10

Reunion & Tears

"Mom!" Emma whispered loud enough for the woman to hear her. Her mother looked at her in disbelief but Emma wasn't sure it was real. And Emma would rather not break down in front of all the people in the ballroom.

"Mom?" Emma said once again but this time it was a question.

Everyone around her seemed to disappear and all Emma could see was her mother, but she was no longer the older woman before her; she was the young Mary Margaret from when Emma was seven. Then out of nowhere, her father came into view. They both looked at her with both longing and distaste.

"Emma?" It came from her mother. The woman came closer to her bringing her into a hug. But the hug isn't comforting it felt wrong. The woman holding her could be described as her mother moved her lips to Emma's ear to whisper. "You child don't belong here. You are an unwanted child. You could barely take care of yourself let alone your son." The woman sneered hateful into Emma's ear before pulling away.

"Mom? Dad? Where were you? I… I thought you were dead." Both of the people in front of her started to laugh at her as she started to cry.

"We were offered a chance at a great life. That life didn't have room for you." This came from her father. They both looked at her coldly.

"You were so desperate for love you attached and used that kind family." Her mother sighed as she continued. "It wouldn't surprise me that you got pregnant on purpose and stage that whole meeting with that poor woman. You know you might have caused that fire yourself." The hateful word continued to come from the woman's voice.

"That's not true!" Emma screamed and her parents changed and they looked at her with love and longing before they faded away like spirits.

Emma ran to where they were. "MOM!" DAD!" She screamed but they didn't come back. She slid onto the ground sobbing and rocking herself back and forth.

OUAT

"MOM!" DAD!" Emma screamed waking herself up along with the intense feeling of being shaked. Her eyes flew open. The first thing she knew was that her eyes hurt and she was sweating.

"It's alright, love. You were having a nightmare." Killian said softly helping her sit up in the bed. The whole ordeal flashed through her mind. All of the hurtful words made her start to sob again. Killian was at her side in an instant holding her as she cried.

"They were so mean… They told me I kill…" Emma choked as she cried. "Killed Neal… and tricked Vicky into… helping me." Emma continued to cry. "They didn't want me…" Emma said continuing to cry into Killian's shoulder.

"Love, look at me." He said and Emma looked into his eyes. He wiped her tears off her cheeks. "Your nightmare… Was it about what happened last night?" Emma nodded.

"It started that way… but then it changed. I just know they were so mean in my nightmare…" Emma said wiping more tears that fell from her cheeks.

"What happened last night, Emma?"

"I saw my mother... She was dancing behind us… I heard her laugh and turned around and she was right there in front of me. I didn't know if it was real so I ran…" Emma got quite before she confessed her fears. "If… if it really was her then my mother is alive... I didn't see my father but he might be too. If that is the case… It is possible they left me for a life of riches… I didn't think they could do something like that but… but they were here in the queen's castle and they seemed happy. They were happy without me… Did they even love me?" Emma said through more sobs and sniffles. She was spiraling, she needed answers but she heard an amazing voice come from the corner of the room.

"Mama! Mama! Up!" Henry said causing Emma to wipe the last of her tears before getting up to grab her son. "Mama sad?" The boy was so good at reading people, but Emma probably looked terrible after crying for the last few hours.

"Yeah, mama's sad, but you my Henry have made me feel better," Emma said walking herself and Henry back to the bed before climbing into Killian's embrace.

The sat there for a few minutes of silence. Emma thought about her parents and everything that happened and then it hit her. Then questions filled her head. Did they want to see her? Did they leave her? Did they leave the castle so they didn't have to speak to her? Did they ever love her? Emma closed her eyes to keep her tears at bay.

"I need answers, Killian. That was the whole point to why we went to find the Hope Diamond last year… I wanted closure. I thought I needed it for their death but apparently, my mother is alive, and in this castle."

"We will find those answers. Did you want to freshen up while I take Henry back to the nanny?" Killian asked and Emma nodded. He left the room and another tear slipped down her face as she changed clothes.

Killian was back in minutes. Emma was sitting on the bed as brushed her hair out. She was silent. Killian came over taking the brush out of her hand as he continued to brush out her long blonde hair. Once he was finished he set the brush on the vanity and lifted Emma off the bed. He lifted her chin with his fingers so they were looking in each other's eyes.

"Are you ready to find some answers, love?" Killian asked as Emma nodded.

"Yeah… Where should we go? I made a scene at the queen's ball… I am sure she wouldn't want to see me." Emma said defeated.

"We will figure it out, my love. I promise." Killian said pressing a kiss to Emma's forehead. "Let's go love. We will find out everything so you don't have to worry." Killian said talking hold of Emma's hand. They opened the door and went to the direction to the throne room.

OUAT

It didn't take long for the pair to reach the double doors that lead to the throne room. Emma could hear voices on the other side of the door, she hoped it was her parents but the voices were too far away.

"Miss Emma! Good, I was just looking for you." The same woman for yesterday said as she came over to them. "You are already here, but the queen wanted to see you." The young woman said pointing to the double doors. Emma nodded as the lady pushed the doors open causing four heads to turn.

Regina and Robin were closer to the door and Emma's parents were farther in the room. Emma squeezed Killian's hand harder as they walked into the silent room. It was now or never…

"Mom? Dad?" Emma asked in a broken whisper. She didn't know what she would do if they spoke to her as they did in her dream.

"Emma?" It came from both her mother and father at the same time. Emma nodded as a tear slipped down her cheek. Both her parents ran to her pulling her into a warm embrace. "You found us." Her mother added. They soon removed themselves from the hug and her parents just looked at her.

"What happened? I thought… I thought you were both... dead." Emma questioned wiping more tears off her cheeks.

"We… Well almost died but Regina saved us." Her mother said but Emma's eyes darted over to Regina who nodded. "Darling why don't you… both sit down while we talk." Emma nodded again taking Killian's hand once again.

"So… You both were saved by Regina and then what?" Emma wanted to ask if they chose luxury over her, but she didn't want to lash out.

"I should probably tell you who I am." Emma looked at her mother with confusion. "Emma. I am Snow White… When we had you, we were in exile." Emma's eyes felt like they popped out of her head.

"Um… Your Snow White?" Emma asked in disbelief but her mother nodded.

"Your father and I got married and had you while in exile. When we left there was an accident… Regina was looking for us and made it just in time before anyone was hurt… She apologized for everything, it wasn't her fault, Regina was being manipulated." Her mother said with tears in her eyes.

"Regina wanted us to help her take down King George, but we couldn't go. We told her we had to find you… We got Blue to help us find you but just took us to Graham's cabin… No one was there… We decided to help Regina and once there was peace we could find you… Blue made a necklace that would be able to find you. I took us to a cabin a few villages over. There was a shallow grave. Regina used her magic and it confirmed it was you…" Her father recounted, she could see the pain in his eyes reliving the memories. "The magic said it was you in the grave… We didn't think it was true… We have been looking for you, Emma." Emma knew exactly whose grave they found.

"I… I know whose grave you found…" Emma started before taking a deep breath. "After I was told you both *died… Graham's parents took me in… We moved to a new village three years before Graham died… They buried him in by the woods and asked me to leave. I was ten." Emma said as a few tears fell from her eyes.

"He died?" Her mother asked and Emma nodded she pointed to her heart and Snow nodded in understanding.

"You were on your own since you were ten?" Her father asked in disbelief.

"Yes. I lived in the woods. I kept to myself for the most part…" Emma looked to Killian before continuing. "I was seventeen when I met Neal… We got married on my eighteenth birthday." Both her parents imminently looked to Killian. "Two months after my birthday our small cottage caught on fire… He died." Emma paused and she could see the sadness in their eyes. "It wasn't until later I learned I was with child… I had nothing." He heard her mother gasp. "I was four months along when I passed out in the woods from malnourishment. I was saved by a wonderful woman. Her name is Victoria. She took care of me and helped me get back on my feet, put a roof over my head, kept me fed, and made me apart of her family. Vicky and her brother, Charles were there when my son was born.

"It was a few months later when Vicky's husband and brother-in-law came home from deployment when I met Killian… I fell for him rather quickly but I thought I would lose him if I let him in… On the fifteenth anniversary of your death, we went to find the Hope Diamond. I wanted to know where you were buried, so I could get some closure… For a few minutes, I thought he died, but when I kissed him he woke up from a sleeping curse. The last thing is that we got married six months ago… Regina was actually there." Emma said finishing up her tale.

"Regina? You were at her wedding." Snow asked in disbelief to which Regina nodded in response.

"Yes. I had my suspicions when I met her at the Navy Ball… I didn't know for sure. I thought that it would be easiest to get you all together with a ball and not a random meeting." The queen confessed.

"Thank you, Regina," Emma said. She could be mad that the queen waited so long to reunite her parents but Emma was glad that they were alive.

OUAT

The next few hours were dedicated to spending time with her parents; Robin and Regina soon left to give Emma some time with them. She knew her friends were in the castle and most defiantly confused as to why she ran out like she did but at the moment Emma wanted to focus on her parents.

"You said you met Killian after you had your son. How did you meet?" Her mother asked and Emma smiled at the memory.

"It was Victoria's birthday. Charles and I were trying to cheer her up because she had gotten news a few months before that her husband's deployment would be longer. Charles owns a tavern in the market, he closed it early so we didn't have to work…

"There was a knock at the door. It was too early to be Charles and it wasn't there were two men in uniform at the door. I knew immediately that they were the Jones' brothers… It wasn't until the next day that Killian and I spoke. I told him about my past on Henry's first birthday, then on my twentieth birthday we went sailing and have been together ever since." Emma said squeezing Killian's hand.

"You spoke of the Hope Diamond… You found it?" David asked in surprise before his eyes locked with Snow.

"I heard of a jewel that would find the final resting place of anyone you thought of. It was a few weeks after I had proposed that Emma locked herself in her room and wasn't eating. She was extremely upset. She wanted closure about where her parents were buried so I told her of the beanstalk and the Hope Diamond. The next day we started our journey to the beanstalk." Killian said for the first time.

"I was in the dark of the history of the land. On our way to the beanstalk, Killian told me the story of Snow White and Prince Charming…" Emma paused realizing that they were in front of her "... Well, I guess you guys. Once we climbed the beanstalk the giant gave us ten hours to find a way to get it. He said the only person who could get it had to have the same bloodline as the queen who put it there… Killian and I only had an hour or so left when he reached for it… He flew across the room and fell to the ground. He wasn't breathing and I thought he was dead. I remembered what he told me about… your story... so I kissed him goodbye. I was surprised when he woke up. The kiss broke his sleeping curse and the spell guarding the Hope Diamond.

"When we got back to our horses we tried it. The thing worked when I thought of Killian's mother but not when I thought you… I didn't know why. We were on our way home when we ran into Regina. We told her where we were and she said that my parents would be proud of me no matter where they were…" Emma finished and her parents looked at her with awe.

"You found your true love…" Her mother said and Emma nodded with a huge smile.

"Yeah, I did. It was you wasn't. In the legend of the Hope Diamond… you were the queen." Emma said. I was a statement more than a question.

"Yes… We wanted to use the amulet of your grandmother but we already sold it when we were still in exile. So we used an old necklace that was in my father's castle." Snow said.

"I am sure the amulet would have been just as lovely," Emma said.

Thank you for reading and your comments.

We are getting closer to the end of this story. I am thinking around four more chapters after this.

I don't own Once Upon a Time!

Sneak Peek:

"Emma! Oh my god! Are you okay?" Victoria asked pulling Emma into a bone-crushing hug; a hug that Emma really needed. Hugging her sister made her forget for a minute; it felt like old times.