Chapter 20

Erica spent the next two nights getting little rest. She lounged around Henry's apartment watching television trying to distract herself. However, all she could think about was that night. She tried to focus on something else. Nothing worked. She was starting to regret dropping the charges but what else could she do. Her parents, her family would be exposed to the entire world. She wasn't about to let them be ripped apart.

She got up from the couch and went to the kitchen. She made herself some coffee and waited for it to brew. She felt a headache coming on and went to look in Henry's medicine cabinet for Tylenol. "Why couldn't I have found someone as understanding as Rachel?" she asked aloud. "I should've kept my mouth shut," she said. Erica found the Tylenol and took two pills.

Erica heard the front door shut and walked out of the kitchen. Henry was standing in the living room looking disgruntled. "Hey Henry. What's wrong with you?"

Henry shot her a sideways glance. "When you were going to say something? Or did you think nobody was going to notice?" asked Henry.

Erica creased her eyebrows confused. "What are you talking about?"

Henry rolled his eyes. "Don't. You dropped the charges against Scott. Why?"

Erica's eyes widened a little. "Henry, I-I can explain. I had to. We were going to be exposed," she replied.

He arched an eyebrow at his sister's response. "You had to? What does that mean?"

"How did you find out?" asked Erica.

"No. You answer my question first. How could you do something so stupid?" asked Henry, his voice rising in anger.

Erica folded her arms over her chest. "Henry. It wasn't stupid. I had a decision to make. I had to protect all of us."

Henry shook his head trying to understand. "That's not an answer. Why would you drop the charges after everything he put you through?"

"Scott was going to expose us. He was already shouting at the police station how mom ripped out his heart and she tried to kill him. Nobody believed him at first but his lawyer did. She came to the hospital and threatened to expose all of us. She had this old footage of mom using magic," said Erica.

Henry took a seat on at the living room table. "Mom did that. When?"

"Days ago. She saw Scott and me having an argument in my hospital room. She took him to Storybrooke to do damage. Fortunately, John and Jacob were there to stop her."

Henry put his head in his hands. He couldn't fault his mother for doing what she did. If this had been his daughter, there's no telling what he would do. He wondered about this old footage though.

"Erica, how did this lawyer get old footage of mom?" asked Henry.

Erica shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. She just had it with her."

Henry stood up. "What was the lawyer's name?"

"A Tamara Benson." Erica paused for a moment. "I think she knows of mom and dad."

Henry's eyes widened. "Tamara. Describe her as much as possible."

Erica thought about the woman's appearance. "Well, she's African-American, tall, educated. She doesn't look like she could be dangerous but she's proven that's not the case. It's not like we had a two-hour conversation. Why do you ask?"

Henry ran his fingers through his hair. "This can't be happening. I thought they had gotten rid of her a long time ago."

He pulled out his cell phone. "I'm calling mom and Daniel right now." He proceeded to dial when Erica snatched the phone out of his hand.

"You can't call them. They won't understand why I'm doing this. They'll risk their own safety and well-being."

"They need to know! You have no idea what could possibly be happening as we speak. Tamara is not a good person," Henry yelled.

"No! I'll tell them but in my own time. Henry, promise you won't say anything. You never answered my question. How did you even find out?" Erica said.

"I called Detective Winters and she told me the news. What makes you think mom or Daniel won't call to check on the case?" asked Henry.

"They don't have a reason to unless you give them one," said Erica. "I know what I'm doing. Just let this go," Erica replied.

"I'm not letting this go. Tamara…I know her," said Henry.

Erica tilted her head. "How?"

"She kidnapped me when I was a boy. She and her boyfriend. They wanted to destroy magic and anyway mom, Emma, Snow, David and Daniel stopped them eventually," said Henry.

"I'm sorry that happened. But this proves my point. See what happens when magic is exposed. I can't let you all fall on your swords. I can handle this," Erica said.

"We all would do anything for you. You know that. Stop this nonsense and reinstate the charges," Henry said.

Erica shook her head in frustration. "You don't understand. I'm not doing it. Nothing you say or do will make me change my mind. I've heard you but my mind is made up. Drop it once and for all."

"What if he comes after you again?" asked Henry.

"After what mom and Daniel did to him? I doubt he wants to stay in contact with this family. The further he is, the better. He's out of our lives. Let him stay that way."

Erica walked to the key rack and grabbed a set. "Where are you going?" asked Henry.

"To mail the ring back," said Erica.

"Don't bother. I had Rachel do it yesterday. I figured you wouldn't miss it."

"Ok. Thanks but I need to clear my head anyway. Don't wait up," Erica said and she walked out the door.

Henry picked up his cell phone and called his mother.

"Hello," said Emma.

"Mom, I need to ask you something. What happened after you stopped Tamara and Greg from going through with their plan?"

Emma creased her eyebrows in confusion. "Why would you bring that up?"

"I just always wondered. I can't help but think on things that have happened to me since Erica. Seeing her in pain brings back bad memories," Henry lied. He knew he could possibly get away with lying over the phone. He watched Regina master the art of masking emotions for years. He learned from the best.

"We immobilized them on Neverland and sent them through a portal. Regina made sure they ended up in the middle of nowhere," said Emma.

"That's all," Henry said.

"Yeah. Is everything okay?" asked Emma.

"Everything's fine. It just always bugged me and I thought it was time to get some answers," Henry replied. He heard a background noise. "Henry, that's August. I have to go. I'll talk to you later. Love you."

"Love you too," Henry said and hung up the phone. He wanted to call Regina and Daniel but he couldn't break his promise. He hoped to God nothing would happen to his sister.

Erica had drove to her apartment. The yellow tape was gone and she unlocked her door. She went inside to see the room still trashed. She straightened some items and tried to clean up as much as possible. She looked around the room and she could hear her screams echoing in her mind.

Being in the apartment made her relive every moment. She wanted to distract herself but how could she? This was all a reminder of the worst time in her life. Times like these she wished she had her parents.

She took out her phone and started to dial home. The phone rang but she quickly shut off her phone. She couldn't talk to them. She could accidentally let it slip that she dropped the charges. She was determined not to let her family pay the price.

Erica went to her bedroom and cleaned up the room. She gathered some items from her closet and put them in a duffle bag. As she was about to close the closet door when she spotted a photo album. She knelt down and opened it. It was the photo album she made for her and Scott. She flipped through the pages. They were happy and she just knew he was her true love. Instead, she got a psycho.

She took the pictures out and walked into the living room. She threw them into the fireplace. She took some matches off the mantle and lit them and threw them in. Those pictures weren't going to mean anything to her anymore.

She watched them burn and felt a sense of relief. In a way, she was closing the door on the past and hoped it would stay closed for good.

Erica went back to Henry's apartment and unpacked her belongings. She pulled out her phone again and called home. She would have to keep the conversation to a minimum.

"Hello," said Regina.

"Mom," said Erica.

"Sweetheart, I'm glad you called. I was so worried. I was going to call you but I didn't want to crowd you. Are you okay?"

Erica chuckled. "I'm fine mom. I just wanted to check in on you guys."

"Well, dear, that's sweet of you. Your father and I are more concerned for you. Is everything going well with Henry?"

Erica bit her lip. "Henry is a real gentleman. We're getting along fine. It's kind of weird since I haven't lived with him in so long."

"I'm glad to hear it. You know you can always come home," said Regina.

Erica smiled. "I know but I'm fine. What are you doing?"

"I'm making lunch for Daniel and heading to the stables," replied Regina.

"Ok. You two have fun. I better go. Love you mom and give dad a kiss for me."

"Ok honey. Love you too and I will do that as soon as I see him." They hung up their phones.

"So, I take it you're okay," said Henry.

Erica looked up. "Yeah. Are you mad?"

Henry sat on the bed. "I was at first. I get you wanting to let the past stay in the past. However, these things can come up on us at unexpected times. I want you to really think about this."

Erica placed a hand on his shoulder. "I have thought about this. I'm fine with my decision and I want you to be as well."

Henry put his hand over hers. "I'm not comfortable with it but I'll support you. You know everyone's going to go ballistic when they find out."

"I'll be prepared," said Erica. "I am Regina's daughter after all."

Henry chuckled. "How can I forget? You act like her all the time."

"Haha. Very funny," Erica said sarcastically. "You have a lot of mom in you too."

"Oh, I know. You learn a lot. I guess it's the nature versus nurture thing. I don't know. Look, try and get some rest tonight. I'll see you later," said Henry. Erica nodded her head and Henry walked out.

Meanwhile, Owen camped out in his son's apartment for two days trying to devise a plan.

"Dad, what's your deal with Regina?" asked Scott.

Owen looked up from his notes. "She killed my father."

"Seriously? Why?" asked Scott.

Owen downcast his eyes for a moment before looking back up. "He knew about Storybrooke. He could have exposed Regina and the entire town. She couldn't let this happen."

Scott nodded his head. "What's the plan? Are we going to go to jail over this? I barely escaped it this time around."

"Don't worry son. Nobody is going to jail. The plan is to kidnap Erica. We won't be able to get near any of her sons right now. They're in other places."

"Well, not Henry. He lives in the city," said Scott.

"Really? Good. I can use him as well," said Owen.

"How?"

"We track his movements. Once the time comes we strike," said Owen.

Scott sat next to his father. "We're really doing this? Are we sure Tamara shouldn't be involved?"

"I'm sure. She's your lawyer. Nothing more. She has nothing to do with this anymore. This is about our family and regaining what we lost because of that witch. It's a win-win. You and I will exact our revenge on the people who've wronged us."

"Erica did cost me a lot," said Scott. "Tell me what I need to do."

"You need to secure a location that's not noticeable. Perhaps an abandoned warehouse. Something inconspicuous," Owen said.

"Consider it done. I'll make some phone calls."

"Wait, don't use your cell phone right now. It's traceable. Use this," he said. Owen pulled out a phone. "It's a disposable. I have plenty of them."

Scott took the cell phone and dialed his contacts. Owen looked back at his notes. This was his moment to finish what he started. And this time, he would finish his mission.