Author's note: Hey for those of you who like Pretty Little Liars, check out Never Speak by CarletTheMonkeyLovr. Yep, the name is so familiar because this fanfic is co written by me and MonkeyLovr. Combined our names and made a joint account cuz we're amazing like that :P

Chapter 11

There was a loud knock on the door. David looked up sleepily. "Who could that be?"

"It's the middle of the night." Mary Margaret yawned.

The knocking grew more and more insistent. Slowly, David pushed himself to his feet and shuffled slowly to the door, rubbing his eyes as he walked.

"Emma?" He said in surprise as he opened the door to reveal his daughter, who looked uncharacteristically disheveled. It was the middle of the night, yet she appeared to be fully dressed, leather jacket pulled over a tank top and jeans. "Is everything ok?"

Mary Margaret appeared behind her husband, pulling a bathrobe over her pajamas. "Emma?"

"Sorry." She said, pushing past her parents into the warm apartment. "I just didn't know where else to go."

She sat down on the couch, a warm cup of hot chocolate with cinnamon pressed into her trembling hands. Her parents sat on either side of her. They just sat like that for a bit, watching their daughter sip her favorite drink and stare morosely at the floor.

"What's going on?" Mary Margaret asked gently. They'd known that Emma had left Graham and had taken Henry with her, but that was it.

"We heard about…Graham." David added, not wanting to say the ex Huntsman's name in case it invoked Emma's wrath. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Emma ignored them, continuing to sip from the hand painted mug.

"Em?"

Emma sighed and put down her mug. She knew that she'd never be allowed to crash here for the night unless she said something. "Scarlett's gone." She blurted.

They looked appropriately shocked as they processed this information. "Gone? As in…gone?" Mary Margaret said, her face wrinkling up in horror.

"What happened?" David asked.

Slowly, Emma began to explain everything, from her dreams to the strange tapping. She didn't leave out a single detail, recounting all the events leading up to finding Scarlett missing from her crib. She ignored Mary Margaret's disapproving look when she said that she was working on the Archie case again.

"And so, I left. Staying at Granny's right now with Henry." She finished, bracing herself for her parents' reactions.

"Oh, Emma." Mary Margaret wrapped her daughter up in a tight hug. "That's awful."

"I promise, we'll find out what happened to Scarlett." David said firmly.

Emma breathed a sigh of relief, enjoying being in her parents' arms. It was so refreshing to have people actually believe her about Regina.

The couple looked at each other over their daughter's head. "Regina?" David mouthed to his wife, who shrugged.

"Just one thing." Mary Margaret said tentatively, looking at her husband. He had the same bewildered look that she did. "Did you say that Regina took her?"

Emma nodded emphatically. "Yes. That's exactly what I said. I know Regina's behind this somehow. She took Scarlett. And we need to find them."

"How are you so sure?" David asked.

Oh no. Not this again. Emma could feel her anger building up, but she forced it back down. She needed them on her side. "I just am."

"I thought they were just dreams." Mary Margaret frowned. "From the fever?"

"No. They were real." Emma argued. "Look, you just have to trust me on this. Trust that I know what I'm talking about. Regina's back. I don't know how, but I sure as hell know why she's back. Those visions and supposed hallucinations weren't just figments of my imagination. They were real. She took Scarlett. And we need to find them before it's too late."

But to her horror, her parents looked skeptical.

"Spit it out." Emma snapped. "Don't just give me that look."

"It's just…how are you so sure? I mean, do you have any evidence?" David asked. Emma started to argue, but he held up his hands defensively. "I know, I know, you have a strong feeling. And you're usually right about things."

"But?" Emma prompted, for she knew what was coming next.

"But it's a little hard to believe." Mary Margaret said softly. "I mean, Regina coming back from the Enchanted Forest? Where it's presumed that there's nothing? That's a little farfetched."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Emma shouted. She stood up, almost knocking over her cup of hot chocolate in the process. "What other evidence do you need? She tried to kill me. Did you forget that? She blames me for ruining her life and for stealing Henry away!" Emma gestured wildly with her hands. "And now she's back! And she has my daughter! How's that hard to believe?!"

"I know, I know." Mary Margaret said in an attempt to placate her angry daughter. "We want to believe you, we really do. It's just that, after getting so sick, forgetting Scarlett, and being so obsessed with work…"

"Obsessed?" Emma was incredulous "I was trying to solve a murder, not holed up in a basement playing some stupid game. And it was one simple mistake!"

"A mistake that could've had dire consequences." Her father pointed out.

"It was a mistake." Emma repeated. "That you would understand if you hadn't shoved me in that wardrobe to suffer by myself for almost thirty years. How could you judge me on my supposed bad parenting if you were never parents?!"

Her parents looked hurt. Good. Emma thought. Let them feel bad.

"It's not that we don't want to believe you. But you have to admit that everything seems to point to you."

"I'm your daughter!" Emma screamed. "You're supposed to believe me! Not accuse me of causing my daughter's disappearance." But judging by the looks on her parents' faces, Emma knew that this was hopeless. That she had no one left to count on. "You know what?" She stomped towards the door. "Forget it. This was a mistake."

"Emma!" Mary Margaret cried, but it was too late. Emma was already gone.

~Long Gone~

Emma ran blindly through storm, her tears intermingling with the freezing cold rain dripping down her face. She was soaked through to the skin. But she could barely feel it. She barely knew where she was going, choosing to let her feet guide her and follow her instincts as she ran, away from a place she used to call home. Where she'd had her family.

Family. That was such a twisted, fucked up thing. For all her life, all she'd ever wanted was to find her family. Parents, husband, and eventually kids. As a lonely little foster child sitting in a cold bedroom, listening to her foster parents yell at each other, all she'd ever hoped for was her own family. While most kids her age wanted new toys and gadgets, she'd wished on stray eyelashes, shooting stars, and the rare birthday cake that someday, just someday, she'd have a family and a home to call her own.

In the most twisted, roundabout way, that dream had come true. She'd finally found her parents and formed her own family. It had been the happiest time of her life. For a short while, she believed that happy endings do exist, and that all those wishes hadn't been for nothing. Let herself let go and finally be happy. Relax and allow herself to trust others. Form relationships. Stay in one place for more than six months.

But just as she thought her life was finally stable, everything had to come crashing down. Taken away brutally. The worst part was, it wasn't even all Regina's fault. Yes, she was a horrible evil bitch who'd kidnapped her daughter, but it wasn't like she'd made Graham and her parents act like that. They'd chosen to believe that she, Emma, was irresponsible enough to forget her daughter. That she somehow had a hand in her disappearance. They hadn't said it, but Emma got the feeling that they blamed her for Scarlett going missing.

Suddenly, without any warning, Emma tripped over mud puddle and went sprawling, rolling painfully on the ground, finally coming to a stop. She lay on her back on a dirt path. Her ankle throbbed and she knew her arm was bleeding. But she just lay there. What was the point of getting up? Her life was over. Her family hated her and her beloved daughter was gone.

Even Henry, who knew how awful it was to have no one believe you, thought she was crazy. That was probably the bit that hurt the most. Out of everyone, Emma had expected that Henry would be the one to believe her. After all, he'd gone around for months before the curse ended, telling everyone who'd listen about a curse and everyone had just laughed in his face. And then they all found out he was telling the truth all along. Henry, who'd had faith in her even when she didn't believe in herself, had been the first person she truly loved. He'd known her better than she knew herself. And even he didn't believe her.

Emma just lay there, staring up at the dark, almost pitch black sky. But that wasn't even as dark as her emotions were. She felt numb, unable to feel anything, physically and mentally, rendering her unable to cry, to release her pent up emotions from the past few days. She couldn't believe that after all her efforts, she was still alone. Just as alone as she'd been all those years ago. What hurt the most was that they were her family. They were supposed to love her unconditionally and stand by her no matter what happened. Help her in her time of need. But the looks on their faces and the cruel words from their mouths clearly proved otherwise.

Her parents. She thought their relationship was getting better. No longer angry at them for sending her through the wardrobe, Emma actually started to love them. And against her better judgment, she'd let herself fall for Graham. And look at where that had gotten her. No matter how hard she tried, she would forever and always be alone.

So what was the point of trying? She could just lie on this cold, hard ground, feeling the rain pelt her face, and wait to die. Emma blinked up. Through her blurry vision, she could just barely make out trees. She'd always loved the forest. It wouldn't be a bad last thing to see as she departed this Earth.

You win, Regina. Emma thought, closing her eyes. It felt so good to just surrender. She was so tired and so sick of everything. I give up.

Just then, Scarlett's face came to her mind. Her rosy cheeks, her crooked teeth, her sparkly eyes. Her brown curls, and her laugh. The way she reached her arms out for Emma. Her wide smile that never failed to cheer Emma up, no matter how stressed out she was. Someone who Emma worked hard for each and every day of her life to ensure that she would have the best life possible. Someone who Emma would crawl to the ends of the Earth for. And above all, someone who loved her. Loved her no matter how badly she messed up.

Emma's eyes sprang open. No. She couldn't just surrender. She couldn't let Regina win. Couldn't just sit back and let her daughter suffer at the hands of that evil bitch. Scarlett was her daughter, and when she was born Emma had promised herself that she would do whatever it took to protect her. And that was exactly what she was going to do.

Heaving herself up, Emma gazed around, familiarizing herself with her surroundings. It looked as though she was in some sort of a forest. She stumbled around in the rain, wishing she'd brought a raincoat or at least an umbrella.

Alright, focus Emma. She thought as she looked around, trying to figure out where she was. The first thing she had to do was get out of this forest. As long as she'd lived in Storybrooke, she still wasn't very familiar with it, especially the surrounding forest. The longer she walked around, the more hopeless it became. Trees, trees, and more trees. That was all she saw. Oh yeah, that and the occasional mud puddle. It was so dark she could barely see in front of her. How in the hell had she gotten here in the first place? Emma tried retracing her steps, but she could barely remember which way she'd gone. It occurred to her that it was likely she'd die here if she didn't find her way out.

She tripped again, this time over a tree root, barely breaking her fall with her muddy hands as she crashed into a tree that looked awfully familiar. Just then, she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. It looked like a few scratches on the tree's bark, scratches that didn't quite match the tree's natural marks and pattern. Curiosity got the better of her as she leaned in to get a closer look. The marks were faded, but still looked pretty new, standing out against the tree's marks. It didn't look natural.

A particularly bright flash of lightning lit up the world for a brief moment, long enough for Emma to get a good long look at the tree as she realized what it was. A heart with her and Graham's initials etched inside. Tears welled up in her eyes as she traced their initials. She remembered coming here with Graham, not long after they'd made up. She'd protested that she hated hiking, but he promised it would be amazing. So she went along, complaining most of the way. And when they neared the top of the mountain, he'd blindfolded her, leading her along the path, her filling with trepidation. After what felt like a long, long time, he'd untied the blindfold to reveal a picnic, complete with all her favorite foods. And then he'd got down on one knee and pulled out a ring from his pocket. And asked her to be his forever, saying that she was the only one for him. And she'd let herself completely surrender, as her eyes filled with tears and she was left unable to speak. As they'd made their way back down the mountain, the huge sparkling diamond on her finger, Graham had pulled out his pocketknife and carved their initials into the tree, saying that it would forever be their tree.

She'd thought she finally found love. For a long moment, she allowed herself to miss him, her heart swelling painfully. Oh, how much she loved him. He'd been the first person to ever make her feel things she thought she wouldn't ever experience in her life. The first person she'd let in, romantically, after Neal.

She missed the way he brushed the hair out of her face, the way his adorable accent made everything he said sound ten times better, the way she'd look up while working and see his gaze fixed on her, a gaze filled with pure love and adoration. Above all, she missed the way he made her feel when she was with him, like nothing could go wrong and the world was perfect. Their wedding day and every day after that had been the happiest days of her life.

Maybe they just weren't meant to be. If he could just let her go and believe she was evil enough to cause harm to their daughter, maybe he wasn't the person Emma thought he was. That was what hurt most, knowing that she'd finally let herself be happy, but to have it all crash down around her. For a long moment, she collapsed against the tree, sobbing heavily for everything she'd lost and everything that had gone so terribly wrong. Sobbed until she felt hollow, dry, and empty.

Emma stared at the tree numbly at the tree again, her tears fading as she wiped her eyes on her soaked sleeves. Besides the initials, there was something familiar about the tree. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was some sort of importance relating the tree. And then she knew. Let herself become lost, for a moment, in a beautiful memory.

"Graham!" Emma protested. "You can't just carve stuff into a tree!" She'd never been one for rules, but it felt unethical to just stick your knife into a tree's surface.

"Why not?" Graham shrugged adorably as he continued to carve the E in Emma.

"Well, cuz…" Emma was at a loss for words. "You just can't." It seemed as though the rock on her finger had taken away all of her usual flippant comments.

"There." Graham stepped back to admire his handiwork. "Now this will be our tree. Forever." He lifted her hand to his, kissing it gently.

"What's so special about this tree anyway?" Emma ran her hands over the smooth carving, enjoying the way it felt under her palms. "Besides, you know. There are trees everywhere. Why this one?"

"Because, love, this tree is halfway between the top of the mountain and the entrance to the forest. If you just follow the path, you'll be able to find your way out. So if you ever get lost, and don't deny that you will, you'll be able to find our tree and your way back. Your way back to me." He said seriously, staring at her with a look of pure love and adoration.

If what Graham said was true, then this tree was the key outta this place. Taking one last look at the tree, the tree that stood for everything she'd lost, she turned around and followed the path. The path that was the first step to getting her daughter back.

Slowly but surely, the clusters of trees decreased and soon enough, Emma found herself back on the street. Out of the forest. She sighed with relief as she walked back towards town. Now that she was out of that goddamned place, it was time to formulate a plan. What she had to do next was locate Regina. She knew, without a doubt, that Regina was smart. She wouldn't hide in an obvious place, like her old house, especially since it'd turned into a hangout for drunken teenagers on Friday nights. So Emma ruled that out. But where else could Regina be? She had to be somewhere well hidden, but easy enough to find for Emma to locate her.

Emma walked around aimlessly down the street of a quiet neighborhood, trying to figure out the most likely places Regina would be. But there were so many options that it would be impossible to just walk around and search. She'd left her car at Granny's, and if she went back Henry would see her and try to talk and right now she didn't have time for that.

Just then, something caught her eye. It appeared to be some sort of child's toy, snagged on the trellis of an abandoned house. Huh. Funny. It hadn't seemed to be there when she'd passed by that very same house just a minute ago. Emma jogged up to the house and pulled the object out of the trellis. What she saw next made her blood run cold and her heart pound with excitement.

It was Scarlett's teddy bear. It appeared to be intact. Blinking back tears, Emma examined the bear. She knew it was a clue left by Regina. The bitch was clever like that. She saw that the bear held something in its soft arms. She held the bear closer to her face, squinting in the dark to see what it was.

A headstone. The bear held a miniature headstone. Etched with the letters RIP in ornate cursive. Underneath that were the words: Come and find me….

Graveyard. This was obviously an indicator that they were at the mausoleum. With renewed purpose, Emma immediately set off for the graveyard, heading immediately for the mausoleum where Regina's father was buried. Having been here shortly after she'd pushed Regina into the portal, she knew the place like the back of her hand. She expertly pushed aside the casket and headed down the stone steps, walking rapidly towards the mirror door. behind which she knew was a hidden room. Her adrenaline intensified as she neared the door. The door that separated her from her daughter.

She pushed open the mirror door, and gasped out loud. And there she was.

Author's note: Oooohh cliffhanger! Better review if y'all want the next ch!