Hey everyone, thank you all so so much for your review as always they've completely made my week! Especially the very high praise from Infinityxinfinity95, SaraKM, weonceing13, and Charmingsdaughter. I've had a completely mad week at uni (i kinda gained a radio show? idek man)

The name of Edward's 2 nieces in this are also the names of my two eldest nieces (who are both pains but I love them)

The next chapter should be up by the 10th (though if it's a little late rest assured I am still writing it I promise).

I also wrote a oneshot based off the first episode of season 6 so if you want to go check that out, it's called 'The Saviour's Saviours." it's based on the Charmings as I love them all and they need more time in the show together, I may end up writing more dependant on scenes in the show this season, if there is something based on season 6 you want me to write a quick oneshot of message me and I'll see what I can do.

There is a mention/ mild telling of child abuse right at the end, if that really bothers you and you want to avoid it, it's the bit in itallics.

I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

The cold night had set into Emma's bones. She assumed that it was morning when she woke up, but without windows she couldn't tell if it was midday or midnight, she did know however that she was shivering; and she assumed she had been doing so for the entire night considering how tired she felt. She pulled her jumper closer around her, she couldn't help but to feel relieved that she had put it on when she was back home, it was one of her father's. She tugged the sleeves over her hands and kept tight hold of the wool in her fists to try and stop her hands from shaking. She wanted to lie down, to curl into herself, but the cuff tying her to the wall made that much more difficult. She tried to ignore the burn around her wrist from the cuff, and the sharp pain in her lungs every time she breathed, and the feeling of not being able to get quite enough air when she breathed. The jumper smelt like her dad and her home, the tug in her stomach only increased, the familiar feeling of homesickness. She covered her mouth as she had yet another coughing fit she wished more than ever for her parents to be there, she hadn't known until recently how comforting it was to have people want to look after you while you're ill, it was something she wasn't ready to give up just yet. Once she stopped coughing she took some shuddering deep breaths, to try and calm her breathing again, her breath turned to mist in the cold air.

The door opened spreading light into the dark room. Emma squinted in the changing light, she presumed from the large outline that it was Edward, she waited for the door to shut and for the room to be flooded into darkness again, but when the heavy wooden door banged shut the room was still lit by flickering lights.

"I convinced George that it'd be easier to keep an eye on you if we had a little light in here." He walked over to the wall and placed two candles on either side of the room, illuminating it in a soft, dancing, light.

Emma could now see that she was in a room made mainly of stone, which explained why it was so damn cold, it had probably been built as a storage but now all it was storing was herself and a bucket she had discovered earlier in one of the corners. Edward looked tired, lines on his face were clear, and his eyes were rimmed in purple. He slipped a bag off of his back and crouched down in front of her. She hadn't been sure if her pneumonia was making her freezing, or if it was actually as cold as a meat locker down in the basement, but judging by Edward's coat and scarf, it was actually really cold there. She could already tell that when Mary Margret and David finally found her they would be seriously overprotective, but now she was almost welcoming it. She found Edward offering her her inhaler, obviously he had heard the loud wheezing as she breathed the moment he stepped through the door, but he looked worriedly at her. She took four puffs and sat for a couple of minutes before taking some more, she finally felt her breathing get very slightly better, he held his hand back out for it; she knew that if anyone else caught her with it she wouldn't be able to use it again, so she handed it back to him.

Out of the bag he pulled two bottles of water, two rolls of bread, then finally two threadbare blankets. He gave her a small smile. "Sorry, that's the best I could do." He apologised as she sipped from one of the bottles. She winced as she swallowed it. Clearly her throat was even worse today than it was the day before, she really needed to be out of this basement, preferably to a doctor. He wrapped one of the blankets around her, then the other, he realised that she was looking at him curiously.

"Why are you doing this?" She could hear her voice cracking only just above a whisper. She nodded her head towards the food then looked towards the candles and back to assure him that she didn't mean the whole kidnapping her bit; though she wouldn't mind finding out how he got himself into all of this, also.

Edward quirked an eyebrow. "It's hardly the Ritz." He told her in his gravelly voice.

Emma tried to glare him down, though in her current state she was sure it was ineffective, and probably rather pathetic looking. "I know you're trying to help me."

Edward sighed wearily. "I'm not." He wished he was actually helping her, instead he had merely convinced George to give her the bare minimum, there was no honour in that.

"You are." She told him bluntly. "I can tell when people are lying." She stared at the older man for a minute. "I think you're just in too deep."

Edward stood up and crossed his arms in front of his chest, he didn't like how Emma was so clearly able to read him, though he had secretly liked that for the first time in forever someone actually saw some good in him.

"Because…" Emma coughed "… I've been in too deep before." She thought of the time after she had been released from prison and of the older woman who had given her a chance. "I know how it looks. All you need is for somebody to give you a chance."

"No one is going to give me that chance." He said quietly.

"My parents will," she insisted, "just-"

"- No. No one will." he interrupted, he walked over to the door he stopped when he got to it, but he didn't turn around. "Especially your parents."

*OUAT*

Granny had closed her diner off from normal people of the town that day, and had offered for it to be repurposed as a hub for the search for Emma. The day had brought electricity back for many people in the town, David and Mary Margret's loft included, but those without it would still require some assistance. Many people had heard about the search for Emma, and wanted to help in any way they could, but David and Mary Margret were hesitant to use people who they didn't really know as they were worried about Robert's magic; so with the power out some of the people had been asked to help fix that, while others had been asked to help clear general debris and check on people who may need some help. Ashley, Kathryn, Aurora, and Philip had volunteered to help those most at need in the town hall, a few houses had been destroyed so while the dwarves, minus Leroy, went about fixing them, they would be temporarily be staying there.

Granny had insisted on cooking for David and Mary Margret before they met with the others, she told them it was to give her something to do, but really it was because she was worried they would have forgotten to feed themselves and only focused on Neal and Emma. So when they walked through the door they were met with the normal smell of an array of foods being cooked. Ruby met them and immediately wrapped them both, and Neal, in a hug.

Mary Margret and David were relieved to see Granny and Ruby, who had been practically their family in the Enchanted Forest, they had been worrying about Emma all night and had hardly got any sleep. Neal had also been asking for his big sister from the moment he woke up, they tried to tell him that she would be back soon, though as the hours went on they were becoming less and less sure of themselves. Tables in the diner had been pushed aside to make one long table running down the centre, it reminded David and Mary Margret of the one which sat in their war council chamber, though not as grand; and this time Granny was not knitting a blanket for their daughter but helping to find her. They gratefully accepted hot drinks, David sipping coffee while Mary Margret warmed herself up with hot chocolate, winter was clearly coming to Storybrooke. David tried to place his son down in one of the highchairs, but Neal squirmed and cried until he got him back out again, Mary Margret swooped him out of his father's arms to hold him; at least she could hold one of her babies. She sat down at the table, keeping Neal occupied by singing nursery rhymes, while David helped Granny and Ruby bring trays of food to the table: toast, sausages, fruit, bacon, bread rolls, jugs of juice, pots of tea, jams, marmalades, and about five types of eggs. Apparently Granny had overestimated their appetites, though they were sure any leftovers from their meal would be given to the other volunteers and for people seeking refuge from the effects of the storm and cold weather. Mary Margret looked up when the bell rang, some part of her expected Emma to walk through the door with a smirk too like her father's and complain that she was fine, but instead Regina and Henry walked in. Regina sat across the table from her and gave her a sympathetic smile, Mary Margret was grateful that she didn't try to make assurances that Emma was okay or promises that they were going to find her, right now she would rather have action and plans than kind words. She felt Neal wriggling on her lap, she carefully placed him on the floor, where he stood up and ran over to Henry, whom he adored. David took his place next to Mary Margret at the table, he scooted his chair so that there was no gap between the two, he placed his hand on the small of her back she rested her head on David's shoulder and he moved his hand so it was wrapped around her and resting on her ribs. He bent his head to say something to her when the bell on the door rang again, both their heads shot up expectantly, yet again it was not Emma. A smile spread across Ruby's face when she saw Skye.

"Hey, I'm glad you made it." Ruby wrapped her in a hug when they finally released each other they stood staring at each other for a few seconds with small smiles on their faces before she was brought back to herself. "Oh you've met my Granny right?" she said starting to reintroduce the two.

"Can we trust her?" David muttered to Mary Margret.

"Ruby does, so do I, she seems like a good person." She told him just as quietly.

"How does she know that she can, though?" he asked, he was still a bit weary though he trusted his friends and his wife's instincts, after all it was Emma they needed to find so he would take every precaution.

Mary Margret took hold of his hand. "Do you remember when we first met?" she watched him nod and grow confused. "I knew I could trust you from the moment I met you, though I thought I could do it all by myself." She watched his look turn into a smirk but she cut him off before he could call her stubborn. "Ruby feels the same way about Skye."

David nodded acceptingly. He looked back towards Ruby and saw the look of love she had in her eyes as she talked to and about the barmaid, though he wasn't sure if she had realised what her feelings meant just yet, he turned his face back to his wife's he could feel a smile spread slowly onto his face.

"No." She told him sternly though a smile had started on her face, Ruby and David had been pretty close since they had met, their relationship often reminded Mary Margret of siblings' relationships. So David kept smiling. "Don't tease her too much."

-
Once the gang had started to eat they also started to discuss plans of which areas of the woods to search. David, Ruby, and Regina would be leading the search and would be joined by Robin, Fredrick, Sean, Killian, Robin's Merry Men, and Leroy. Mary Margret had decided to stay in the diner with Henry, Granny, Skye, and Belle and work on the story book; trying to figure out anyone else who might be working with George, and any clues in all their past as to where Emma could be. Blue and the rest of the fairies were at the nunnery trying to figure out how Robert's magic worked, also any children who would need protection while their parents were out searching were offered to be looked after there.

"What I'm worried about most," David said, "is if George has left Emma somewhere in the woods, where the weather will be making her worse." He wiped his hand over his face.

"She might not be." Henry suggested, he frowned as he thought, a look which was identical to how his mother looked when she was thinking.

"What do you mean?" David asked him his face contorted into the same as his grandson's.

"Well, George took my mom for a reason, right?" David nodded in response. "If he needs her for something he'll have to keep her safe or it'll all be nothing." He looked as his grandfather in hope that he was right.

David squeezed Henry's shoulder. "That's a really good point kid." He beamed proudly.

"I watched a lot of cop shows with my mum." He shrugged the compliment but gave him a small smile. "Mom always suggests what criminals should do to get away with it."

David gave a small smile of amusement "I'll be having words with her when we find her." He joked as he could tell his grandson needed some cheering up.

"She is going to be okay," he said sounded confident, "right Gramps?"

David forced himself to think positively. "Of course she will, we're going to find her soon, I promise you."

Henry smiled, if his grandfather was sure so was he, he wrapped him in a hug.

David rose his voice to capture the attention of the rest of the search party. "We should also look in small huts and shacks that may be hidden in the woods, someplace which will give shelter, but will be small and inconspicuous."

*OUAT*

Emma awoke again when the door slammed, she forgot that she had a chain around her wrist tying her to the wall, she tried to scramble up to her feet ready to meet whoever was there, she obviously failed; and fell painfully feeling pain radiating up her back.

George walked further into the basement room, laughing at her as he did so.

Emma felt a jolt of fear radiating through her, the man wasn't evil in the way that other villains she had faced were, he was evil in a much more human way; he wasn't about to throw fireballs at her, or send her through a portal, or perform cruel magic tricks: no, he was evil in a way which she was more used to from her childhood, which scared her a whole lot more than some evil queen. "What do you want." She held back a grimace at the pain while she spoke.

"I've already told you, my dear, you are going to be my heir." He placed his hands in his coat pockets to keep them warm. "Whether you want to be or not."

"I may not have paid attention in high school, but even I know that you adopting my …dad's brother," she wanted to avoid making an actual connection to James her weird extending family was the last thing on her mind at the present moment in time, "doesn't make me your heir."

"In our world, it does. When Rumpelstiltskin gave me your father as James' very poor replacement," he scowled as he thought of how different David had been, "he became my son. So you are my granddaughter, and my heir in that world… and this new one." He watched her shivering, he couldn't blame her it was exceptionally cold down in the basement; so cold the next room was used as a parlour, but it was Emma's paleness which made him displeased, her being ill would only complicate matters. "You have a lot of respect in this town. The people of this place would easily follow you, as the sheriff and as the daughter of their 'heroes', they'll follow you without any stupid uprisings which would of course need to be quashed."

"Yeah, freedom and democracy are horrible," Emma rolled her eyes as she spoke with sarcasm but then her voice turned serious and threatening, "but don't worry, they won't have a chance to rebel." She watched George smile in the flickering light, "Because my parents will stop you before you even have a chance. And there's no way in hell that I'm ever, ever, going to help you."

"You're awfully cocky for someone who's chained to a wall." He clenched his fist inside of coat pocket. "And as you've obviously been too stupid to realise, I'll tell you again, your parents are gone.

Emma shook her head unwilling to entertain that idea for even a minute.

"Yes. They are dead." George sneered. "First my men took out that mutated waitress. Then the other pathetic excuses for heroes. Until it was only your mother, father, and brother left. I made your father watch your mother die. Then… well he no longer has a functioning throat. Your baby brother is upstairs now, I don't think he misses them at all, though we'll have to change his name to something more regal."

Emma shook her head as he spoke, her breath caught in her throat, she couldn't believe it… but being stuck in the room without them gave her pause for thought. Still she shook her head.

"I believe that first born children should be heir, no matter their gender. I will have you on my side whether you like it or not." He spoke through clenched teeth. "Whether you are to be my heir and have some input into the fate of this town, or if you're to stay locked down here in the cold with your bad dreams while I teach your brother to be a proper leader like James would have been… well, that's up to you."

*OUAT*

Mary Margret looked over to see Henry sat in a booth by himself, he was glaring angrily at the open story book in front of him, she left the others at the table where they were looking at photocopies of some of the stories. She sat down across from him and waited for him to start talking. While she was waiting she realised what picture he was looking at, it was when George had taken her and poisoned her, a chill ran down her spine at the memory.

"Is everyone capable of good?" his voice wasn't angry like Mary Margret had thought it would be, it was curious, and if she wasn't mistaken, it was sad; as though what he had believed to be true was a huge lie.

"What do you mean?" she took hold of his hand across the table.

"Well, load of people got second and even third chances when they did things wrong… because it was the right thing to do, because everyone should be able to turn good…"

Mary Margret suddenly grasped what Henry was getting at. "The reason we gave them all chances was because they had shown they wanted to change, or that they could be good, like your mom wasn't always the Evil Queen she was once a very nice lady, and she loves you; that's why we gave her a chance. Even the other villains we came across, sometimes we just couldn't keep giving them chances, like when Pan took you. George took Emma, we're not going to give him a chance after that." She thought back to her and her daughter's conversation a few days previously. "But we won't kill him either. We'll make sure he's sent to a prison out of Storybrooke, where he'll be kept for a very, very long time and anyone who's voluntarily hurt your mother." She promised.

Henry couldn't help but feel relieved at his grandmother's promise, he wanted George to be punished for what he had done, but they had to remain good. He frowned at the picture of George again, then flicked to find another one, and another, and another.

"What's wrong?" Mary Margret asked him, she knew what that look meant, it meant he was onto something.

"Gramps is looking in the woods for them… but he's looking in a shack."

"Yeah," Mary Margret nodded slowly, "we think George will be with her in case she escapes or we find her. He likes to be in control. He'll want to see how this all plays out."

"He won't be in a shack or a hut then." He told her confidently. "Look at all these pictures." He turned the book around so she could see them clearly. "George's kingdom was getting poorer in all of these, that's why he wanted grandpa to marry Princess Abigale. But he's still sat in a rich castle…"

"He likes to be comfortable." Mary Margret's face lit up with pride. "He won't be in a shack or a hut-"

"-He'll be comfortable." Henry finished.

"You're a very smart boy, Henry, I'm glad we have you on our side." She smiles. "We'll tell your gramps when he gets back," she looked at the clock, "which should be any minute now."

*OUAT*

Throughout the day Emma's asthma continued to get worse. She felt like her chest was being punctured with even the smallest of breaths, she spent most of her time asleep, but the time she spent awake she wished she was with her parents; even being in a hospital and taking steroid tablets would be better than this.

Between her sleeps she thought that she remembered seeing Edward coming in and checking on her, she would have thought that she had simply been dreaming if not for the metal bed with its thin mattress which was placed in her room. She awoke on top of it, apparently she was no longer a huge threat, though she was still handcuffed to the bedframe.

*OUAT*

George poured himself and Robert some sherry.

"You're annoyed with her." Robert smirked in amusement, like a boy pulling legs off of flies.

"She doesn't believe that her father and mother are dead." George spat frustrated. "I need to be able to control the girl and by extent her magic: I can't do that if she's still clinging onto hope that 'mommy and daddy' will save her."

Robert nodded and took a sip of his own drink. He had never met David, or Snow White, but the stories George told of him made Robert hate the man on principle; he was the furthest thing from James as possible, other than perhaps in stubbornness, which made him not fun at all. "Is she still ill?" he asked lazily, he wouldn't care for her health if it were not instrumental for their plans to succeed.

George nodded slowly. "She will need to see a doctor soon, I think."

Robert chuckled, he stood up from his leather arm chair to stand in front of the fire. "No doctor is going to trust you or keep quiet." He told him frankly. "Not with Prince Sheep-herder and his wife still around."

"I know." George sighed he looked up into the younger man's eyes; the ring of red around the green had always unsettled him. "I want to give them a few more days to tire themselves out. Then I'll meet them, I'll kill them in front of the girl, then with them gone, we'll take this town." He swiped his hand in a dismissing gesture. "The hard thing will be getting her to use her magic, with that cuff on her she can't use it… but if she has it off and we can't control her, we'll all be in for a whole world of trouble."

Robert considered his father figure in front of him. "I have found," he spoke slowly his voice was snake like; smooth and corrupting, "that fear is a powerful motivator. I remember you taught me that." He gave the man a sadistic smile as he remembered the lessons George taught he and James.

George barely suppressed the excitement he felt, Emma was well known to have powerful magic; he knew they would be unstoppable as soon as he tamed her. "You have some ideas, I presume."

"When I get inside of people's heads to look at their dreams, I can also look at other things, like their memories. While people sleep the memories aren't so guarded. She has plenty of memories from her childhood, ones which are still powerful for her, they should scare her into submission: especially when she realises that mummy and daddy won't be able to save her."

"I like how you think."

Robert drank the last of his sherry, the red of his eye twinkled as he looked towards the fire, a smile slithered into a curl on his face. "This is going to be fun."

*OUAT*

When it had got to ten o'clock that night Regina had insisted that Mary Margret and David go home for the night, the torches couldn't cut through the pitch black of the night, so searching during those hours was pointless and would only drain them of their energy.

"Save that energy for the fight." She had argued.

"We don't even know if there'll be a fight, we could take George by surprise at night, while his men aren't around him." Mary Margret maintained.

"We're not giving up on her." David fiercely protested.

"I'm not saying to give up on her, I'm saying you need to conserve your energy, we all know George won't be stupid enough to give up without a fight; and your other child needs you too."

The couple sighed, her stern words were so like Ruby's the previous night that it scared them, the two rarely agreed on anything; so when they did people listened.

-
Mary Margret, David, and Neal piled into David's truck, the colder weather and rain had mixed to make a sleet which was making driving difficult, David's truck was the safest way they could get about. Neal had hated not seeing his father for most of the day, and only seeing his mother until lunch time, he missed his sister tremendously; normally she was there to talk and play with him. He sat in his car seat in his father's vehicle and cried.

"Come on, sweetie," Mary Margret soothed, "we'll be home soon." She gently stroked his cheek as she sat beside him, but he continued to cry hysterically.

"Neal, buddy, it's okay. Shhh sunshine." David tried from where he sat in the driver's seat.

"Emmy." Neal cried, he held his hands out to his mother. He didn't understand why they were keeping her from him, she was normally there. Why were his mommy and daddy not letting him see her?

Mary Margret gently rubbed circled onto his stomach, she wanted to pick him up and be able to settle him down so she could do something for one of her children, but she couldn't as it was too dangerous. She shot her husband a helpless look, and he looked just as helpless in return. She looked back at her son trying to think what she could do to sooth him until they got home. She suddenly remembered the blanket David had put in the glove compartment early that morning, ready for Emma if she wanted it. She felt the soft white wool under her hands, it was still in perfect condition despite years of use, there was still the spot of blood, and she reminded herself to wash it as soon as she could. "Neal, can you look after Emmy's blanket for her?"

"Emmy?" he questioned sadly, he sniffed as his tears and crying stopped, he knew that this was his sister's blanket as he had seen her with it when she was sad or poorly; he knew that she didn't like other's having or seeing it, but she was okay with him seeing it, he thought.

"Yeah," Mary Margret said softly, "she needs you to look after it, can you do that?" she tucked the blanket around her son, he could clearly smell his sister on it and it seemed to be settling him down. She felt her husband take hold of her hand, they linked their fingers together, she looked back over at him, he had a bittersweet look on his face as sweet as it was to see Emma's blanket comforting her little brother, they'd much rather have Emma there. The only sound in the car was the wipers, working overtime to keep the windscreen free from sleet, and Neal's quiet sniffing as he stopped crying.

David bounced Neal on his hip as he made the toddler some warm milk in his bottle. Mary Margret came into the kitchen from putting Emma's blanket in the washing machine, she couldn't bear to think about what had happened to her daughter, the red stain was a reminder of it. She rubbed her son's back as they stood waiting for the milk to warm. His blue eyes were rimmed with red from crying, and he clutched his toy dragon in his hand, he was clearly tired but Mary Margret suspected that he was be just as hard to get to sleep as he was the night before.

David brushed his hand down the side of Mary Margret's arm until she looked up at his. He placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "I love you." He whispered.

"I love you, too." she whispered back. "We'll find her."

"We will. And George is going to be sorry when we do." His voice was overprotective as he started to feed Neal the milk.

"He will be." Mary Margret vowed. She started to make them both some hot chocolate, she paused when she realised she had got three mugs out automatically, she left Emma's mug on the side; she would need to use it soon enough. "But we can't kill him."

David sighed heavily.

"Emma made me promise, so did Henry, and agree with them."

"I know." David said quietly. "I was talking to Regina, she said she'll be able to help make some paperwork to send George to prison, after he's done this to Emma I'm going to make sure he goes away for life."

She smiled at her husband as he rocked their son, she felt an amazing amount of pride, after all the things George had done to him he still had a stiff moral compass; he wasn't going to seek vengeance as it was done in their old home.

No matter how much they rocked him, sang to him, left him to cry, Neal would not fall asleep. Just before the clock struck midnight they gave up. David coddled him close to his chest, he sat down on the bed then led down with Neal still on his chest, Mary Margret made sure both were covered completely by the duvet and the blankets luckily due to the heaters in the loft the room was fairly warm. Warmer than wherever Emma was being kept she figured. She was lost in her thoughts until she felt David lay Neal down between the two of them, the toddler shifted in his sleep to lay his head on her chest, she stroked his baby-soft dark curls. David slipped his arm around wife. They both led in silence until they fell asleep.

*OUAT*

"They will forgive you," Emma told him yet "whatever it is you've done. Just go to them they'll help you."

Edward rolled his eyes. "They won't. I don't understand why you're so intent on trusting me when you don't know anything about me."

"I just do." Emma shrugged the best she could from where she was led on the bed as she was too tired to sit up. "Did you… I thought you came to my hospital room, but your hair was short, it was probably just a stupid dream."

"It was tied back," he smirked, "you know for a sheriff… you're not very perceptive." He gained a small smile in return for his jest. Though behind his jokes he was actually very worried about her; her breathing had quickened, her wheezing was louder, she had more coughing fits than before, she was paler, and she could barely keep her eyes open for longer than ten minutes. She really needed to get out of here, but if he tried to take her himself he'd be killed instantly and he wasn't sure what would happen to her. He would go to Mary Margret and David but there had been no opportunity for him to get out of the mansion and he didn't have any way to prove to them that he was telling them the truth, and if they wanted to beat George they would need him.

"How did you end up working for George?" Emma asked weakly, bringing him back to himself, "You don't seem like you're here by much choice. And you seem certain that my parents won't listen to you."

"Okay," he sighed finally giving in, "but then you'll know why your parents won't trust me, and why you're wrong to."

Emma managed to push herself slightly more upright ready to listen, she pulled the blankets tighter around her, but there really wasn't much difference between having them and not.

"I started out as a knight in George's army when I was very young and George had only just taken to the throne. I was not rich like many of the others, or from a well-known family, but I was a very good fighter so I quickly became one of the highest ranking men in his army. It was not the nicest of kingdoms, but it was my home. George had fair morals, or so I thought, it turned out that most of the moral belonged to his wife. She died when your uncle, Prince James, was very young. George's morals started to become more and more questionable. One day, when Prince James was around ten, he sent us to break up a village of what he told us were bloodthirsty pirate and convicts; they put up a huge fight… as the rest of my men torched the village, I fought the last man, it was he who gave me this scar." He pointed to his face. "But I still beat him, and I thought what we had done was right… until with his dying breath the man told me that the village was made up of people who were poor, crippled, ill, some were convicts… but none deserved the deaths we gave them."

Emma only just realised how old Edward was, his haggard face had deep wrinkles running through it, his hair may have once been dark, but now it was losing a battle with grey and white hairs.

"I went back to George and told him I would not do his deplorable acts: that was not the vow I made as a knight, I threw down my sword and armour at his feet and left his service. I went back to the village I grew up in, I still had my sister and her two daughters, Ellamae and Naomi, they were just babies. And there was a person who… we kind of had a relationship… but it was against the law where we lived." He frowned, he knew that this new world had different ideas about sexuality, but he had still never said the words out loud.

"You were gay?" Emma guessed, she watched him nod he looked almost as if he was scared, she took hold of his hand and squeezed it, she gave him a smile to let him know that he didn't have to be worried about her reaction. She had never thought about how it may have been seen in the Enchanted Forest, she could only assume even worse than the homophobia in this time and world, which she had never understood.

"Anyway, I returned home, my sister was a seamstress but the village was poor so it was hard for her to earn money. With my scar, nowhere in the village would hire me, so I stole from places without my sister or Nigel knowing. Nowhere poor or undeserving. My small family was poor, but we were happy." He had kept Emma's cold hand in his own hoping that it would warm soon.

"I came home one day, to find Nigel… he had been killed. George had left a letter telling me it was the price for breaking the law. He told me he also had my family, and if I didn't do as he said they would pay the price. When I visited George he told me that the only way he would release them is if I were to become his personal assassin. I had to agree, they were all I had left." He cleared his throat. "He sent me through and beyond Misthaven, threatening, stealing, kidnapping, and killing. I kept asking him to free my family, I would still remain in his service, I asked for years and years; but they never were. Over the years I started to lose hope, so I decided started to help the people I was meant to kill; I would fake their deaths and help them restart their lives somewhere else. George has never found that out, he would have killed the people I hid, and my family."

Emma frowned. "That doesn't make you a bad person, you changed your life, and you started to help people." She insisted. "We'll be able to find where you family are, they might be a little older than when you last saw them, but they would have come over with the curse-"

"No." Edward told her firmly. "They died before you were even born. George told me that the day I helped kidnap you."

"Then… why are you still around?"

"I did kill people, and I kidnapped you… I have to make up for that. I was going to help you escape, but I fear you're too ill to make a run for it, we're surrounded by fields and woods, you'd be caught straight away."

For once Emma didn't argue about how sick she was, it was pointless, not to mention dangerous. "You'll have to go convince my parents. I know it's painful for you, but tell them your story, they'll understand."

"I will go." He told her quietly. "Though I don't think they'll forgive me. I'm a villain, they're heroes. Plus the first impression I have given them is working for George and kidnapping their child."

Emma bit her lip to hide a smile. "One of the first impressions I gave my mom was her bailing me out of jail… and my dad kinda avoided me for the most of the first year as I always looked like I was about to punch him."

Edward frowned, like most of the town he had heard some of Emma's story, but he didn't know the semantics of it. "One day I would love to hear your story."

"Sure." She smiled, the story had managed to keep her awake for a little while, but now she was growing tired again, she fought to keep her eyes open in the dying candle light.

"What if they don't believe me, how am I meant to make them trust me," Edward questioned he had already swore he would tell them but if they didn't believe him it would be a huge problem, "they won't believe me if I tell them that you trust me… that won't be enough."

Emma thought for a moment, although her parents were normally very open minded and understanding, when it came to their children they could be blindingly overprotective. "Tell them that I told them they can trust you. They'll believe it if I tell you something personal…. Tell them, I'm sure if they've rooted through my room they'll have found the notebook in my bedside table…. Tell them I'm sorry I didn't tell them, and that I lied, and that when I'm back home they can shout at me all they like." Emma swallowed which was painful but better than outright crying, "Tell them I miss them." She forced herself to fake a smile. "Even if they are overly-protective, and that I can't wait to watch movies with them, even if it's Neal's turn."

Edward sent her a warm smile, he knew how hard it was to be away from family, and Emma so clearly cared about what happens to hers.

*OUAT*

Emma was sat in the back of her parents car… at least she thought they were her parents at the time, she thought that the Swans were taking her on an adventure perhaps even a holiday, but she knew from memory that this was not what was happening.

She was being driven to a social services office where she would be left.

Their faces flickered, and she was no longer looking at the Swans, but at her actual parents. She knew that this wasn't right, but it was just so realistic. Her parents looked at her in disgust before they turned back around and started to drive.

The scene changed and she was in a house, it was her first home since the Swan's, she hadn't understood what was happening; all she knew was this was a bad place. She hid under the bed of the sparsely decorated room, her baby blanket was clutched to her chest, she didn't want to be there.

She could hear her foster parents shouting downstairs, their voices were eerily similar to her actual parents but that wasn't right it couldn't be them, she had never even heard them raise their voices to each other.

She heard a plate smash.

Her hand instinctive went to her arm where she knew within a couple of weeks a cigarette burn would develop.