Stef woke up from the cold she felt. She opened her eyes reluctantly to see her partner getting up, feet padding softly on the floor as she went to their bathroom. She glanced over to their clock which read 6:45. Stef groaned before moving to get up from bed as well. She made the bed while she was waiting for her love to exit the bathroom. She didn't want to risk the chance of getting toothpaste on her uniform. When Lena exited the bathroom, she greeted her wife with a peck on her lips.
"Good morning, my love."
"Mmm, morning baby."
"It's your turn to wake the kids."
"Oh joy!" Lena said sarcastically.
"Emma, Neal, and Jude will already be up."
"That's three less I have to worry about, then."
"You have fun, my love. I'm going to go get ready."
Stef gave her another peck on the lips before heading to the bathroom to get ready. Lena sighed before getting dressed and heading out of their rooms to wake her grouchy kids for school.
Emma in the Morning
The alarm didn't scare me awake this time, mainly because I knew what it sounded like this time. I've also learned that since everybody except for Jude refuses to wake up, I have plenty of time to get ready. I heard Neal grumble before getting up, since I was his pillow, and because I got up, he was lying flat on his back.
"Morning. How did Grumpy the Dwarf manage to take my brother's place?" I asked jokingly.
He just stuck his tongue out at me, which caused me to snicker. I got up and hit snooze on Mariana and Callie's alarms, considering they hadn't even stirred since they went off. Neal went to use the bathroom while I changed, then we switched. I just threw on a pair of socks, a pair of jeans, a white tank-top, and of course, my trusty red leather jacket. Neal walked back to the room.
"Why didn't you tell me my hair was such a mess?!" he whined.
"Because you look adorable."
Neal stuck his tongue out again, and went back to try and tame the bedhead that he had. I joined him in the bathroom, brushing my teeth while he finally got his hair looking the way he wanted it to.
"Do you need me to come with you to get clothes from Jude?"
"No, I'm ok."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
"Ok, I'll be downstairs if you need me."
Neal simply nodded his head. I went back to my temporary room, grabbed my phone (I still can't believe they gave one to me) and put it in my pocket, and went down the steps. I entered the kitchen, only to find it empty. I shrugged before I decided to make some eggs and bacon for everyone. I had to search through a few cabinets before I found where they kept their pots and pans. I found a whisk, eggs, and some shredded cheese rather easily, but it took me a second before I remembered where they kept their big bowls. I decided to use one and a half dozen eggs, and since I knew Jesus, Neal and I loved bacon, I made two packs. While the eggs were cooking on one stovetop and the bacon was frying in another, Stef entered the kitchen. She was fully dressed in her uniform and her hair was up in a very tight looking bun.
"Love, what are you doing?"
"Making breakfast. I used to have to do it all the time as a part of my chores. Sometimes, it was the only time I would get a chance to eat."
"It's very nice of you to do that baby. Do you need any help?"
"If you want to set the table and get glasses and drinks for everyone, then sure," I said while sprinkling some cheese on top of the eggs.
"Yes ma'am," she said playfully.
I stuck my tongue out at her in response and flipped the bacon over so it would cook evenly. Lena then came into the kitchen with Jude following closely behind. She paused at the entrance, seeing me at the stove and Stef setting the table.
"What's this?" she asked. "Stef, I thought you were gonna make breakfast?"
"I was, but I came down here to find this young lady was already doing it."
"I really don't mind," I added.
"Alright, sweetie, but you really didn't have too," said Lena.
"I wanted to."
"Alright then. Do you need any help?"
"You two are a lot alike." Lena looked confused, so I decided to elaborate. "Stef asked the same thing so I told her to set the table and get drinks for everyone. You can help her with that if you want. Or you can take the eggs cause they're done."
She came over and took the pan with the eggs and put them on the table. Jude bounded up to me. "Emma, guess what?!" he asked in an excited whisper.
"What?" I whispered right back.
"It worked!"
"What worked?"
He looked to see if Stef and Lena were listening, but they were busy talking to each other. "What you told me to tell those guys that were bothering me, it worked! They ran away so fast I thought someone was chasing them!"
He gave me a beaming smile and a huge hug. I gladly returned it. "That's awesome bud!"
"I don't know how to thank you, Emma," Jude said sincerely.
"There's no need, kid. That's what siblings do." He looked as if he was about to say something, but I continued so I wouldn't have to acknowledge the fact I called us siblings. "But if you really want to thank me, you can start by getting me a plate so I can start to put the finished slices of bacon on it."
He went to the cabinet and did what I asked. I thanked him before putting the slices that were finished on there. His hand started to reach in order to grab a piece, but I quickly swatted it away.
"Hey!" Jude exclaimed.
"No touching unless you don't want any at all."
He pouted while Stef and Lena looked over from where they were sitting at the table.
"Everything alright over there Emma?" Lena asked.
"Yeah, Jude's just being greedy," I teased.
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am—"
He was cut off by Stef. "My goodness you two! If you don't knock it off you both will be punished."
My face blanched at the word "punished" and I turned around to put the rest of the slices of bacon to cook.
Jude, noticing my reaction, spoke. "Emma, are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," I mumbled.
"Are you sure? You look like you saw a ghost."
"I said I'm fine!" I practically snarled at him.
He looked hurt while Stef and Lena were boring holes into me, and I immediately regretted what I had just done.
"Jude, I'm sorry—"
"It's fine," he said curtly.
I could feel tears starting in my eyes. I've never heard Jude act this way to me or anyone before, so I put the rest of the bacon on the plate, turned off the stove, rushed past Stef and Lena to put it on the table, and sprinted to the hall closet. I could hear someone coming after me, presumably Stef, but by the time she got to where I was, I had already slipped on my boots, grabbed my school bag, and ran out on the sidewalk. I had no clue where I was going, but I decided anywhere was better than the Fosters at the moment.
After Emma ran away
Stef swore under her breath as she reached the door, only to find Emma was nowhere in sight. She sighed before rushing back to the kitchen, telling Lena and Jude she was going after her.
"Please find her Stef," Lena said, worry evident in her tone.
"I will, my love, I will. It's a good thing we didn't tell her about the tracker on her phone, otherwise we would never be able to find her."
Lena visibly relaxed at her words. "I completely forgot about that."
Jude looked guilty. "I'm sorry Moms."
"It's not your fault, my baby."
"Yes it is. If I didn't push her, she wouldn't have run away."
"Emma ran away?" They all turned to see the rest of the kids, Neal being the one who asked. His chin was wobbling and tears had begun to stream down his face. The other kids looked shocked.
Stef and Lena looked at each other, agreeing Lena would take this one. "Yes, I'm afraid so."
"Why?!" he screamed. "What did you do?!"
"I asked her if she was ok after her face paled at Stef saying we would be punished if we didn't stop arguing!" Jude shouted right back.
Neal's eyes widened before his stare turned murderous to each and every one of them. It made them shiver that a little kid could look so cold. "WHY WOULD YOU SAY PUNISHED?! IT'S NO WONDER SHE RAN AWAY!"
"Neal!" Stef and Lena both scolded. "What do you mean 'it's no wonder she ran away?'" Stef added.
By this point, everyone had taken a seat and while they wanted to go look for Emma, they also wanted to hear what Neal had to say.
Neal looked guilty all of a sudden, and he whispered, "I promised Emma I wouldn't tell anyone."
"Neal, you know you can trust us right?" asked Lena.
"Yeah…" he trailed off.
"Come on love, what did Emma make you promise not to tell?" Stef asked.
"She's gonna be so mad," he continued whispering.
"It'll be fine, Neal. Now, what did Emma tell you not to tell anyone?" Stef continued.
"Ok, here goes." He took a deep breath. "It was the home before we were separated. Their names were Mr. and Mrs. Winston. They were really nice. They fed us, let us take baths and showers, we had actual beds to sleep in, it was great. The dad always got home before the mom. He was a mechanic, and she was a surgeon. One night, when she was driving home, a drunk driver hit her, and she died at the scene. When he found out, it was terrible. Emma and I were sort of sad, but for the most part, we were ok. After he got everything with the funeral over with, he started drinking. At first, it was just a bottle or two here and there. But as the days went on, he started drinking more and more until it got to the point where he was drunk 24/7."
Stef had a bad feeling about where this was going, but she forced herself to remain stoic.
"Soon enough, whenever he was drunk, he would start to blame us, saying that it was our fault that she died. He said it was because she had a surprise for us, and she wanted to get home as soon as possible. He said that if we weren't there, she wouldn't have felt the need to rush home, and she would still be alive. He would then get really angry about it, so mad that he would begin throwing things at us and try to hit us. He said we deserved to be punished."
Stef felt angry at herself when Neal mentioned this, but continued listening.
"By this point, Emma would always tell me to go upstairs and hide, and not to come out until she did our special knock on the bedroom door. After about an hour, he would go back to the armchair in front of the tv and fall asleep. That would be when Emma would sneak back up, and I could tell she was hurt. Sometimes she would be limping, other times she would be clutching her stomach. She would always tell me she was ok, but I never believed her, so the next time she told me to go upstairs, I pretended to, only to hide on the steps and peek through the railing." Neal's tears hadn't stopped streaming down his face, and Jude, Mariana, and Lena all had tears streaming down their faces, while Stef, Brandon, Jesus, and Callie looked about ready to murder this guy.
"Can I have some juice before I tell you?" Neal asked, sniffling.
"Of course, sweetheart," Lena said, wiping her tears quickly before pouring him a glass.
"Thank you," he said, then proceeded to gulp down the whole glass.
"Should we be at school?" he asked.
"I'll call them to tell them you guys will be absent today."
"Ok," he said, still sniffling and wiping his tears with the sleeve of his shirt. "I wish I had listened to Emma when she told me to go upstairs," he hiccuped. "But I was just as stubborn as her. I stayed like I already said, and was watching through the railing. The first thing he did was slap her across the face, so forcefully she fell straight to the ground. She tried to get up, but he kicked her down again. He kicked her a few more times until she stopped trying to get up, then he sat on her and made her lay flat on her back. She tried to kick him away, but he grabbed her wrists and pinned them to the floor. She kept telling him 'Please stop!' and 'Don't do this!' He didn't listen. He grabbed her breast roughly through her shirt and she whimpered in pain. He kept telling her she was a good girl and that he loved her very much. I think he was so drunk he thought it was his wife, since he kept calling her Andrea, his beautiful Andrea. Emma stopped struggling then, but tears still managed to escape her closed eyes. He then unbuttoned her jeans and slipped his hand into her underwear. I didn't know what he was doing, but it made Emma cry out in pain. He decided that wasn't enough, so he flipped her onto her stomach and took out his thing. He put it inside her underwear, and Emma was full-on sobbing, but it was so quiet I could barely hear her. He was just groaning and telling her she was such a good girl and said it was tight and it felt so good. He moaned before staying still, then he put it back in his pants, stumbled to the living room, and fell asleep. I knew because I could hear his snoring. Emma got up really slowly and limped to the bathroom. She came out about ten minutes later, looking like nothing had happened except for her limping. When she started to come up the steps, she saw me staring at her with wide eyes. She rushed to me and told me that I could never tell anyone, because it was a really bad thing, and if I talked about it we would be separated. That scared me, so I nodded my head in agreement. She looked relieved and told me it was ok. I started crying, and Emma told me that she would never let anything bad happen to me. She picked me up and carried me back to our room, where I cuddled close to her as she sang Flashlight to calm me down. The next day, our social worker picked us up, since apparently the neighbors had called and said that they heard screams last night. We then headed to the next home, which is where we were separated."
Everyone was crying now, Callie and Jude holding each other, Jesus had an arm around Mariana's shoulder as she was crying into his chest, and Brandon was holding one of Stef's hands while Lena was holding the other. Lena let go of Stef's hand and opened up her arms for Neal, which he burrowed into.
"I'm not in trouble for telling, am I?" Neal asked, still buried in Lena's arms.
"No, love, absolutely not. You were very brave for telling us," Stef said vehemently.
"Emma and I aren't gonna be separated, are we?"
"Oh sweetheart, no," Lena said while comforting him.
He looked at her confused. "But Emma said—"
"Emma was just scared, love. She didn't want you to tell anyone because she thought it was the right thing to do," Stef said.
"Was it?" he asked. "The right thing, I mean."
"In that situation, yes, my baby. I still think Emma should have told someone, but I know that a lot of people ignore what is happening in foster homes," Stef stated.
"Ok," he said. "Will you go look for Emma now?"
Stef swore under her breath, noticing it had been half an hour since Emma had run away.
"Lena, call the school and tell them the kids won't be in today. Babies, try to eat the breakfast Emma made, and I'm gonna call Mike, let him know I'll be late today."
"Stef?" Lena asked.
"Yes, my love?"
"Bring her home," Lena pleaded.
"Of course, I'm leaving right now."
"Wait!" Neal exclaimed, removing himself from Lena's arms. He rushed upstairs, while everyone else traded confused glances. He came back down, holding what looked to be an old and white knitted blanket. He handed it to Stef.
"What's this?" she asked him.
"It's Emma's baby blanket. It's the only thing she has from her birth parents, and it's the only thing that calms her down when she's upset besides me," he explained.
Stef turned it over to see that the name Emma was knitted near the bottom in purple stitching.
"How come I've never seen it before?" asked Callie. "We share a room."
"Because Emma's never shown it to anyone before. She was afraid if they knew about it, they would take it from her." He turned to Stef and Lena. "You won't take it from her, will you?"
"No sweetheart, we won't. We would never do something like that." Lena said.
"Good," Neal said simply. "Stef?"
"Hmmm?"
"Please find my sister. I don't want to lose her again."
Stef gave him a hug and a kiss on the forehead. "We don't want to lose her either, Neal."
He smiled up at her before his face turned serious. "If I were you, I'd check out some sort of music place with a piano, or the beach. That always helps her too."
"Don't tell Emma, Neal, but there is also a tracker on her phone in case we can't reach the kids," Stef said.
"Really?!" he asked excitedly.
"Really," she confirmed. Stef then gave everyone a quick hug and said she would be back with Emma. She grabbed the keys and left.
Emma after she has run away
I ran, ran, and ran, never stopping for anything. My heart was pounding in my ears, and my breath was coming in short spurts, but I didn't stop. I reached the school and snuck in, finding the music room and deciding to play something on the piano to help with my feelings. I felt guilty for leaving Neal, upset and mad at myself for snapping at Jude, disappointed that nobody was coming after me, and overall I felt alone. I put my bag down by the piano and I lifted the lid. I ran my fingers over the keys as I decided to play Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson, one of my inspirations.
Grew up in a small town
And when the rain would fall down
I'd just stare out my window
Dreamin' of what could be
And if I'd end up happy
I would pray
Trying hard to reach out
But when I tried to speak out
Felt like no one could hear me
Wanted to belong here
But something felt so wrong here
So I pray
I could breakaway
I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly
I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky
And I'll make a wish
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway
Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won't forget all the ones that I love
I'll take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway
Want to feel the warm breeze
Sleep under a palm tree
Feel the rush of the ocean
Get on board a fast train
Travel on a jet plane
Faraway
And breakaway
I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly
I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky
And I'll make a wish
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway
Out of the darkness and into the sun
I won't forget the ones that I love
I gotta take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway
Buildings with a hundred floors
Swingin' round revolvin' doors
Maybe I don't know where they take me
But gotta keep movin' on
Movin' on
Fly away
Breakaway
I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly
Though it's not easy to tell you goodbye
I gotta take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway
Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won't forget the place I come from
I gotta take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway
Breakaway
Breakaway
I heard clapping as I finished the song, so I turned to find two people, a blonde and a brunette. The blonde was pretty with blue eyes that seemed to sparkle. The brunette however, was a goddess. She had dark brown shoulder length hair that looked silky smooth, olive colored skin that made my mouth water, deep, chocolate brown eyes that I could get lost in, and plump, red lips that had a scar on the top one, and they looked oh so kissable. She was wearing smokey eyed makeup, and a white blouse that I could see her black lace bra through. She had the top button undone, giving me a peek of her ample cleavage, and the blouse was tucked into a black pencil skirt. She also had heels on that made her legs look a mile long. I shook myself out of my reverie and blushed under her intense gaze. Her friend began to speak.
"Holy shit Gina! Wasn't that awesome?!"
The breathtaking goddess growled at her friend. "Kat, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?! It's not my name." She turned back to me and gave me a smile that took my breath away. "Yes, dear, that was rather lovely. May I ask where you acquired such skill?"
"Ummm, my foster mother." I answered, still blushing deeply.
"Foster mother?" the goddess asked.
"Yes, I'm an orphan," I explained honestly.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Forgive my friend and I, we have terrible manners. She is Kathryn Nolan, and I am Regina Mills. What's your name?"
"Oh, I'm Emma Swan."
"It's nice to meet you Miss Swan. Are you new to this school? I'm afraid I haven't seen you around here before."
"Yeah, I just got here this past weekend, actually. New foster family and all that."
"Oh!" the blonde, now known as Kathryn, exclaimed. "That means you're probably staying with our vice principal and her wife, Mrs. Adams Foster!"
"Lena and Stef, yes, I am. How's you know?"
"They're the only foster family I know around here. I'm sure there are more, but I've only known about the Fosters."
"Well yeah, my brother and I are staying with them?"
"You have a brother?" Regina asked.
I squirmed a bit under her stare. "Yes, his name is Neal and he's eight."
"Aww, that's awesome!" Kathryn said. "Regina has a sister too, right Gina?"
Regina gave the blonde a withering stare at the nickname before turning back to me, eyes visibly softening. "Yes, I have an older half-sister named Zelena. She is two years older than me and she's actually visiting this weekend with her girlfriend, Mal."
"Half-sister?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Yes, she was my mother's from a previous marriage before she met my father. Zel was still a baby when her dad died, so my father has always been her father."
Regina's face lit up as she talked about her family, and I couldn't help but to stare at her. It made me wish I had a family like Regina did.
"That's pretty cool. I'm assuming you guys are close then?"
"Oh yes, she's my rock. Without her, I wouldn't have ever told my parents I was a lesbian. I thought they would be disappointed and kick me out, but they didn't. My father told me that nothing I told him could ever make him not love me, while my mother sat in silence. I was so scared of what she was going to say that I was practically bawling in my father's arms. When she finally looked at me, she told me she couldn't have asked for a better daughter, and that she loved me whether I liked boys, girls, or even horses."
I let out a snort at that. Regina then looked very bashful, and it made my heart skip a beat and my hands began to feel sweaty, so I discreetly wiped them on my jeans.
"I've never told anyone that the first time I talked to them," she explained shyly.
"I guess I'm special then, huh?" I playfully asked her and gave her a wink. She blushed even more, and it made my heart swell.
"Should I leave you two alone?" Kathryn asked, amused.
We both had blush staining our faces then, but then she must've seen the tear tracks on my face, for a frown began to form on her face. "Emma, are you alright?"
Regina looked concerned at Kathryn's words, and she studied my face closely, noticing the tear tracks as well.
"No, not really," I said, then proceeded to explain what had happened and what had caused me to run away. They both listened intently, and it made me realize that I had made two more friends. I just clicked, like I did with Belle and Ruby, but I felt a different connection to Regina. Maybe it was because I had a very huge crush on her, or maybe it was because we connected on some deeper level. Either way, it's nice to have more than two friends.
When I was done explaining, Regina spoke. "Have you called them to at least let them know you are ok? I'm sure they are worried out of their minds looking for you."
"It's not going to happen. Stef started to chase me, but I was too fast, so I'm sure she thought I wasn't worth it." I wiped away the angry tears that were falling.
"Love, of course you're worth it."
We all turned, me in shock, at the voice that came from the door. It was Stef.
She walked over to me and pulled me in for a hug. I returned it, but I was still in shock.
"I'm so glad you're alright. Everyone was worried sick when you ran off."
She then let go of me and glanced over to see Regina and Kathryn. "Miss Midas, Regina, nice to see you."
"Nice to see you too, Mrs. Adams Foster," Regina replied. Kathryn was looking anywhere but Stef.
"You guys know each other?" I asked.
"Yes, we do."
"How?"
"My father and your foster mom are very good friends," Regina answered.
I looked at Stef to see that she was nodding her head in agreement. "Could you be a little less cryptic?"
"Regina's father is my lieutenant," Stef said.
"Really? That's kind of cool," I answered. "And what about Kathryn?"
"Miss Midas was at a high school party where minors were being served alcohol. She got quite drunk and decided it would be a good idea to drive. I got called to pull her over," she explained.
Kathryn looked sheepish. "I apologized, several times might I add, and I did my community service hours! I don't know what else you would like me to do!"
Stef raised an eyebrow. "For starters, learn how to talk to an adult properly, and second, your apologies mean nothing so long as you continue to attend those parties."
She simply stared at the floor, not saying anything else.
Stef turned back to me. "You, young lady, are going to have a talk with me and Lena when we get home. I will let you say goodbye to your new friends, but I will be waiting right outside that door, so do not try anything."
I nodded my head and watched her exit. Sure enough, she was waiting outside. I looked at Regina and Kathryn. "Is it alright if I get your phone numbers? I'd like to be friends, if that's ok," I said nervously.
"Yes, that's quite alright dear." Regina said.
"Yeah sure! Give me your phone and I'll put my number in," Kathryn said.
I fumbled around in my pockets nervously before taking out my phone and opening the contacts app. Kathryn took a picture of herself for her contact, and put her number in. She then whipped out her phone with the hand that wasn't holding mine. She sent herself a text so I could have her number, and handed it back to me. Her contact photo was her winking, and her name was Kat . The message she sent me back was a picture of Regina that made my heart melt. I knew that would be the photo I would use for her, but I had a feeling she would get angry at Kat if she found out. I exited the messaging app, but not before saving the picture and deleting it so Regina wouldn't see it. I entered the contact app, giving Regina the chance to put her photo and number in. Unlike Kat, she didn't take a photo which made me sad for some odd reason, but she did put her number and name in. She texted herself much like Kat did, and her name made me feel butterflies. It was Gina. I gave Regina a megawatt smile, and she gave me a matching one back. I thanked them, then exited the music room. I could've sworn I felt eyes on my hips and ass, but I shook it off, thinking it was my imagination.
"Ready, my baby?" Stef asked, eyeing me closely as if I was gonna bolt again.
I knew I deserved it, but it still stung. "Yeah, let's go. I'm sure everyone wants an explanation," I said while sighing, trying to figure out how I could explain what happened without having to tell the truth about the Winston household. I gave an involuntary shudder, but noticed Stef avoiding eye contact with me. I shrugged before we reached the main doors of Anchor Beach, and I went first since I knew Stef would want to keep an eye on me. We reached the car, and I climbed into the passenger seat. My eyes fell upon my baby blanket, and before I knew it, Stef was holding me as my body was wracked with the force of my sobs.