Chapter 12: The Match

Emma sat down in the booth with a thud. She looked over at Regina, who just slid a bear claw and a cup of cocoa at her. Neither of them said anything. Emma devoured the bear claw and drank the cocoa quickly. She let out a huff and then looked back up into Regina's eyes.

"Didn't go well?" Regina asked.

"Well isn't the word I was use," Emma replied.

"Then what would you say?"

"One sided."

"One sided?"

"I didn't really let them say anything. I vented. I ranted. I let them know what I thought. And, through out it all, I managed to make myself feel better. I wasn't trying to hurt them, really. I just want them to understand. And, they don't. They really don't because they are selfish. I get it. I do. I understand it on some level, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt me, doesn't hurt others, and that Henry isn't effected by it, too. And, that was my breaking point," Emma explained.

"Henry?"

"Yeah and the little one they are about to have. They shouldn't have to inherit their problems. This feud that you both fought was from your mothers. You've tried to be the bigger person, but they still belittle you. I am not saying that you are great and always do the right thing, but you are trying. You've been trying for years. I can see it in the way you are with Henry. But, they can't get over a name that they gave you, no matter how it was earned. That is all they focus on. They aren't looking at the bigger picture."

"And, you are?"

"I don't know that I am, but I see more than they do. I get why you killed...well, had Leopold killed. I get it. I understand it. He hurt you and you kept that from Snow. But, you also knew that you couldn't be the one that killed him. And, killing him wasn't a life for life. His death was not to avenge Daniel's; it was to end your suffering. I also know that you would have walked away and given the kingdom to Snow if she hadn't been such a brat. You've proven how much work goes into running a kingdom by keeping the town afloat. She couldn't do that. She had to ask you for help. She never learned to see the real you. She made up her mind about everyone and that was what she supported. As soon as you became a killer in her eyes, there was nothing else that you could be."

"She's never been good about taking blame."

"But, she's going to this time. She isn't going to lambast you for protecting Henry and doing what you thought you should to save him when she's done worse for me. I gave up Henry because I knew that he would be better off without me at that point in time. And, honestly, I didn't know what I was going to do when or if he came to find me. I've always lived for myself. I've had to. I didn't have a choice. When I knew that someone was willing to adopt him and they wanted a closed adoption, I was happy. I knew that he would have the home that I didn't growing up. I knew that he would be loved. I knew that he would be cared for. And, I was just as bad as my mother, except I knew that he was going to someone. I knew that there would be someone for him. I didn't send him through some portal to some unknown place, on a wing and a prayer, hoping that he'd come back in twenty-eight years."

"Emma..."

"Yeah?"

"I think that you need to let it go for now. You're getting agitated again. Just know that you've told them how you feel. What they do with that is now on them. You can't keep wondering and living for them. You have to live for you and Henry."

Emma looked deeply into her eyes. She opened her mouth to respond several times but didn't say anything. Instead, she thought about it for a minute or two and realized that Regina was right. Carrying around this weight was going to help anyone. She'd said her piece and now she had to wait on her parents. In the mean time, she had a case to work on and a missing child to find.

"I think that I'll head back to the station."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Regina asked her.

"It's up to you, Regina. I don't want to keep you from any work that you need to do. I am sure that the council would love to rag you for not having something ready for them by the next meeting. By the way, did you get the budgets approved for the Merry Men to be deputies?"

"I did. All of their conditions were very doable. It was surprisingly easy. They didn't want vehicles. And, since they are running the stables, the horses were a no brainer. I also made a deal with the owner of the sporting goods store for their crossbows and bolts. I must admit that it was a strange request, but we aren't a normal modern town," Regina explained to her.

Emma just nodded. She got up and walked to the counter to pay. Regina followed her. She placed a hand on Emma's left arm and shook her head. Ruby just smiled at her and pointed to the door. Emma looked confused but eventually got the point that the meal had already been paid for. She waved at Ruby and Granny as she made her way to the front door with Regina in tow. She also made a mental note to call Ruby later. She needed to talk to her friend.

They slowly made their way down the sidewalk to the Sheriff's station. It wasn't a long walk but the weather helped Emma calm down. There was just something about the clear blue skies and knowing that she was doing everything that she could with the information that she had to find this girl that kept her from going mad with anger. She wanted to just let it all go.

She wanted punish Rumple for his part in all this. She also wanted to smack that self-serving smirk off his face. He was no better than a troll in her mind, but his magical knowledge was sometimes helpful and needed. It was the only reason she hadn't banished him from town yet. But, she also knew that if she went after him that she would have to go after so many others, too. The town would be culled very quickly, but that wasn't necessarily justice. And, that was what she represented. She was the law. She was the Sheriff. She was not only supposed to protect and serve. She was supposed to uphold the law.

She breezed into the station and immediately went to her office. She waved at Mulan as she passed her desk. The warrior just looked up and nodded as she bent back over her reports. She didn't seem at all upset by Emma's demeanor or the fact that the mayor was following her.

Regina shut the glass door to the bull pen and sat down in one of the chairs in front of Emma's desk. She looked over the name plate. The emblem of the office of Storybrooke's sheriff and her name glared back at her. She felt the need to run her fingers across the lettering but resisted.

Emma turned on her monitor and looked at the screen. Her eyes got wide. They had a hit.

"What is it?" Regina asked her when she saw Emma's reaction to the screen.

"We got a hit."

"A hit?"

"A match," Emma stated.

"To Maleficent's blood?"

"Yup!"

"Does that mean..."

"It is a one in four million chance, but that is better than nothing. Give me a sec and we'll find out some more," she said as she clicked on the link that took her to the match's profile. "Well, fuck me running."

"What is it, Sheriff Swan?" Regina asked, hoping that her tone would cause Emma to curb her language a little bit.

"Her name is Lily Page and I think I know her," Emma replied.

"You know her?" Regina questioned as she moved around the desk.

She placed a hand on Emma's shoulder as she read the computer screen over it. The girl or woman certainly seemed to be the right age, but she looked nothing like Mal, not that it mattered. Regina was curious as to how Emma and this Lily Page couldn't have crossed paths before. She was looking through the history as Emma scrolled and then she saw it. They were both in the same adoption agency as babies, but that should have made them meet later in life. How did Lily find Emma in a world with no magic? And, if she did actually find her, did Lily know who she was?

"I know that you aren't going to ask, but I'll tell you anyway."

"Tell me what, Swan?"

"I met Lily when I was a teenager. I wasn't in Boston...or Maine...or even New England. I had run away and found my way to Minnesota. Don't know why there, but it worked for awhile. I was picked up and as unregistered minor I was put into their system. I was put into a house that was run by Sarah Fisher. She was nice and caring, pushy but stable. I liked it there. That is where I ended up after Lily. Lily and I met in Boston. She lied to me and I ran from her. She found at the bus station. She gave me some money for a ticket and I bought the one to the farthest place it would take me."

"Let me guess, Minnesota," Regina said as she stood back up.

"No, I actually ended up in Fargo. Don't go there. It's a bad town."

"What were you doing in North Dakota?"

"Running."

"From?" Regina asked.

"My memories and Lily."

"What was so special about Lily?"

"She was my first best friend. She taught me how to pickpocket and boost things without getting caught. She didn't need to do, but she liked to. Now, I know why. We were destined to meet. She had everything. The nice family with money, a car, anything she wanted, but she kept throwing it all away on guys, booze, and stupidity. When I found out that her boyfriend had robbed a store, with her help, and a clerk was killed, I couldn't be there for her. I couldn't hide her with the family I had been placed with. I got her some food and got her out of town. Problem was she didn't stay gone. She came back because she was looking for something."

"What was it?"

"You know how I had a blanket with my name on it?"

"Yeah," Regina replied.

"Well, she had necklace. I stole it back for her. When I gave it to her, I told her the truth. I knew that she had robbed the store. I knew that she was wanted. I couldn't hide her. She had to go. A few days later, I couldn't take it. I needed to get out of town. I wanted to go rob a store, but I knew that I couldn't do it on my own. Instead, I found myself at the bus station. Lily saw me there and gave me the money for the ticket. I didn't ask her where she got it or how she got it. I didn't care. My life was falling apart again and I needed to move on."

"What happened with the family you were with?" Regina asked.

"They found out that they were pregnant."

There was a pause. Regina didn't need to know the rest. She was sure that these parents no longer wanted or could afford to keep Emma, so they were going to ship her off back into the system. It probably didn't help that Lily was now wanted and was an associate of Emma's as well.

"Well, where do we find her?"

"Hell if I know. Last known address was New York, but that was over five years ago. I thought she was dead or something."

"So, I guess we're going on a another road trip," Regina stated.

"I mean, I guess, but I don't know to where. I doubt that she stayed in New York. Lily wasn't the one to be tied down. She was free spirit even if it got her to trouble, but now, we know why."

"Well, Fate can be a real bitch," Regina said. "But, we know a name. You know what she looks like. Is there anything else we need to find her?"

"Yeah, she got a birthmark on her arm. It looks like a tattoo of a star, but it's not. That's how will know if it is really her," Emma explained.

"So, let's go get her."

"Regina, there are like eight and half million people in New York. Add in the fact that I really don't know what she looks like now, except for a birthmark on her arm, and it will be worse then trying to find her DNA in the system. We know who she is and where she was once. That doesn't mean that we're going to find her just because we go looking. I hunted guys down for a living. I had to be patient. We will be, too."

"You can be patient if you want. I am not going to sit here and ponder the situation. I going to use magic to help us along."

"Gina, magic doesn't work outside of the town line."

"Magic itself doesn't, but potions due, and I have just the one to make," Regina told her as she stood up and left the office.

"Gina?" Emma asked.

When she got no answer, she tried again, "Regina!"

But, Regina was already out of the precinct before Emma rounded her desk. She was on a mission to help find Maleficent's daughter. They had a name and former location. Making the potion would be easy. Getting Emma to take it to New York was going to be the problem.

"Gina!" Emma yelled as she chased Regina down the street.

When Emma was close enough, Regina waved her hands and teleported them to her vault. As the smoke cleared, Emma was still bitching about the land without magic and her potion not working. Regina just smiled at her as she ignored Emma's ranting. She was too busy brewing a potion to find Lily Page with the star birthmark on her arm.

And for a split second, Regina thought that they could actually close this case before the weekend. But, she that nothing was ever that easy. She hoped that the potion would work, but she had no way of testing it without causing issues in the town. They were just going to have to hope that Lily hadn't gone to far or she wasn't dead. Other than that, Regina was sure that they would find her.

"Go home a pack, Swan. We're heading for New York. And, I plan on seeing a show or two while were there."

"Why?"

"Because I doubt that Miss Page is just going to follow us willingly back home, Dear. She is going to need some convincing and you, Dear, are her friend. You already have a connection to her...in more ways than one. We can do this. You just have to believe in me, just a little, to make sure this works," Regina said.

"It isn't the problem of believing in you Regina," Emma started.

"Then what is it?"

"Believing and trusting Lily."