Chapter Eight: My Girl

Her chest felt like it was caving in, and she struggled with every breath she took. Nimble fingers trembled as she furiously scrolled through her contacts looking for a particular number before trying to face time him.

"Comesss onthsss! Pick up!" Hot tears continuously trailed down her cheeks as the call was denied. Not one to be deterred , she called back again and again until the man decided to pick up.

"What?!" He huffed in annoyance, and Emma couldn't help but notice the background. It was hospital room.

"Daddy are you okay?" Emma wiped at her cheeks as her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Now isn't a good time , kid." He seemed to be in a hurry to get her off the phone.

"Babe who's that? Can it wait? We are about to see our baby!" A woman's voice came through snappishly.

"You're having a baby?" Emma sat gaping at the man who stammered as the phone was snatched from him.

"Who are you?" A beautiful brunette with a short pixie cut glared at her.

"Rapunzel, it's nobody..." Flynn tried to get his phone back, missing the hurt look on his daughters face.

"Look you're interrupting a family moment. If it not important and it's work related-" She was cut off by Emma shaking her head.

"I'm his daughter ... Well wassshh, now I guesshhh I'm nobody. Don't worry I won't be bothering you anymore Eugene." Emma quickly disconnected the call, throwing the phone outside her door. She was surprised when there was a firm knock on her door. She looked up sniffling at Phoebus.

"I think this must have slipped from your grip and went flying 25 paces." The man joked, his eyes crinkling slightly until he took in the blondes distraught state.

"I'm assuming this is deeper than your fathers inattentiveness?" He raised an eyebrow standing by the doator frame.

"That man is not my father, he'shh made it perfectly clear on numeroushh occasionshhh." Emma murmured , inviting him in knowing he wouldn't come in without an invitation.

"Whatever he's done, I'm sure he'll make it up to you with something nice and shiny." Phoebus assured , not knowing what else to say. The silence stretched on for almost ten minutes while Emma tried to gather herself.

"Is that good parenting , Phoebus? Telling people your children mean nothing to you, and then buying them something to make up for it?" Emma pondered, watching several emotions pass by the normally passive mans face.

"He said that?" Phoebus's voice was low, almost as if he had trouble getting the words out. He watched Emma nod.

"It's funny, I remember when you used to want to be my father. Then you stopped. I suppose it's no surprised he wanted to at some point." Emma let out a wet chuckle, watching the man shift from foot to foot.

"I never stopped wanting to be your Dad, Bug." Phoebus replied in a gravel tone, using the nickname he gave her when she was just a toddler who stole his heart.

"Y-Youshh can't callssh me that! Youshh can't!" Emma shook her head angrily.

"I know that I hurt you just as much, if not more than anything Flynn has done or hasn't done. But Bug, you got to believe me. I've always wanted to be your dad." He spoke firmly, willing the teen to believe him.

There was footfalls coming up the stairs, ones that were familiar to Phoebus but not someone who lived there. He heard his wife talking to the girl, informing her that Emma had stormed in upset.

"Your actionsshh sshowwed sssommething elshh." Emma glared down at the fabric she was rolling between her fingers.

"Ems-" Zelena knocked gently on the open door.

"I hope I'm not interrupting, I had to make sure you were okay." Zelena shifted nervously from foot to foot.

"No, we were just finishing." Phoebus cleared his throat before turning to leave the room and the two teens alone. He closed the door on his way out, making Zelena walk further into the room.

"I'm fine." Emma croaked out, looking everywhere but at the redhead in front of her.

"You don't have to lie to me doll. And you don't have to be okay either." Zelena sat down on the bed, leaving enough space so that Emma didn't feel crowded. When the blonde looked up at her with watery hazel eyes and her bottom lip quivering in its pout, she felt almost every ounce of pain that the younger girl was feeling.

"It hurtssshh, ssssoo musshh." Emma lisped out quietly.

"I know it does, honey. If I had known they were going to be doing that-" Zelena shook her head while she trailed off, watching Emma furrow her eyebrows before she cleared her throat.

"Why aren't yousshh upshhets?" She wondered.

"Oh I am, more so at myself and my sister than anything else. I can't believe she is so oblivious! When she found out you were in love with her-" Zelena was interrupted by Emma shooting up off the bed.

"Whatshh do yousshh mean whenssh ssshhee found outsshh I'm in lovesshh with hersshh?" Emma spat out harshly, glaring down at the Gold Heir.

"I-I...it was an accident Ems. I didn't mean to tell her!" Zelena tried to amend, standing up to meet the girl eye to eye.

"YOU TOLD HER!" Emma screeched out, perfectly but Zelena would address that later.

"It was an accident! I swear! I was just so angry at how she treated you, how she was treating you and it slipped out! She was acting in total disregard to your feelings! She couldn't understand why you were so distressed and the answer was staring her right in the face!" Zelena was quite shouting , but her voice was raising in an effort for Emma to see her reasoning. Both of them failed to hear the foot steps racing towards the room until the brunette they were talking about burst in.

"Emma! I need to speak with you!" Regina sounded out of breath, but she quickly reclaimed control of herself when she spotted her sister.

"What on earth are you doing here?" Regina crossed her arms as she questioned the now angry redhead.

"Oh you have some nerve! I'm here because I'm actually her friend. Why the hell are you here?" Zelena scoffed.

"Please! Emma and I have been best friends for since we were children." Regina shot back.

"Some friend you are, you mind sharing with the class all of the things you've told Elsa?" Zelena raised an eyebrow watching her sister stammer before the normally composed brunette let out a noise of frustration before picking up the nearest object and throwing it at her.

"Woahhhhh!" Emma's eyes widen as she went to stand in between the two of them.

"Real mature, don't want to own up to all you've done and said , so you turn to violence?" Zelena taunted.

"Please! Stop acting like you give a damn about her when you admitted to me that you are using her to make Elsa and I jealous! Did she tell you that Emma?" Regina turned to her childhood best friend who glared down at her shoes before finally looking up.

"Yes she told me about it, I was the one foolish enough to go along with it." Emma let out a weak chuckle while shaking her head.

"She also told me that she told you I was in love with you. Since today can't possible get any worse, let's air it all out. Shall we?" Emma licked her lips, looking between the two sisters before huffing.

"I've been in love with you for so long, Regina. You've always been this unattainable gorgeous girl who I was lucky enough to call my best fried. That should have been enough for me, because why on earth would you want someone who can barely speak?" Emma bit out the last part as she glared slightly at the brunette.

"I didn't believe Elsa when she told me, when she gloated about how she could have you if she wanted to...I mean you weren't mine but you were my best friend. I thought that should have meant something. You knew how she was, and I figured maybe if I couldn't have you that at least you'd be happy and hopefully you'd mellow her out some. But tonight I realized something. The title of sister and best friend really mean little to none to you or my sister." Emma paused.

"How was I to know how you felt? You never said anything!" Regina defended.

"Even if I had said something, you still wouldn't have wanted me as me. You still don't want me, you may lust after the barbie I let your sister make me out to be, but you don't desire me for the real me. You can barely handle it when I get flustered in public." Emma rambled. The room fell into silence.

"You need to go." Emma sucked her teeth in annoyance.

"You heard her, leave!" Zelena asserted.

"Both of you." Emma wrapped her arms around herself before trying to turn. However Zelena prevented her from moving fully.

"I know you're pissed at me for telling her, and I'm sorry. I'll give you your space, but I'm going to make it up to you, yeah?" Zelena murmured lowly, before turning to leave.

"Emma wait-" Regina protested.

"Look, you know alright? You know how I feel, and you know what I saw today. I just really don't want to look at you right now." Emma huffed, watching Regina slowly nod before following her sister out and closed the door.