who buy from him. "Yes." He pulls out a card. "Here we are."
Emma smirks, knowing what's next. She knew she wasn't going to get the information from Mr. Gold that easily. "What's your price?"
"Forgiveness."
"How about tolerance?"
"Well, that's a start. The compass was purchased by a Mr. Michael Tillman."
"Anything else?"
"Just a name, but I generally find that's all one needs." Emma begins walking towards the door. "Good luck with your investigation." He says, earning a glare from Emma as she walks out of his shop.
At the diner, Avia and Karley are sitting at a table. Avia scowls at Karley who hadn't stopped shaking her leg since they got there.
"Will you calm down?" Avia pleads, annoyed.
"I'm nervous. What if Emma doesn't find him? What if I have to go to a group home?" Karley panics.
"She'll find him." Avia assures her new friend. "And you'll stay here." Nick walks in. "There's Nick." He walks over, sitting across from the girls, but his face wasn't its happy usual self. "What's wrong with you? Regina take your Gameboy away?" She asks, sarcastically.
Nick rolls his eyes. "No. But – " He looks at Karley nervously. "She did call social services."
"What?!" Both girls exclaim.
"How do you know that?" Avia asks.
"I was getting a snack when I heard my mom talking to Emma. She wants Emma to take you there tonight." He says to Karley.
Karley's eyes widen. "What am I going to do? What if Emma doesn't find him in time?"
"Then we'll find somewhere else for you to go." Avia tells her.
"Avia, where is she going to go?" Nick asks. "It's not like she can go back to where you found her. Emma will know."
"I'll figure out something. But you are not going into the system." She says firmly to Karley.
Emma was able to find Karley's father through her own files at the station and was now standing in the mechanic shop where Michael Tillman works.
He smiles politely, handing Karley's file back to Emma. "Not possible."
"Actually, it is." Emma tells him.
"I'm sorry. Look, Dorrie – she wasn't my – it was just once." He stutters.
"Sometimes that's all it takes."
"I met her when I was camping and we, um, - no. It's not possible. I don't have a daughter."
"Yes." Emma says, sternly. "You do. You have a daughter that has been homeless ever since her mother passed away. Whoever took care of her when she was a baby abandoned her inside a house without electricity or water – or food! She is about to be shipped off to Boston unless you step up and take responsibility for her."
"Look. I can barely manage this garage. I can't manage a kid. And why are you so sure she's mine?" He asks.
"Besides the timing?" Emma asks as she pulls out the compass. "Have you ever seen this?"
Michael couldn't believe what he was seeing as he grabs the compass from Emma with a small smile on his face. "I lost this."
"Let me guess – twelve years and nine months ago? I know it's a lot. But that little girl did not ask to be brought into this world. You brought her into this world. You and her mother. And she needs you." Emma stresses. "And if you choose not to take her, you are gonna have to answer for that every day of your life. And sooner or later, when she finds you – because believe me, she will find you, you're gonna have to answer to her."
"I'm really sorry." He apologizes, giving the compass back. "I am. But I don't know anything about being a dad. If it's a good home you're looking for, it's not with me." He walks back into his shop leaving Emma standing, disappointed.
Emma walks into the apartment with a somber look upon her face. Mary Margaret looks up, frowning. "That doesn't look like a face of someone who succeeded."
Emma sighs. "Because it's not. He doesn't want her."
Avia and Karley sneak quietly down the stairs just enough to hear Emma and Mary Margaret. "What are you going to say?"
"I don't know." Emma shrugs. "I've been disappointing Avia so much lately she's not going to trust me after this. Neither will Karley."
"Avia will understand." Mary Margaret says, though she didn't believe it herself.
Emma chuckles. "Yeah. She won't. I mean, you saw her face. It was almost as if we were telling her she was going back. I can't do this."
"But you have to. You'll explain, and they'll understand."
Emma shakes her head. "This is not something anyone can understand. Are they upstairs?"
Mary Margaret nods. "They just got home."
Emma exhales before climbing the stairs to break the bad news. "Mary Margaret!" Mary Margaret jumps at her name being called. Emma sounded panicked.
"Emma?" Mary Margaret calls out.
Emma runs downstairs. "They're not up there!"
"What?" Mary Margaret exclaims. "They just went up there not long after you arrived!"
"They're not up there!" Emma panics. "Wait. They must have heard us and climbed down the window. We have to go."
Mary Margaret grabs her jacket and follows Emma out of the apartment. "Any idea where they could have gone?" She asks as she and Emma search frantically as they run through the streets of Storybrooke.
"I don't know." Emma says, out of breath. "They couldn't have gone far if they had just got home before I did."
"Maybe they went to Nick's."
Emma shakes her head. "No. Avia wouldn't risk Regina finding them."
"Sheriff?" Emma and Mary Margaret turn to find Regina walking towards them. "Shouldn't you be on the interstate?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Seeing to it that you do your job."
"You know you don't need to check up on me." Emma says trying to calm herself, so Regina doesn't get suspicious. "I know what I have to do."
"Really?" Regina questions, distrustfully. "Because Karley is supposed to be in Boston tonight."
Mary Margaret spots Avia walking across the street. "Avia!" She shouts.
Avia stops in her place, glaring angrily at the adults. Emma runs to her sister, bending down slightly. She grabs Avia's shoulders, shaking her gently. "Where is she, Avia?"
Avia looks up at Regina and Mary Margaret who are waiting for her answer. "You lost her?" Regina exclaims to Emma. "What kind of Sheriff are you?"
"The kind of Sheriff that will find her." Emma says, staring intently at her sister. "Avia, where is she?"
Avia pulls away from Emma's grip. "I'm not telling you anything." She says, furiously.
Regina rolls her eyes. "Why am I not surprised that you're involved in this?" She says to Avia.
"Avia, I know you heard me and Mary Margaret talking." Emma stresses. "But I don't have a choice, and you know that."
"Emma, she can't go there." Avia says, her green eyes filling with desperate tears.
"I will make sure she is safe."
"No, you won't!" Avia shouts, frightening Emma and Mary Margaret while Regina stands looking rather annoyed. "You couldn't keep me safe, so why would this be any different!? She's better off by herself!"
"Avia, you and I both know no one is better off by themselves, especially not a twelve-year-old girl. She won't survive."
"She won't survive there either." Avia cries. "She's not like us! She's never lived it!"
"She could find a good home just like you have with Mary Margaret." Emma tells her softly.
Avia glances up at Mary Margaret who gives her a soft, encouraging smile. Avia sighs, looking back at Emma. "And what about the other seven before her?"
"Enough of this!" Regina pushes Emma out of the way.
"Regina!" Mary Margaret and Emma shout.
Regina grabs Avia by the arm. "Where is she!?"
"I would never tell you. You're the one who called social services." Avia shouts angrily at the mayor.
"The child needs a home!" Regina says, gritting her teeth. "She needs someone to take care of her."
Avia scoffs. "Like you take care of Nick? You're just like them!"
Regina raises her brows, nudging Avia away. "Is my son involved in this little charade?"
Avia continues glaring at the mayor as she grabs her sore arm, keeping her mouth closed. "The castle." Emma whispers loudly, remembering that's the first place Nick brought Avia when he was showing her around. "She's at the castle. Stay with Mary Margaret!" Emma orders Avia as she jumps into her car.
"Emma, no!" Avia yells. She tries to follow the yellow bug, but Mary Margaret grabs a hold of her, pulling her close. "No!" She continues to shout as she struggles against Mary Margaret.
"I suggest you keep a better watch of your charge, Miss. Blanchard." Regina sneers. "Unless you want her to be next."
Mary Margaret just holds a hysterical Avia close as she scowls at the mayor.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay out here by yourself?" Nick asks Karley as he jumps off the playhouse castle. He seemed to be more afraid by this than Karley.
Karley nods. "I'll be fine. This is actually pretty cool." She says, looking up at the castle. "It's like my own little home."
"Well, you're lucky no one comes this way except for me and Avia. We'll bring you supplies when you need to them."
"Thanks, Nick." Karley smiles appreciatively.
"It's no problem. Just be careful out here. And if you're feeling scared just walk to my house."
"But what about your mom?"
"Don't worry about her." Karley simply smiles, making herself comfortable. "Avia is going to try to come back in the morning before school. She'll bring you more food."
"You like her, don't you?" Karley smirks, taking Nick off guard.
"What?"
"You like her. You like Avia."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Nick looks away, blushing.
"Don't worry. I won't say anything." Karley promises.
Nick shakes his head, embarrassed. "Well, I better go before my mom comes looking for me. Remember, if you're scared - "
"Your house." Karley nods. "Got it. Thanks again." Nick smiles and walks away leaving Karley alone in the woods.
Emma pulls up at the play house castle, making sure to park far away to not frightened Karley. Emma walks towards the castle, being careful not to make any loud noises. She couldn't risk Karley running away and give Regina even more reasons to hate her. Karley jumps from where she is sitting when she hears footsteps coming up from behind her. "Avia?" She calls out looking behind her.
"No, Karley. It's me." Emma says, softly. Karley starts to quickly gather the little things she has with her. "No. No. Karley, stop." Emma runs over and stops Karley. "I can't let you run away, kid. I'm sorry."
Karley drops her stuff and looks at Emma with fearful eyes. "I can't go there. I can't." She says with desperation in her voice.
Emma slowly sits Karley down on the wooden castle and sits down next to her, making sure to keep her hand lightly on the girl's back in case she tries to run. "Karley, I know Avia told you a little about her experience in the system – about our experience in the system."
Karley looks away in the distance, avoiding the dismal look Emma's giving her. "She said it was really bad. She said the last place she was at before coming here was – " Karley shivers from the cool breeze as she thinks back at Avia's petrified face. " - horrific."
Emma frowns. She had her own share of horrific foster homes she had stayed in with and without Avia. But the three years that she's been out of the system, Avia's been on her own which means that Emma didn't know much about the other homes Avia's stayed in. Avia's told her some, but Emma was sure that Avia was keeping the really bad ones to herself. Why wouldn't she? She has. "Did she tell you about it?" Emma asks. She and Mary Margaret were anxious to know about Avia's past foster homes especially the ones that were giving her nightmares almost every night.
Karley shakes her head. "No. But how she looked when she was thinking about it, I don't want that. I don't want to go there."
"And I understand that." Emma says softly. "And I don't want to bring you there. But I have to. It's the responsible thing to do. And if not me, then Regina will find someone to take you there who will not care about where you are going or how you are feeling. I've been through it, and I will do my best to make sure you are safe wherever you end up."
"But can you promise me that? Because Avia told me that there were weeks and even months where you never even saw each other."
Emma was surprised that Avia even told Karley that. Yes, it's true. She wouldn't deny it. But she had all good intentions because even though she didn't see her sister every day, or speak to her every day, Emma was out there trying to make her life better for not only herself, but for Avia as well. She was trying her hardest to get her life together so that the system would allow her to have custody of her little sister. But little did Avia know, Lucy, her social worker, always made sure to keep Emma up to date. Emma sighs. "And she's right." Karley looked surprised. She wasn't expecting Emma to admit to it. "But what Avia doesn't know is that the entire time I was gone I was just trying to make a better life for us."
"Why didn't you tell her?" Karley asks.
Emma frowns. "I didn't want to give her false hope."
"And now?"
"And now, I'm just trying to do the right thing for her."
"And that's staying with Miss. Blanchard?"
Emma nods. "She's a good woman. She's probably the best foster parent Avia has ever had. Plus, I'm here and I am living with them. She has a good home now. I don't want to take her away from that. But you can find a good home, too, Karley."
Karley sighs. "I've been alone my whole life."
"Which is even more reason why you need a home. It's not safe out here, Karley. You know, I tried living on my own when I was fourteen. Trust me, it doesn't work. But I can promise you that you have people here that will always make sure that you are okay – that you are safe." Emma bends down slightly to look Karley straight in her eyes. "I promise." She says, firmly.
A single tear makes it way down Karley's cheek. "Why didn't he want me?"
"Who? Your dad?"
"Why am I not good enough?"
"I think the better questions is, 'why isn't he good enough?' You are more than good enough. You know, Avia and I always say that it's our parents' loss, because they are missing out on some pretty awesome daughters." Emma smirks, gaining a small laugh out of Karley.
Karley looks around, taking in everything Emma said. "Fine. I'll go." She sighs.
"You can trust me, Karley."
Karley looks up at Emma. "I know."
While on their way to leave Storybrooke, just before Emma can cross the town line, the car engine begins to sputter, and the car stops in the middle of the road.
"You gotta be kidding me." Emma complains.
"What happened?" Karley asks. "What's wrong?"
"The engine stalled." Emma says, confused. She picks up her cell phone and dials a number.
"Who are you calling?"
"Help."
Emma is standing outside against her car as Karley sits inside waiting patiently for the help to arrive. She was more than grateful for this little mishap. As she stares down at the compass in her hand, a truck pulls up behind them, and suddenly the compass begins to spin. She furrows her brows in confusion, turning in her seat to look out the back window.
Michael, Karley's father, steps out of his truck. He sees Karley staring back at him. "That's her?" He asks Emma.
"That's her." Emma confirms.
"And your car? It's fine?"
"I just wanted you to see her. Just once. That little girl in there deserves a father – her father. Not some strangers who won't give a damn about her."
Michael's eyes glisten with tears as he walks closer to the car before turning back to Emma. "You're taking her to Boston?"
"I don't have to."
Michael looks back at his daughter. He couldn't have her sent away never to be seen again. He's heard stories of children inside of foster homes, and he refused to let his own blood be apart of that. "No." Emma smiles happily as her own tears develop. "You don't." She watches Michael approach the car and open the back door for a confused Karley. Karley steps out the car, looking up at this man who was holding so much fear and yet love in his eyes as his stares at his daughter.
Back at the apartment, Avia is laying on her stomach across Mary Margaret's bed, looking through the storybook.
"Okay, Emma." Mary Margaret says over the phone. "See you soon." She hangs up and grabs the bag of ice she has on the counter before walking back into her bedroom. She sits down on the edge of the bed, placing the ice onto Avia's arm, and continues to fold the laundry.
"There's no way she dropped Karley off that fast." Avia says, keeping her eyes down on the book, as she holds the ice on her arm that was already forming a bruise from Regina's strong grip.
Mary Margaret was struggling to keep the smile off her face. Emma wanted to tell Avia the good news herself. "She was checking in to make sure that you're okay."
Avia rolls her eyes. "Like she cares."
Mary Margaret frowns down at her foster daughter. "Emma cares so much about you, Avia. How can you think that she doesn't?"
Avia shrugs. "Just promise when you are ready to send me back you don't have Emma drive me there."
Mary Margaret gasps, dropping the shirt she was folding down on the bed. "Avia, you're not going anywhere." She stresses. Mary Margaret wasn't sure how else to prove to it to Avia. The poor girl has been sent back so many times that she's lost hope.
Avia exhales, heavily, sitting up. "We all have to go some time." She says. "I know the routine. I'm used to it. You'll get tired of having to take care of me. I'll become too much. So, you'll send me away."
"Well, you're wrong." Mary Margaret says sternly. "Even if I have to tell you every single day, morning to night, that I am not sending you back then I will." But Avia still looked doubtful. "I know you don't believe me yet because you're still hiding behind that wall you've put up, but if you just let it down just a little bit for me, you'll see that I'm telling you the truth. I want you here, Avia Swan. I want you here more than anything."
A silent tear falls from Avia's green eye. "Emma used to say that all the time, too. Then she'd leave me for weeks or months without any contact. I never knew where she was, or if she was coming back."
Mary Margaret sighs, smiling softly. "But you know where she is now."
"But for how long?" Avia asks. Mary Margaret wished she could answer that, but she didn't want to lie to Avia. Something could happen, and Emma could leave tomorrow without any warning. She's an adult and Mary Margaret can't force Emma to stay. But she can force Avia to stay. She can make sure this little girl feels wanted and loved every single day because that's what she deserves.
"I wish I had all the answers for you, Avia, but I don't. But I do know one thing for sure, that you will always have a home here whether you want to believe it or not. This is your home."
Avia nods with a small smile. She wasn't sure if she'd ever really believe that someone wants her, but it was nice to hear it. As Mary Margaret continues to fold laundry, Avia looks curiously at the woman. "You know, Karley thinks that we look alike."
Mary Margaret grins and taps Avia playfully on her chin. "Well, you do have my chin." She teases as Avia laughs.
The front door closes and Emma walks into the bedroom. Avia's face quickly drops when she sees her sister. "It's great to see you, too, Avs." Emma smiles, sitting down on the other side of her Avia.
Avia rolls her eyes. "What, did the evil Mayor decide to take Karley herself? Didn't trust you enough?"
"Avia." Mary Margaret scolds, narrowing her eyes.
Emma couldn't help but smirk at her sister's attitude that she so lovingly shared with her. "Actually, her dad showed up."
Avia perks up. "What? Really?"
"Yeah. He changed his mind."
"But why? How?"
Emma shrugs, guiltily. "He might have had a little nudge. My car just so happened to break down."
Avia jumps up, wrapping her arms around Emma causing her to fall back on the bed with a laugh. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Mary Margaret smiles amusingly at the sisters. Avia sits up, looking at her foster mother. "You knew, didn't you?"
"Emma wanted to tell you herself." Mary Margaret smiles.
Emma sits up. "I wish I could have been there." Avia says.
"Me, too, kid." Emma says, pressing her hand lovingly on her sister's cheek.
"Hey, Emma."
"Yeah?" Emma looks back at her sister who has her thinking face on which was never good.
"Have you ever tried finding them?"
Emma looks confused. "Who, Avia?"
Mary Margaret also looks up, curious to who Avia is referring to. "Our parents." Avia answers softly. "Those months that you would be away, were you even trying to find them?"
Emma and Mary Margaret look at one another. Emma wasn't sure if she should tell Avia the truth or not. She didn't want to hurt her but looking at her little sister and seeing how much she's grown, she knows Avia could handle the truth. Emma nods. "Yeah, Avs. I've tried finding them. But I'm starting to think that they don't want to be found." Avia looks down but Emma reaches over and lifts her chin. "But it's okay, right, because, what do we always say?"
Avia chuckles. "Because it's their loss." She and Emma say together.
"And?" Emma asks.
"And they're missing out on some pretty awesome daughters." Avia and Emma say together again earning a wide smile from Mary Margaret who is watching them in awe.
"Plus…" Avia turns around and smiles at Mary Margaret. "…we have a pretty good home here, right?"
Mary Margaret brushes her fingers gently over Avia's hair, smiling. "Right." She says, looking at Emma who is smiling back at them.
Later that night, Emma decided to get some air and was taking a walk around town, leaving Avia and Mary Margaret at the apartment. As she is walking, thinking about hers and Avia's parents and everything that happened with Karley and her father, a sudden roar of a motorcycle is heard in the distance. She looks behind her as the man drives by, parking across the street from her. Emma was curious of this newcomer considering for the last couple months the only new arrivals have been herself and Avia.
"Hi." The man smiles as he walks over to her.
"Hey." Emma says, inquisitively.
"Is this Storybrooke?"
"Yeah."
"Any place to get a room around here?"
"Granny's Bed and Breakfast is just up the road." Emma points. "Another two blocks."
"Thank you." He grins as he turns away, walking back towards his bike.
"Hey." Emma shouts. "I didn't catch your name."
"That's cause I didn't give it." He sits back on his bike, roaring the engine again before driving off. Emma watches in confusion of this suspicious man.
Back at the apartment, Mary Margaret walks out of the kitchen and looks into her bedroom. She smiles when she sees that Avia has fallen asleep on her bed with her storybook clutched under her arm. She didn't have the heart to move her, but she was sure Avia would be embarrassed when she woke up to find that she slept in her foster mother's bed. But Mary Margaret didn't care. She knew in her heart that if Avia fell asleep somewhere other than her own bed without Emma, then she was starting to feel safe. She was starting to trust.
So, as Mary Margaret walks towards the living room, deciding that she'd stay up a little longer to wait for Emma, she passes the box Emma brought downstairs with her that has some of her belongings inside. She stops bewildered by the sight of Emma's baby blanket. Mary Margaret had already seen Avia's and was aware that Emma had one, too, but she had yet to see it until now. She picks it up, staring down at it. Like Avia's, it gave her some sort of familiarity – like she's seen it before.
But just as that familiar feeling came, it quickly went away. She simply shook her head telling herself again, as she did before with Avia's, that she may have seen the fabric in a store somewhere which is why it looked so familiar.
So, ignoring her feeling, she grabs a book and settles herself in the living room listening to the soft soothing sounds of her foster daughter sleeping in the next room.