Welcome to the second installment of The Savior series. If you haven't read Little Savior, you may want to start there. Our adorable Emma and Lilly are now 14 and starting their teenage years knowing the full truth of their past. Be ready for angst, drama, and some fluffy family time as well. I don't know that this will be as many chapters as Little Savior, but we will see. What I do know is the early teen years may go by kind of fast.
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Teen Savior Chapter 1
It had been a month since Emma had found out the truth of her past and of her parents and in that time, it felt like everything and nothing changed. She still avoided Mary Margaret, a woman she refused to call her mother, but every time she saw David, she felt such mixed feelings inside her. He had always been so kind to her and part of her wanted him to know who she was – who she really was, while the other part of her never wanted the curse to break and tear their family apart. More than once she'd watched Regina and Mal with Lilly and wondered if she should just leave and let them be happy. If she left, she couldn't break the curse and their lives would forever be happy, but they'd insisted many times that they wouldn't be a family without her.
Knowing the truth also set about some small changes in Emma. She found herself angrier more often, but without really knowing why. She had a shorter temper but found she couldn't explain why she was so upset. Meanwhile Lilly's temper seemed to have vanished completely with the news. Mal had helped her understand her 'dragon' side and even though they couldn't transform, she could show her how to channel her anger; something Emma seemed more and more unable to do. Emma also found herself feeling more jealousy towards her sister now more than ever. Before knowing about the curse, it hardly ever came to bother her, but now, it seemed to be all she could think of. She'd watch Lilly with her real mothers and wonder why her own mother would send her away. Mal and Lilly shared the dragon side and Lilly and Regina looked quite a bit alike. Emma no longer felt she fit in, even if they both still acted like loving mothers. Emma was the daughter of her mother's enemy, the daughter of the terrible people who took Lilly away from her mother. She honestly didn't feel like she belonged anymore.
Regina worried constantly about Emma, noticing the changes and how she had become more standoffish with them. It wasn't herself or her futured she worried about like she may have once had, instead, it was purely about Emma. She worried the girl didn't feel loved, safe, or a part of them anymore and that killed her. She sighed as she watched her blonde daughter sitting by her sister as Lilly waited for her turn for the riding competition. "What's wrong, honey?" Mal asked, lacing her fingers with Regina's.
"Emma." Regina said. "I hate not being able to reach her. She's been different since our talk and I'm worried about her. She's been distant, Mal, and more in her own head. She doesn't talk to us like she used to."
"She's fourteen honey. It's normal for teens to seem to pull away."
Regina shook her head. "It's more than that, I know it's more than that." Regina watched as Lilly got up and got ready to do her jumping. Emma sat back and her eyes immediately found David. Regina sighed, remembering when Emma used to look for her in the stands.
"Honey, Lilly's taking her turn. I love Emma, you know I do, but right now, Lilly should have your attention."
For some reason, those words bothered Regina and she took her hand away from Mal's. She did give Lilly attention and she resented the way Mal's words came off. The two had been bickering lately about how much attention Mal gave Lilly but not Emma. Mal just sighed and focused on her daughter and her jumps. Regina watched, but she couldn't stop also watching Emma and seeing the sad look on her face as she watched David smile with pride and rub Kathryn's growing baby bump. Gods, how must Emma be feeling seeing that? Her heart hurt for her daughter, and she didn't know how to fix it. The next thing she knew, Lilly's turn was over, and she had missed most of it.
That night, Regina went to Emma's room and softly knocked on the door, waiting until Emma gave her permission to come in. Emma was at her desk doing what Regina assumed was schoolwork as she had asked Regina to wait a minute while she finished her sentence she was writing. Emma did finish and then closed her notebook before turning to Regina. "What's up?"
"Just checking on my baby girl." Regina said, sitting on the edge of Emma's bed. "How are you doing, Emma? I feel like we never talk anymore."
Emma gave a shrug. "I'm fine. I guess I just haven't had anything to talk about."
"Nothing? Really? Nothing happening at school or no crushes or nothing else?" Regina asked, desperate for her baby girl to just talk to her.
"Mo-om, I don't have any crushes, all that happens at school is school, and the only other thing that maybe is going on is something you'd tell me I'm wrong about, so there's really nothing to talk about."
"Baby, I'd never tell you that you're wrong about your feelings."
"Yeah, you would. Maybe not in those words, but still." Emma said, moving to sit on her bed next to her mother, leaning against her to show her she didn't mean anything bad. "You wouldn't mean it in a bad way, but I already know what you'd say."
Regina put her arm around Emma and shifted to cuddle with her. "Try me, baby girl."
Emma cuddled with her mom, twirling her mom's now longer hair in her fingers. "I…can I be honest, mom?"
"I'd appreciate it if you were." Regina said, lightly, watching her daughter. When had she grown so much? When had her little freckles all but disappear, leaving only slight traces on her nose? When did she go from being adorable to beautiful?
'I just…Mom, I know I wanted you to tell me the truth and I am glad you did, but now I wish I'd never had heard anything." Emma admitted with a sigh. "I feel like I did back when I first came here, from what little I remember. I haven't felt like this forever, I know that for sure."
"Like what, Princess?"
Emma closed her eyes. "Like I don't belong." She said softly. "I know you're going to say I'm wrong and that you love me and Mama and Lilly love me and all that, and I know you all do, but it doesn't change the fact that I feel like I'm not one of you. In fact, now that I know the truth, I feel like I don't deserve the three of you."
Regina sighed and stroked Emma's cheek. "Emma baby, look at me." She waited until Emma's green/blue eyes were looking at her. "I understand that you feel like that, and your feelings are valid in the fact that you're allowed to feel them. However, I assure you that we don't feel like that about you at all. Baby, what can I do to help? I want us to not be any different than we were before you knew the truth."
Emma sighed. "I don't know, mom. You haven't done anything wrong, it's all me. That's the problem. It's me. It's what I think and feel. Like…like I feel like Mama and Lilly have a special bond now that the 'dragon' part is out there, and I don't fit in, but I don't want to say anything because they're not doing anything wrong."
Regina's heart broke for her daughter and she sighed, kissing her forehead. "I wish I knew how to fix this. In some ways, I wish the truth hadn't come out, but we were always going to tell you so…" She sighed, at a loss for words. "Baby, Mama and I love you so much."
"I know that, mom." Emma said, sighing herself. "I don't think there is anything you can do to make me feel differently." She looked at her mom. "You've already done so much. You loved me, took care of me, made me feel safe and loved and everything moms should do. I'm trying not to let this get to me so much, but I don't know how."
"Do you feel any better now that we've talked? Does talking help honey?"
Emma gave a shrug. "I guess, but I also kind of feel bad because now you feel bad."
"Honey, I'm used to feeling bad." Regina said with a bit of a chuckle. "I've known you've been off, and I just want to help you. I just wish I knew how."
Emma hugged her mom, cuddling in more. "You do more than enough. I love you so much."
They lay like that for a while and Regina noticed Emma chewing her lip. "What else is there, baby?" She figured she knew what was coming.
"Does it make me a bad person that I get really…jealous I guess, when I see David doting over his baby with Kathryn? I mean, I know it's not fair because he doesn't know who I am, and I have two amazing parents but…"
"But it's still hard. I get it, Emma, I really do. It does not make you a bad person at all." Regina sighed, biting her own lip. "Honey, Mama and I did talk about it and we talked to Gold and…we can make David remember if you want us to. We can't make everyone remember because that's far too much magic that we don't have in this world, but we can make him remember."
Emma was a bit surprised at that. "Wait…if you can make him remember, could someone have made Mary Margaret remember? Could that be why she went after Lilly and tried to get me to be against you?"
"We thought of that, but the only people who remember are me, Mama and Gold and he swore he didn't make her remember."
"Do you believe him? I mean, you've told me stories about how he's the Dark One. If it would benefit him, wouldn't he do it?"
"I just don't see how it would benefit him." Regina said, though now she was deep in thought. "Honey, in the meantime, would you like us to have David remember?"
"I don't think so. I…it could cause issues for him and Kathryn and he's happy and I don't want to ruin that." Emma sighed. "I just don't know how I'm going to do this for another fourteen years."
Regina ran her fingers through Emma's hair. "Maybe mama and I should have moved away when you two were younger. Hell, maybe we should move now." She looked at Emma. "Would you like that? We could go to New York or even way out to California."
Emma smiled softly, nuzzling her face in Regina's neck – a place she always felt safe. "I don't think Lilly would like that. She loves it here, plus our horses are here. I don't want to be selfish."
Regina kissed the top of Emma's head, taking in that scent that all kids have, and all moms know. "Well, maybe we bring it up in a family meeting."
Emma shook her head. "Mom, you have a good job here and we have a good home. I'll be fine. Besides, maybe when I'm 18 and go to school, I'll go somewhere else."
"Oh, don't you dare break my heart like that." Regina scoffed. "I don't know what we're going to do when you two get old enough to do that."
"We've got time." Emma said. "Thanks for coming and talking to me, mom. I'll try to be better."
"Honey, you're not being bad, you don't have to be better. Just please keep being honest with me."
"Okay, mom." Emma said and then sensed someone behind her. "Is that Mama?"
"How did you know?" Mal asked, coming in.
"I sensed you." Emma said, shrugging, but not moving from cuddling with Regina.
"Lilly's taking a shower and I realized I hadn't seen my other beautiful daughter much today." She said, laying on the other side of Emma. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Emma said. "It's okay that you spent time with Lilly. I didn't want to interrupt."
Mal sighed, wrapping her arm around Emma. "Honey, I'm telling you I love you just as much as I love her."
"I know." Emma said, trying so hard to keep her emotions in check. "I just know you guys have that 'dragon' bond. You've been spending a lot more time with her lately, and I get it. I didn't say anything because you're allowed to spend time with your daughter."
"Maybe, but I have my Duckie bond with you, baby, and you're my daughter too." Mal said, trying to lighten the situation, but also starting to wonder if Regina had been right. "Emma baby, please don't think you're not special or important to me. You may not be part dragon, but that doesn't mean you're not a part of me."
"But I'm not. Not really. Lilly's got parts of both you and mom and I…I mean I know you love me, I know that, but I'm not a part of you. I have nothing inside me from you."
Mal put her hand on Emma's chest. "You have our love. Baby girl, you have our love inside you. What can we do, Emma, what can we do to help you?"
Emma took Mal's hand and laced their fingers. "You have already done enough. It's like I was telling mom, it's nothing you guys have or haven't done, it's just how I feel. I don't want you to stop talking to Lilly about your dragon side, I don't want you to stop spending time with her or anything like that. I just need to figure this out for myself. I mean, I can't talk to Dr. Frost about it because she doesn't know about the curse and she'd think I'm crazy. So, I'm literally trying to deal with my feelings on my own. I know you guys are here to help, I know that but you're not…you're so in the situation you know?"
"I know." Mal stated with a sigh. "I'm sorry baby girl. I'm sure seeing your…" she swallowed with disgust, "parents doesn't help either. Maybe we should move. Mom and I talked about it before; would you want to move?"
"No! Mama no! We are not moving!" Lilly said from the doorway. "Please don't make us move." She came in and sat on the bed. "Geez Emma, what are you being dramatic about now?"
"Nothing." Emma said with a sigh. "I didn't bring up moving. Mom did…and then Mama did."
"Because of you, right? Everything is because of you." She said, crossing her arms.
Regina shook her head. "Stop that, Lilly. That's not at all fair."
Lilly stood up; her arms still crossed. "None of this is fair! I'm supposed to be an only child, but I have to share you because of her. Mary only went after me because of her. Everything is because of her!" She then stomped to her room, leaving the three in a bit of a shock.
"Wh…what did I do?" Emma asked, tears in her eyes.
"Nothing." Regina said, giving Mal a look. "Baby, we'll be right back." She said, untangling herself from her daughter.
Emma walked with them to the door and just before she closed it, she said. "Don't bother." And then closed it tight. Would she have liked to move? Yes. Would it be easier to not see her damned parents every damned day? Yes. But what did she tell them? What was her answer? She said no both times. No. Because she knew Lilly would be upset. But now she's being told she was the reason for everything bad in Lilly's life? Screw that. Emma felt her anger as she pulled her suitcase out from under her bed. She made sure she got her phone cord, glasses, and extra contacts in with some clothes and then added a picture of her moms that she had taken a few years previously. She could hear muffled voices from Lilly's room and caught words like 'real daughter' and 'sent me away' and 'just like her parents'. She honestly had no idea what she did wrong and it hurt to have Lilly talking to her like that. She remembered promising her mother when she was only little that she wouldn't run away again, but she just couldn't do this anymore. Emma opened the window, threw out her suitcase and then slipped out, being careful not to hurt herself as she jumped off the roof.
The first part of Emma's plan was easy, the second part, not so much. She forgot there were no real busses and none of the cabs could actually leave the town. Not to mention if anyone saw her, they'd call her mother. She had started going to the stables, but then knew that would be the first place they'd look for her. With a sigh, she started heading towards the boarder, figuring she'd be doing a lot of walking that night. Any time she would start to think about turning around, she remembered how unjustifiably angry Lilly was and would keep going. She should have grabbed a sweatshirt, but her anger was keeping her warm for now. When she noticed headlights coming from behind her, she sighed. "That didn't take long." She muttered. However, when the car stopped ahead of her, she realized it wasn't their car. She wasn't sure what he was doing there, but one minute she was walking past his car and the next, everything was black.
"Emma honey, are you awake?" Mal asked softly at her door. She and Regina had knocked after they talked to Lilly, but Emma didn't answer, and they respected that. However, Mal was now getting worried. She was still livid at Lilly for saying those things about Emma when – after they finally got her to open up – she admitted she just didn't want to move and was trying to make Emma feel bad. Something neither mother took lightly and something they very much told Lilly they were angry about. Lilly hadn't done that since she was little, and it was not something they'd tolerate now. "Emma, I'm coming in." Mal said, opening the door and flicking on the light. Empty. The room was empty, and the window was open and Mal's heart tore. "Regina! She's gone!"
"What? Who's gone?"
"Emma. She's gone and I think she's been gone a while."
Lilly's door opened. "Are you kidding me? She just wants attention. Let her go."
Regina glared. "She is not you, Lillian. If you're not going to help, then get back into your room."
Lilly rolled her eyes and pushed past them, going down the stairs. "I'll find her."
"Call us if you do!" Mal called and then sighed. "Fuck. Regina, why would she do this?"
Regina raised a brow. "Seriously? Okay, well let's see, shall we? She found out about the curse and everything that went with that, she found out about her parents, her father is having a baby and thinks it's his first and she has to watch it and can't correct that, she has no one to talk to about everything inside her, she has to hear about you and Lilly and your damned dragon side and how much you can't wait to show Lilly all that stuff once the curse breaks, she has to hear about how she's going to have to break this curse and how we're going to be outcasts at the point. Oh, and when I asked her if she wanted to move, she said she didn't want to upset Lilly. When you asked her, she wasn't able to tell you that answer because said sister decided to throw a hissy fit and basically attack her sister like she's five again." Regina shook her head. "You just don't get it." She started down the stairs.
"Maybe you baby her too much." Mal said, following closely. "I get that what Lilly said was wrong, but…"
Regina turned and faced Mal, anger in her face. "But nothing, Maleficent. WE did a huge parental no no. We gave the negative attention and left the positive on their own. We rewarded the wrong child with our attention. I get you and Lilly have a connection, but I swear, I never thought you would ever treat her differently than Emma and that's exactly what you've been doing the past few weeks."
"Because you're acting like Emma's the only one who's life changed with the revelation. Lilly found things out too!"
"Yes, she found out she's part dragon, that she was taken from her mother and that she was found in a matter of a week. Look, that's not something to frown at, but baby, Emma found out her parents kidnapped a baby and sent them away, she found out they sent her away. Think of how that has to feel to her. Yes, Lilly has a right to be upset about being taken, but there's a difference, Mal. There's a difference in her being taken and Emma being sent away." She took a breath. "My point is, our baby girl is hurting right now and feeling like she doesn't belong and I'm sorry, but you're not doing anything to prove her wrong."
Mal went to retort but then stopped, really thinking about her actions the past few weeks. "You're right." She said quietly, her eyes filling with tears. "You're absolutely right. I'm sorry, Regina, I really am. Let's find our baby."
Lilly knew she'd done wrong and she did feel guilty about it. There was just something inside her that wouldn't let her stop herself. She found out she got part dragon from one mother, but she secretly feared she got darkness or evil from the other. She tried Emma's phone again and sighed when it went to voicemail. "Emma, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for what I said. Don't punish moms for what I did. Please, please come home."
A half hour later, they all met at Granny's and Regina was more worried when no one had heard from her at all. "David said she wasn't at the stables – he did a thorough check three times. She's not at the school, not at the park, nowhere."
"This isn't like Emma." Mal said, trying to call her again. "Her phone doesn't ring anymore; it just goes to voicemail. I know she was upset, but she'd cool down and come back. This really isn't like her."
Regina sighed, calling Graham again. "No word of her, Graham." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Don't give me that twenty-four-hour bullshit right now, Graham, we need to find her!"
Granny put down two to go cup of tea, and one hot chocolate, giving Regina a sympathetic look before looking to Mal. "I've called Ruby and she, David, and Kathryn are going door to door to see if anyone has seen her."
Mal gave her a watery smile. "Thank you." She looked at Lilly. "We should get back out there."
"What if she goes back home? Maybe I should wait there and call everyone we know."
Regina hung up the phone. "Lilly, would you mind doing that? Graham is going to start a search party." Regina closed her eyes, trying not to pass out. The words 'search party' being used in reference to her daughter was enough to fill her with panic.
Mal held onto Regina. "Sit down for a minute baby." She said and then hugged Lilly. "Go home and call us the minute you hear anything."
"Okay. I love you. Oh, and if you find her, please tell her how sorry I am and that I love her so much."
"I will, baby girl." Mal then looked at Regina. "Come on, honey, let's find our baby."
Emma blinked a few times as whatever had been over her head was lifted and the light – though dim – lightly blinded her. "What the hell is going on?" She let out, causing a hand to sting her cheek.
"Keep it down!" The man hissed. "I will put tape over that damn mouth of yours if I have to."
Emma held her hand over her cheek and tried hard not to cry. "What are you doing? I don't understand why you're doing this to me." She said quietly.
He limped over to a stool and sat, confident she'd be quieter. "I had plans for you. There was a reason your mother sent you away, a reason you were mean to be in the outside world. I have no idea how I didn't realize until recently just who you were, but now that I do, I have to fix the mistake they made by bringing you here."
Emma looked at him, not liking where this was going. "Well I'm here now, so it's too late."
He smirked. "No, it's not. They brought you here, so you can go over the border. You need to go, Emma. Get out of here and go back to Boston where you were before."
"How am I supposed to do that on my own?" Emma knew there was no record of her anymore in the outside world, so it's not even like she could say she had been in foster care.
"You were going that way anyway, right? I just wanted to make sure you have what you need to actually make it." He put large envelope on a table by Emma. "Inside is your file, money, and a map. I have a taxi coming to pick you up at the boarder in an hour. You have to leave and not come back until you're twenty-eight."
"Why? I'm here now, why do I have to go and then come back?" Sure, Emma had been about to run away, but now she didn't want to. Now it was so real and scary. "I don't want to go anymore."
He growled. "You have to. There are things you need to do in order for my vision to come true, and that won't happen if you're in this town." He limped back over to her. "You're messing with things by being here; things I worked hard to put in place. You have to go." Before Emma could say anything there was a knock at the door. He glared at her and then put tape over her mouth. "Make one noise and your sister is dead."
Emma listened to him go into the other room and she desperately looked around for a way out. She was tied to a chair, so it wasn't like she could just run. She heard Regina's voice and tears filled her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Madam Mayor, I haven't seen her."
"Please call me if you do."
Emma couldn't stop herself as she moved herself enough to tip the chair over. She was glad when it broke, and she was able to get free. She tore the tape from her mouth and grabbed the envelope. "Mom! Mom I'm in here!" She yelled, praying her mother was still there.
The door opened and Mr. Gold looked furious. "I told you to not make a noise!" He came over and grabbed her, smacking her head hard. "You are not going anywhere!"
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!" Came Mal's voice from the doorway. She rushed over and grabbed Emma from Gold, putting herself between the two. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
"He was trying to make me leave town." Emma said, tears streaming down her bruised face. "He said I was messing up his plans by being here."
"That's not true." He said, trying to defuse the situation. "I found her on the road going to the border and I wanted to be sure she didn't leave."
"Then why did you tell Regina you hadn't seen her?"
"Because Emma wasn't ready to go yet and I thought it would be better if everyone had calmed down a bit first."
Emma's hands curled into fists. "That's not true! You threatened to kill Lilly and you…" Bright light surrounded them as the girl got more and more emotional.
Both Mal and Gold stepped back, looking at her in amazement. The light was coming from Emma's fists and it was obvious it was magic. "Emma…" Mal whispered, watching as the girl looked at her glowing hands.
"Mama…what's happening?" Emma said, fear now flooding her.
"It's okay baby. Deep breaths, okay? Nice deep breaths." Mal said, standing closer and breathing with her. When the lights faded, Mal hugged Emma tightly. "Let's go home. We have much to talk about." She then glared at Gold. "You'll be seeing Graham shortly."
Mal kept her arms around the still shaking Emma and they headed towards Regina. As soon as Emma saw Regina she broke down and ran to her, flinging her arms tightly around her mother. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Mommy. I didn't…he took me and…magic and…oh mommy, I'm so sorry."
Mal watched Emma go and felt a twinge of jealousy that Emma would go to Regina like that, however, she knew she had messed up a bit in the last few weeks. She went to Graham to make her statement and Regina hugged her baby girl. "Emma, I was so worried about you. What happened? Why didn't you call?"
"He broke my phone." Emma said as Mal and Graham came over. "He smashed it with his cane."
"Emma, I'm going to arrest him for kidnapping, but I do need your statement. Do you mind if I come see you in about an hour? That way you don't have to go to the station."
Emma nodded, holding Regina's hand to keep her close. "That's fine. I just want to go home and never, ever leave."
Regina hugged Emma again and kissed her cheek. "I'm going to go and…"
"No! Don't leave, please." Emma begged, tears in her eyes.
"Baby, Mama is right here. I just have to go tell the others. I'll be right back."
Regina looked at Mal who held her arms out, hoping her baby would come to her. Emma looked at Regina and then went to Mal, letting her wrap her into her arms. To be honest, she didn't even know she was treating them differently as it was all in her subconscious. "Mama, I want to go home. I'm so sorry. I'll never run away again."
Mal stroked Emma's hair as she held her close. "I know, baby. Once Mom comes back, we'll head home. I'm going to text Lilly and tell her we have you. Everyone has been so worried about you and has been out looking for you."
Emma finally sort of looked around. "Everyone?" She buried her face into Mal's hair. "This is embarrassing."
Mal held her close, rubbing her back. "Honey, they all care and love you. That's why they're all out here."
David and Kathryn came over and David gently touched Emma's shoulder. "Emma, are you okay?"
"Yeah." Emma said, peaking out. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused."
David shook his head. "I know you, Emma. I know you would have gone home if you wouldn't have been taken. You'd have realized you're better at home, no matter what is going on there."
Emma sniffed. "I wanted to go home. I hate that I did this."
"I just don't get why that man took you." Kathryn stated, looking confused. "Did he say anything?" The woman reached out and touched Emma's arm. "Did he hurt you? Touch you?"
The concern meant a lot to Emma, but she shook her head. "No…well I mean he did hit me a couple times because I made noise, but he didn't touch me in…that way."
Maleficent held Emma close to her. "I think we should be getting her home. Thank you so much for coming out and helping us."
"Of course." Kathryn said, stroking Emma's cheek. "Hey, we may not be family, but we love you and Lilly and care so much about you."
"She's right." David said, his eyes boring into Emma's. "We're always here for you."
"Thank you." Emma said and then leaned into Mal. "Mama, my head hurts."
"Okay baby girl, let's get you home."
Regina joined them and the three went home. As soon as they pulled in, the door flew open and Lilly came rushing out. She opened Emma's door and pulled her out, hugging her tight. "I'm so sorry, Emma. I didn't mean what I said, and I know I shouldn't have said it. I didn't mean it at all. Don't you ever leave us, Emma. Never, ever, ever."
Emma sniffed and hugged her sister. "I'm sorry. I…I'm just so sorry."
The four went in and Regina looked at Emma's face as Mal went to get a frozen bag of peas. "There's bruises, but no broken skin. My poor baby girl." She said, kissing her bruises, and not for the first time, wishing she could use her magic to heal one of her daughters.
Graham came in and sat down, accepting a cup of coffee from Mal. "Emma, I'm sorry to have to do this right now, but it's best we do this when it's all fresh. I need to you start at the beginning."
"You mean when he got me?"
"Maybe a little before that. What were you doing?"
Emma looked down, cupping her mug of hot chocolate. "I…I was running away." She then looked up. "Wait, my bag is in his car. I need it because it has all my contacts and my glasses and my phone charger."
"Yes, I have your bag in my car now; I'll bring it in when we're done." He looked at his notepad. "So when you ran away, where did you go?"
"I just was walking. I knew they'd look at the stables first, so I didn't go there. I also knew any bus driver or cab driver would call my moms, so I just walked. I…" Emma looked at Regina and then looked down.
"It's okay, baby, just be honest."
"I was thinking of leaving town. I was so angry and that carried me to keep walking. I…I think I'd have turned around eventually, but the when I saw a car coming from behind me, I figured it was one of them coming to take me home. Then it passed me, and I realized it was Gold's car. I just kept walking and the next thing I knew, it was dark and there was something over my head. I think I was in the back seat of his car, but then I was being tied down to a chair and the object was pulled off my head." Emma glanced to Regina and Mal, knowing that what was coming up was going to be hard to explain.
"Did he say anything?"
"He hit me when I yelled at him asking what he was doing. Then he said something about how I wasn't supposed to be here and how he had plans for me in Boston and that I needed to go back there. He showed me an envelope that had money and my old file in it and said I had to tell the people in Boston that my adoption didn't work out or something like that."
"How odd." Graham said as he wrote. "Did he say what his plans were?"
"No. He just said I ruined them by being adopted and that there would be a cab to pick me up at the town line in an hour…well an hour from then. Then mom came looking for me and I made the chair fall over and I broke free. He was pissed and he hit me again, but Mama came in then."
"I'm sorry that happened, Emma. Can I please have you write all that down and sign it? Then I'll leave you alone."
Emma nodded and started writing as Regina, Mal, and Graham went to the kitchen. "I believe her, but it doesn't make much sense." Graham said, scratching his head. "I'm assuming you'll be pressing charges."
"Yes. He kidnapped her." Regina said, her arms crossed. "Graham, I don't get it either, but my baby is hurting, and I just want to comfort her."
"I know, Regina, I'm sorry but I had to get that done."
After Graham left, the four of them sat in the living room together. "I'm in danger, aren't I?" Emma asked quietly.
"I don't know baby." Regina said honestly. "Let's not focus on that right now; let's focus on what happened tonight and why you left. You told Graham you were angry."
"Yes, I was." Emma said, looking down. "But my choices were my own."
"You were angry with me, weren't you?" Lilly asked.
"Not just you, but mostly you." Emma sighed. "I'm going to do something I've never done, Lilly. I'm going to be honest about my feelings and not think of only yours. I'm sorry if that's going to upset you but…"
"No, it won't. You have every right, Emma." Lilly said. "I let my feelings out all the time, even when it's horribly wrong."
"I was upset. Ever since we found out the truth, I feel like you pulled away from me and took Mama with you. I feel like…you two have the dragon bond and I'm jealous that I don't have anything from them. I admit that I'm jealous, but I also feel like Mama pulled away from me too. Then I get a rare moment alone with both of them and you came in and got mad at me for something I didn't even say. Yes, Mom asked me if I wanted to move and if you want to know my honest answer, it would be hell yes, I want to move. I don't want to see my parents every day. I don't want to worry about what's going to happen if I accidentally break the curse without knowing. I…I hate seeing my birth father not know me. But I said no because I know you'd hate that. I said no because I didn't want to upset you. I said no because of you, Lilly, and so when you got so mad at me when Mama asked the question and I didn't even answer, it pissed me off. It made me so mad that you blamed me for everything from you not being an only child, to Mary coming after you. 'Everything' you said. You blamed me for everything and that hurt and made me so mad. Then, even though I didn't do anything, they go running after you. Lilly, you have blamed me before and said I'm not their real child and even though you're right, I don't think you get just how much that hurts. I already know I have nothing of them inside me, but you have to rub it in, and it hurts so bad." Emma wiped her tears. "Everything I do is careful, Lilly, because I don't want to hurt or upset you. I don't…I don't want to be pushed away because I pissed off the birth child." Emma glanced at Mal and then down again. "But I guess that didn't matter anyway."
Lilly wiped at her own tears. "I'm sorry, Emma. I had…I had no idea you felt like that. I fuck. I fucked up, Emma, and though it won't change things, I'm so, so sorry. If you want to move, then we can move. I can deal with it. I'm sorry, Emma, I just…I am so damn sorry."
Mal came over and wrapped Emma in her arms. "I'm sorry too, baby girl. I am so sorry I didn't see what I was doing. I love you so much, Emma. There is no way I could love you more even if you did come from me. When I came to your room and saw it empty, it was like a piece of me was missing. You are mine, Emma, my heart belongs to both you girls. I'll do better, I swear."
"I don't want you to not spend time with Lilly. I don't want that at all. I just…I just want to be included."
Regina sniffed and cleared her throat. "I think we'll all do better from today on out. I also think we all need to think about possibly moving. Not only because of your feelings, Emma, but because now both of you have been attacked one way or another and I can't have that keep happening."
"If we do though, can we not go to Boston?" Emma asked. "It's where Gold was going to send me, and I don't want to know what's waiting there for me."
"We'll do some research." Mal stated.
"But…are you sure you can move? Gold said something about how I could cross the border. He seemed to think he couldn't.
"We have to look into that as well. You and Lilly can because you were here already when the curse was cast but Mama and I may not be able to. Give us time to do some thinking and figuring things out. In the meantime, you girls don't have to go to school tomorrow, but there will be no leaving the house without us knowing where you're going. Emma, we'll get you a replacement phone since that wasn't your fault."
"Okay." Emma said and put her cocoa down. "Do I have to go to bed? I…I kinda don't want to be away from you guys."
It was decided and the four of them snuggled in Regina and Mal's bed, everyone's mind buzzing with different thoughts. Emma was just hoping that nothing more would happen to her family.