The Promised Neverland AU

By: FunahoMisaki

(A/N: I own nothing and read last chapter)

"Today's the day that Ray distracts Mom so we can do an investigation right?" Don asked looking at Emma who nodded her head slightly.

"If I remember right…Mama subdues Ray for a few seconds and knows about you two joining our group. She'll leave the house without Ray being able to alert you two and then you three will run after her to the wall to try and stop her from stopping Norman and I. That's when she tells us that Norman is being shipped, only to Lamba but she doesn't tell us that of course, and I end up with a broken leg." Emma said and Don winced at hearing that. A broken leg? Didn't that mean that Mom broke it?

"Mom will carry me back to the house and despite us trying to get Norman to leave tomorrow before being shipped, he doesn't go." Emma added that and Don nodded.

"Make sure you let the others know that we aren't going to leave today or until January." Emma said and Don nodded as he left to go and relay the message to the rest of the 'Queens Court' as Thoma and Lani started calling it.

"I'll remain on standby." Anna said sighing heavily at hearing that Emma was going to have a broken leg by the end of the day. At least that meant she'll learn about how to treat broken bones now? That could come in handy for the future…

"That gives us more time to get usable herbs and all." Nat said sighing slightly but inwardly glad that he'd have more time to be of more use to his chosen leader, his Queen.

"And more time to train." Gilda agreed but she was already moving away to be in place for the plan that Norman and Ray had cooked up. She saw Ray walking into the house with Mom right behind him, she knew that the plan would start soon.

"This is going to definitely suck for Emma." Lani said with a wince, having a broken leg sucked enough. Having your leg broken by your own mom? Double ouch. Knowing that it was going to happen ahead of time and you weren't going to prevent it? Well damn.

"Everyone get in your places. It's time." Don ordered as he moved over towards Gilda and they both watched the house. But they weren't watching the window Ray said he would signal them from. No they were watching the door and just patiently waiting.

Sure enough, Mom walked out without Ray signaling anyone and she smirked a bit as she walked by them as calm as you please with her pocket watch tracker in hand and open.

"Don get Ray. We'll go after Mom together just like Emma wanted." Gilda said and Don nodded as he ran into the house to get Ray out of the locked room.

Meanwhile at the wall

Norman and Emma had just arrived at the wall and Norman had gotten their makeshift rope when they heard something and turned around. Norman was expecting Don and Gilda, Emma knew it wasn't them.

"I guess you found out about our investigation didn't you? Mama." Emma asked as she looked at where she heard her mother walking calmly through the woods towards them.

"Emma." Norman hissed, they might have been able to play it off as them idly exploring the area past the fence as curiosity. At least he thought they could have tried to.

"Oh calm down Norman. Mama already knows that we're aware of the wall. She already knows we're going to try and investigate what lies beyond so that we can plan an escape. She knows that Ray wasn't her loyal spy anymore. She probably locked him in a room somewhere and was going to release him after she came out here to deal with us. She also knows… exactly what to do in order to stop us. Am I right so far mama?" Emma asked, her gaze not wavering from the tree line where sure enough Isabella began to walk out with her pocket watch in hand, which she closed once she was in the small clearing.

"All correct, just as I expected of you Emma." Isabella said smiling at Emma and it was a loving smile but not her normal one.

"I'm guessing you came to stop us and came to talk to us. Something about having raised us for ten years and yet this being the first time we could talk without reservations right? Farmer to prized cattle?" Emma asked and she smirked a bit as she calmly watched her mother approach.

"Right again. It's a pleasure to finally meet you Emma, and you too Norman." Isabella said and her eyes didn't have their normal warm loving gaze as she stared at them, her pupils being smaller than normal.

"You're right. We can talk without reservations. Mother to daughter." Emma said and her smile was cold as she looked at Isabella who twitched a bit at that.

"So you did know. I wondered if you knew or if it was subconscious." Isabella said covering for her surprise as she stared at her daughter wholly.

"I'm like my big brother. I don't have infantile amnesia. Why else do you think I've been training so hard?" Emma asked smirking at her mother now while Norman looked stunned to hear this.

"Emma…what?" Norman asked staring at her confused and shocked.

"Ray and I are brother and sister. And both of us are Mama's children. With Ray it's a bit understandable that you wouldn't suspect it, black hair is common after all…however…purple eyes? Even if I have heterochromia there's no way to mistake my eye color as being just like Mama's." Emma pointed out idly and Isabella's face became just a bit softer as she stared her daughter in the eyes.

"I'm surprised you didn't let on that you knew. Although it does explain why you were always so sad when your siblings were adopted." Isabella said calmly and Emma shrugged a bit.

"Why bother letting on? Usually those who play their hands close to the chest are the ones who win out in the end." Emma said just as calm as her mother.

"Now let me guess how this is going to go…you're going to tell us about how we were never hungry, never left out in the cold and had a warm place to sleep, and how we were raised with love and care and knew nothing of sorrow and unhappiness…and that it was a good life even if it's short. How all of our siblings live that life and know of only love and happiness up till their final moments, which you drug them when they're due to be shipped out so that they're asleep or unconscious and don't feel anything or know of the betrayal of their mom, and how you want us to live in happiness and give up on escaping…am I missing my mark?" Emma asked raising an eyebrow at her mother who looked briefly surprised that Emma had seen what she was going to do so easily.

"Right…all of it is right. So then children? Shall we go back to the house?" Isabella asked holding her hand out for them and Emma and Norman looked at each other.

"Alright Mom you win." Norman said sighing heavily as he looked down and Isabella looked genuinely happy about that.

"I'll stop being a good kid!" Norman said with a bright smile and Emma darted forward, impacting her mother lightly in a half hug. Certainly not using her full strength or speed, and they both knew it.

"Go Norman! I've got this!" Emma called as Norman raced towards the wall to scale it and see past it.

"I know what you're going to do. Go ahead and do it." Emma whispered where only Isabella could hear as Emma reached for the pocket watch, knowing she'd never get it.

In an instant Isabella pinned down Emma and there was a sickening crack noise all around the clearing as Emma's leg was broken cleanly.

Norman froze and turned around horrified and wide eyed.

"Son of a bitch that hurts!" Emma yelled, briefly stunning Isabella at the curse and how lucid she still was. Emma clenched her eyes shut for a moment to keep from crying before she snapped them open and took in the state of her leg as Isabella pulled out a roll of bandages and grabbed a stick to make a splint. Huh…wasn't it bright red last time when Mama broke it? Why was it a dark bluish purple color now?

"Emma!" Ray, Don and Gilda entered the clearing just as Isabella was finishing up doctoring Emma's leg.

"It's alright sweetheart. It doesn't hurt." Isabella crooned softly.

"You're right…it doesn't." Emma said as she struggled to her feet, standing up and clenching her teeth much to the others shock and awe. Ray because of his sisters grit, Norman in disbelief over how she was pushing past the pain, Don and Gilda because of how badass their queen was, and Isabella because of her daughters determination and ability to block out the pain it seemed.

"You shouldn't stand on it. You'll make it worse." Isabella said scooping her daughter up into her arms in a princess carry and holding her close to her chest. She got to hold and carry her baby girl in her arms and dote on her a little bit, even if she had broken her daughters leg.

"I was so happy when you hugged me. You haven't done that in a while." Isabella said with a soft happy smile on her face as she held Emma close.

"So you broke my leg? Next time just ask for a hug mama!" Emma said as she relaxed a little in the hug, it was a hell of a lot better than putting pressure on her leg right now. Besides, Mama was comfy and the sound of her heartbeat in Emma's ear as Emma laid her head against her mothers chest…it was still so soothing and relaxing to hear it.

"You made me do this…" Isabella began to say only for Emma to snort slightly.

"Bull! You came prepared to break my leg, you had the bandages already on you. And if you came prepared to break my leg then that could only mean you didn't want to damage Norman. That means…" Emma clenched her teeth again as her leg spiked in pain when Isabella adjusted her grip on her daughter as she turned to look at Norman.

"Congratulations Norman. Your shipment dates' been set. You leave tomorrow." Isabella said and the others looked shocked and horrified. Emma was impressed with how Don and Gilda were pulling it off even though they knew ahead of time that this would happen, Norman being shipped, and that he wasn't going to be killed like their other siblings had been.

"Now let's go back to the house, and Norman do be sure to give that rope to me later." Isabella said smiling calmly at the children as she carried Emma back through the woods with ease.

"What is going on anymore?" Norman asked staring shocked and Don had to nearly carry him back to the house. His poor brain was fried. Emma and Ray were siblings, true blood born siblings, and they were Mom's kids? And Emma's known about the demons and all this whole time?

But why was she so much slower than usual when attacking Mom? And why didn't she use her immense strength?

What the hell was going on?

In her mothers arm, Emma laid her head against her mothers chest again and relaxed a little despite how much her leg hurt. She could push past this, it wasn't as bad as when Lewis had stabbed her and nearly killed her.

She probably shouldn't have revealed all that she did to Mama and the others today but it would be fine. After all it would ensure that Mama was focused on Emma and Ray after Norman was gone and while Emma 'healed' which meant that the others could move silently and freely in the background.

It was a pretty simple but effective trap. Have the target focus their attention on the big glaring problem or bait…and have the rest of the team move in the background freely to ensnare the target or complete the mission.

'Holy hell do you have some serious balls girl. Deliberately letting your leg get broken just to keep things mostly the same and let your minions move through the shadows?' And the pipsqueak was back, at least he sounded impressed.

'They aren't my minions.' Emma thought back though as the other kids came rushing over worriedly when they saw Emma being carried.

'They have literally started calling you a queen and follow your orders with little to no hesitation or question. They're your minions, or retainers at least.'

'They are their own people! Not minions or retainers or servants! They do too question me, and I answer any question they ask for the most part!'

'Girl they almost literally worship you. Face it. They. Are. Your. Minions.'

'You know what? Fuck you pipsqueak, I'm kicking you in the balls when I see you.'

'I'm way too old for you little Flamechild.'

'Okay gramps whatever you say.'

'…'

Emma relaxed a little more once the midget finally stopped talking to her, although she was grateful. He had been distracting her from the pain in her leg, but that was fine. She was now being surrounded and fretted over by the rest of the family and Anna was double checking Mama's dressing to make sure that Emma's leg would heal properly.

Damn it. Why did getting injured make her even hungrier than before? That low burning hungry she always felt was nearly ramped up to ten now and it sucked.

"Sounds like someone's hungry. Don't worry sweetheart. I'll make your favorite sandwiches for lunch and your favorite meal for dinner tonight." Mama said smiling when everyone heard Emma's stomach roar, Mama still cradling her as if she were a baby.

Emma was pretty sure that was Mama's attempt to dote on her and make up for the broken leg.

Damnit did this hurt.