Chapter 14

Once David placed Emma in her bed, she started to stir awake. "Mom? Dad?"

"We're here babe." Her mother told her.

"Did Auggie stay at his room at the Inn?" Then she heard a chuckle come from the doorway, but Emma didn't know he was there, so it scared her. "What the he-... Heck August!" Emma said, kind of hoping no one heard her near slipup. "You scared me!"

They all had to hold a laugh back, all three noticing her slipup. "Sorry Ducky, but did you really think I'd leave without a proper goodbye?"

She weakly smiled at him and sat up. "You could have woken me, you didn't have to come all the way over."

"All the way? It's like a 5 minute ride from here to Granny's Ducky."

Emma smiled. "I'm a Swan." Emma sighed. "I love you Auggie."

He came over and Mary moved so he could say goodbye, he sat on her bed and hugged her. "I love you too Ems." Once he broke the hug he looked at her and smiled. "I'm gonna head back to the Inn, but call me if you need anything." Emma nodded and August told her goodbye by kissing her head, then he left. So, Mary and David decided that it was a good time to talk to her about what they overheard.

"Princess, can we talk to you?" David asked and Emma just shrugged, so Mary decided to take over.

"Babe, we need you to know that you aren't damaged."

Emma looked up shocked. "Y-you heard that?" She asked sadly.

"We did." Mary told her and Emma looked down avoiding eye contact. "Look at us Em." Emma glanced up, then immediately looked back down, so Mary softly grabbed Emma's chin in between her thumb and index finger, forcing Emma to make eye contact.

"Why do th-they have to ruin everything for me?" She asked her parents, holding back a sob. "I-I was actually having an g-good birthday! I was happy on my birthday! I was celebrating, b-but then they had to call. How the hell-?" Emma took a deep breath. "I'm sorry… Dad, they said something about bribing a guard! They're supposed to be the good guys!"

Both of her parents pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. "I'll call the prison first thing tomorrow morning Princess."

"It-it's not fair! I… I thought… I didn't think that I could ever hate someone, but then I met them. I hate them! I'm never gonna be normal, they broke me mom, and I can't be fixed."

Mary broke the hug first, then David followed suit. "Emma, you are not broken, you do not need to be fixed! And who the heck needs normal! It's boring! And you, Emma Nolan, you aren't boring." Mary told her, showing emphasis on their last name.

"Why did he do it? And why did Ingrid pretend not to know? I don't understand."

"We don't know princess."

There was a long comfortable silence, until Emma spoke up. "No one saw you carrying me… right?" Emma asked her father.

He chuckled. "No Em, we were already outside."

"Thank God." Emma said relieved. "That would've been embarrassing."

They both laughed. "I think you'd better go back to sleep princess, mom and I will stay in here tonight."

"You guys don't need to do that, I'm okay. I haven't had a nightmare in weeks." She assured them, but they still seemed reluctant. "You guys, if I have a nightmare, I promise that I'll wake you. Deal?" Her parents shared a silent conversation. "You realize that it's not fair when you guys have your weird eye conversations."

The both smiled. "Fine, it's a deal." Her father told her.

"But babe, if you need anything, no matter how small, just wake us please." Mary told her and Emma nodded.

"Okay, now go sleep in your big comfy bed!" She told them jokingly. They both told her goodnight and went to their 'big comfy bed'.

After of 2 hours of laying in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep, those words echoing her head "You'd be surprised by what the guards here would do for a little money." It has Emma terrified. 'Could they bribe a guard to break them out? Are they gonna come back and hurt me? Or mom? Or even dad?' She thought, but she decides against waking her parents and instead, she decides to steal some coffee. 'What they don't know won't hurt them… right?'

She tiptoed down the stairs and turned the coffee pot on, after about 10 minutes of watching the coffee brew, she poured herself a cup, then added a ton of sugar. She took a drink and moaned in delight at the taste, then set her cup on the kitchen island.

"Emma?"

Her father startled her. "Shit dad!" She said, then clapped her hands over her mouth after realizing what she said.

"Emma." He scolded. "What on earth are you doing up at" David looked over at the wall clock. "1:30 in the morning?"

"Sorry." She said sheepishly, then glanced down at her coffee, hoping her father didn't realize what she was drinking.

Much to Emma's demise, her father noticed her guiltily glancing down at the cup in her hands. "And what are you drinking?"

"... a hot beverage..." She answered vaguely.

David saw Emma's guilty expression, so he glanced at the counter to see that there was coffee made. "Emma. You shouldn't be up this late, let alone drinking coffee." He chided. "Now, do you wanna tell me what's up?" She shrugged. "Well, let's get you back up to bed." He said putting his hands on her shoulders, guiding her back up the stairs.

When they reached her bedroom door Emma stopped and turned around to face her dad. "Dad..." She whimpered, letting a tear slip.

"What is it?" He asked, his voice laced with concerned.

"I-I'm scared, I… I think if I go to sleep I'll have more nightmares, a-and I haven't had a bad one in weeks." He pulled her into a hug, cradling her head. "Daddy, please don't make me go to sleep, please?" She begged him, crying as quietly as she can, not wanting to wake her mother.

"Shh, you're okay." He broke the hug and wiped the tears from her face. "I'm sorry princess, you have to sleep, but how about you lay with mom and I tonight. Sound good?"

Emma looked up. "But… I'm 13, you don't… you don't think I'm too old?"

"You could be 30 and you wouldn't be too old, you'll always be my princess." He said and kissed her head. "Now come on." Emma nodded in response. Then her father led her to the master bedroom, Emma immediately climbed into bed and cuddled up to her mom.

"Emma?" Mary asked stirring from her sleep and wrapping and arm around her daughter.

She just melted into her mother's embrace. "I didn't mean to wake you mom, sorry."

"It's okay babe, just go back to sleep." David chuckled. "What?" Mary asked her husband.

"She never went to sleep. She was scared of having a nightmare and she didn't want to wake us. And in case you haven't noticed, she's a little stubborn, so no matter what we told her, there was no chance of her wake us up." He said with a chuckle.

"You're probably right." She sighed and looked down at Emma to see her sound asleep. "Looks like she just needed the comfort of her parents."

"Let's go to sleep, I can tell you all about what I caught her doing in the morning."

Emma's Dream

She woke up confused. 'How did I get back in my room?' She thought. "Mom? Dad?" Then she was distracted by the sound of footsteps approaching the door.

"Well, good morning dear!" Ingrid said.

"No! You… You were in jail!"

Ingrid laughed. "As I told you before, the guards are gullible, all you have to do is promise them some money and they let you go! Well, more accurately break you out, but nonetheless, we're out."

"Where are my parents? Mom?! Dad?!"

She laughed tauntingly at Emma. "Don't worry dear, there with Jefferson, in the other room."

"I want to see my parents! Take me to see them! Now!"

Ingrid smiled at her. "Well, if you insist dear!" She grabbed Emma's forearm and dragged her to her parents' bedroom.

She was her parents' both tied to separate chairs, but her father's mouth was taped, while her mother's was not. "Emma!" Mary yelled, while Davod's eyes widened.

"Mom! Dad!" Emma attempted to run towards them, but Ingrid gripped onto her arm even harder than before, then Jefferson emerged from the shadows with her father's gun.

"Sweet, sweet Emma! Did you miss us?" Jefferson taunted. "Well I missed you! And these people took you from us!"

Emma couldn't contain her tears anymore. "Please! Don't take them away! Please! I-I'll go with you!"

"Emma! No!" Her mother yelled and her father fought against the restraints to try to protest, but couldn't.

Emma took a shaky breath. "Mom, I love you, and you Dad, b-but if it means you'll-" Ingrid stopped her mid sentence.

"Oh dear, you're coming with us no matter what, but I want you to watch your so called 'parents' to die! For telling, what was his name? August? For telling August about what happened! And don't worry dear, he'll be our next stop."

"Please! You don't have to do that! I'll go with you willingly! I won't… I won't fight!"

"Emma! It'll be okay! Just stop! You aren't gonna go with them babe!"

"I'm sorry mom, I have to-" Emma was - once again - interrupted by Ingrid.

"Enough! Do it Jeff! Now!"

Jefferson held the gun up to David's head and pulled the trigger. "No! Dad! W-wake up!" Emma managed to pull from Ingrid's grasp and run to her father. "Please daddy."

"David!" Mary sobbed, then Jefferson pointed the gun at her and repeated the action.

She screamed. "NO! Mom! Dad! Wake up! Please! No, no, no! NOO!"

"Emma, wake up!" She heard in her head. "Wake up, you're okay."

*OUAT*

Mary woke up to her daughter thrashing and screaming. "No, no, no! NOOO!"

"Emma, wake up! Wake up, you're okay. I need you to wake up babe." Her mother told her soothingly, while David was gently trying to shake Emma awake. "David, can you go grab a glass of water?" He nodded and left the room. "You're okay babe, wake up."

She shot up in bed. "Mom!" She threw herself into her mother's arms. "Wh-where's dad?"

"He'll be back in a sec, he's getting you some water." Emma nodded.

Seconds later, David came in the room with a glass of water. "Hey princess, are you okay?"

"Fine." She said flatly, while fighting the tears.

"Princess, can you tell us about the dream?" David asked.

She shook her head. "I'm fine you guys."

Mary took her daughters chin between her thumb and index finger, so Emma would look at her. "You aren't fine babe, you look terrified, you're worrying us, just talk to us. Please?"

Emma allowed a few tears to fall and before she new is, she was sobbing and being enveloped in a hug by both parents. "They… In my dream, they b-broke out of jail, because they p-paid a g-guard and then they c-came here and J-J-Jeffer- Mr. F-Fisher, he-he.. He killed you guys a-and they made me watch. It-it… It was hor-horrible."

They both enveloped her in another hug. "Princess, what exactly did they say on the phone that has you so worried?"

"She said that I'd be surprised what a guard would do for a little money." Emma took a deep breath. "What if they pay a guard to help them break out of jail dad!" Emma started hyperventilate and was having a hard time catching her breath.

"Babe, I need you to breath for me. Deep breaths, deep breaths."

"I-I'm scared mom." Emma admitted and earned herself another family hug.