Chapter Five
That evening, after dinner was done and Regina had bathed Emma and cleaned the make-up off of her face, Emma bounded into Regina's bedroom and grabbed her white blanket off the floor, before hopping into Regina's bed.
"Oh, you're sleeping here, are you?" Regina asked.
Emma nodded. "I don't like to sleep alone. I feel safer with you."
"Alright then," Regina said, coming over to tuck her in. She leaned forward and gave Emma a kiss on her forehead. It was only a matter of minutes before Emma was asleep, and Regina headed back downstairs to talk to Henry.
"Hey," she said, sitting down next to him on the sofa. "Emma has your mother's baby blanket."
"Yeah, I know. She found it in my closet when we were playing hide and seek. She remembered that it was hers," Henry said, as he closed the comic book he was reading and turned to face his mother.
"Henry… how are you doing, with all of this?" Regina asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean… I know how hard it was for you to lose Emma. And now, she might be back, but it's hardly the same thing."
Henry sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I know. I was just starting to get… I don't know, used to the idea that she was gone? And then she was back, in a way. I guess… having her alive is all that matters, right? Even if she's not the same?"
"And you could be happy with that?"
"Well, I mean, what other choice do I have?"
"I just want to you know, things might get a little messy, once we have the DNA test results. Please, just remember, you can always talk to me, okay?"
"I know, Mom," Henry said, leaning in to give her a hug. "And thanks, for everything you've done for Emma. It means a lot to me."
"Well, you know Emma and I became close, in the months before her death. I never thought it would happen and now… now knowing how it all ended, I wish I had let her in, sooner. She was a good person. I wish I would have seen that sooner than I did," Regina admitted, wiping a tear from her cheek.
"She is a good person," Henry corrected. Regina sighed, and decided not to press the issue any further. He seemed to see this little Emma and his deceased mother as one and the same, while Regina had them separated in her mind. She wasn't sure whose view was right, but she assumed it would only be a matter of time before they found out.
Regina flicked on the TV to an old movie, and sat with her son in her arms as they watched it together. Her mind drifted off and on to the little girl sleeping upstairs, and how much she wanted to keep her indefinitely, but holding her son, she was reminded that she still wouldn't be alone. She had always had an all-or-nothing mentality, but she was slowly learning to let that go, as much as it pained her to do so.
When the movie ended, Henry and Regina both headed up to bed. Regina kissed her son on the forehead before he headed into his room. She headed into her own room where, thankfully, Emma was still sound asleep. It had been a few hours and she didn't seem to be having any nightmares yet, which was a relief.
A relief that Regina rejoiced in a little too soon.
Just after three, Regina was awoken by the sound of Emma screaming. Her eyes snapped open, and she flicked on the light on her nightstand, and turned to look at Emma. Emma was holding her knees close to her chest and hugging them tightly, her face buried and blonde curls soaked with sweat.
"Emma," Regina said, reaching out to touch her arm. Emma flinched away like the touch had burned her, and started to cry louder.
"Emma, sweetie, it's me. It's Regina. You're okay," Regina said, as the panic started to rise in her throat.
Emma quieted down, and slowly began to lift her head. "Gina?" she whispered.
Regina gasped when she saw Emma's face. Her skin was white as a ghost and her cheeks were stained with tears, which didn't come as a surprise. What shocked her was the large purple and blue bruise covering Emma's left eye and the side of her face.
"Emma, what happened?" Regina asked, as she felt the blood drop her from her face. Emma had been right beside her all night. How was this possible?
"I was bad," Emma whispered.
"What?" Regina asked, unable to hide the panic from her voice.
"I was bad, and the daddy had to punish me," Emma explained, in a pitifully small voice.
"Oh, Baby!" Regina cried, pulling Emma into her lap and holding her close, rocking her gently, as tears escaped her own eyes. She waved a hand over Emma's face and magically did away with the bruises. "Is that better?"
Emma nodded, and put her thumb in her mouth – something Regina had never seen her do before. She was regressing. It occurred to Regina that Emma was doing more than simply regaining old memories in her sleep; she was reliving her old life, both mentally and physically. She wondered what kind of a curse could cause a child to have to live that same horror twice.
"I'm so sorry, baby. I wish I knew a way to make this stop," Regina said, stroking Emma's hair.
"I wish I could remember you when I dream," Emma replied, "then I wouldn't be afraid."
"I'll figure out a way," Regina vowed, even though she had no idea how she was going to make good on that promise.
It took about half an hour of rocking for Emma to calm back down and fall back to sleep. This time, Regina decided to stay awake, knowing that Emma was returning to the hell of her childhood again. She hoped that in this slumber, Emma would return to a better, kinder family, but she had no way of knowing what was coming next. She wondered if there would be a way to get a hold of Emma's old foster care records, to give her a heads-up, and made a mental note to look into it in the morning.
Emma slept restlessly in Regina's arms for the first little while, and Regina saw new bruises appear, which she instantly took away. She debated with herself whether she should just wake Emma up, but she knew she couldn't keep her awake forever, and the moment she went to sleep, these memories were just waiting to be relived. All she could do now was damage control, until she could figure out a way to help – if there was one.
Eventually, Emma stopped stirring, and slept soundly. Regina couldn't tell if she stopped dreaming, or if she had moved on to a new home and new memories that weren't so violent and unhappy. Either way, she didn't allow herself to go back to sleep, just in case.
Shortly after seven, Emma's eyes fluttered open again, and she looked up at Regina.
"Hey, Little One," Regina said, softly. Emma didn't reply, she just reached up to wrap her little arms around Regina's neck and hold on tight.
"Are you okay, Baby?" Regina asked, stroking her hair.
Emma nodded. "I'm glad you're here," she said, quietly.
"I'm glad you're back," Regina replied.
"I was with a very bad family," Emma said. "They just wanted to hurt me."
"I know, and I'm sorry," Regina said, her voice choking slightly. "Did you get to leave them?"
"Yeah," Emma nodded. "But I'm still scared."
"I know, Sweetheart, but you're safe with me now. I'm not going to let anything hurt you."
"Why can't you protect me in my dreams, too?"
The question cut like a knife, and Regina wished she had an answer. She had to settle for changing the subject instead. "How about breakfast?" she suggested. "Henry's got school today, we can go get breakfast at the diner and then say goodbye to him, okay?"
Emma nodded, though she didn't seem as enthusiastic as she had just yesterday. Regina noted that this was another new Emma. She seemed so different every day, and Regina couldn't help but wonder if the Charmings were actually up to taking her on. It wasn't easy for Regina, and the Charmings would have two preschoolers and no magic.
The drive to the diner was a silent one. Emma stared out the window, listlessly, and Henry turned back every few seconds to look at her.
"Maybe I shouldn't go to school today," he suggested.
"You have to go to school," Regina replied. "Emma will be fine."
"You were right, when you said her acting up yesterday was better. I miss that kid."
"She'll be back," Regina said, trying to sound confident. Truthfully, she wasn't sure if that Emma would be back any time soon. This Emma had just been through a major trauma, and she wasn't sure how to deal with that. She knew she was going to have to call Archie after breakfast, because Emma didn't look like she was going to snap out of it herself, any time soon.
After a quiet breakfast, Regina was at the counter paying so they could leave the diner when the door opened, and the Charmings rushed in, each with a big grin on their face. Regina's heart sank. She knew what was coming.
"We got the DNA results!" Snow declared, as if it needed to be said, "it's her! She's Emma!"
Henry's face lit up as he looked back and forth between his grandparents. "I knew it! That's amazing!" he cried, hugging Snow tight.
"Where's Emma?" David asked, looking around.
"What do you mean, 'where's Emma'? She's right…" Regina's voice trailed off as she looked around. Emma was nowhere to be seen.
"Emma?" Henry called out, crouching down to look under the tables. The four began looking frantically around the tiny diner. There weren't many places to hide, even for someone as small as Emma. It didn't take them long to conclude that she wasn't in the diner anymore.
Regina was the first out the door. "Emma!" she yelled, looking in all directions for any sign of the little blond. She ignored the confused stares of the people outside as she headed toward the road, calling Emma's name. The Charmings and Henry were close behind, doing the same.
"Did you see a little blonde girl?" Regina asked the people standing on the sidewalk, who all shook their heads.
"Mom… where's your car?" Henry asked, looking to the empty parking space where the Mercedes had been.
"Oh, David! Someone took her!" Snow cried, grabbing her husband's arm.
"We'll find her, it's okay," David attempting to reassure her. "Right, Regina?" he asked, turning to Regina for some back up or insight on the situation.
Regina fought back tears as she looked at the spot her car had been, and then back up and down the sidewalk, before nodding. "We'll find her," she agreed, though she sounded much less convincing than she had hoped to.
"Okay, we all need to calm down, and think," David instructed, as his wife proceeded to nearly hyperventilate on the sidewalk.
"I can't lose her again!" Snow cried.
"You're not going to," Regina insisted.
"What if someone took her?" Snow asked.
Regina sighed. "I don't think someone took her. I think she ran."
"With your car?" David asked.
Regina shrugged. "I don't know. I just know she was upset this morning. She wasn't herself. Remember how I said her old memories are coming back to her in her sleep? Last night were bad ones."
"Bad how?" Snow asked.
Regina looked at Henry, who was still listening intently, and back to Snow. She didn't really want to tell either of them, but she supposed she had no choice. "An abusive home," Regina said, finally. "And, it was more than just memories. The physical signs were showing up on her body. Bruises, out of nowhere."
"She didn't have bruises this morning," Henry pointed out.
"I know. I used magic to heal them. But it looks like she's not just getting her memories back, but her body is physically changing the way Emma's would have. It's like some sort of sick curse, making her relive all her old childhood traumas."
"Who would do that?" Snow asked, looking appalled.
"I don't know, but we can't worry about that right now. We need to figure out where Emma is," Regina reminded them.
"No one came into the diner, so Emma must have walked out," Henry said.
Regina nodded. "I'm thinking she slipped out the door while it was closing. That's why we didn't hear the bell."
"Ok, but then what? She stepped out here and someone grabbed her?" David asked. "Who else knows who she is?"
"Just us and Blue," Regina replied.
"Blue wouldn't take her," Snow insisted.
Regina raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. As much as she didn't care for the fairy, she didn't really think she would take her either. And if she did, she certainly didn't need Regina's car to do it.
"So someone took Emma, who didn't know who she was. And your car. Maybe it's not about her, it's about you," David deduced. "Who do you think would do that?"
"Who wants revenge on the Evil Queen?" Regina sneered, "it's a long list. We'd we quicker to eliminate people who wouldn't want revenge… and sadly, I think they are all present and accounted for."
"How did someone even drive away with your car?" Henry asked. "You still have the keys. Who knows how to hot wire a Mercedes?"
"The only car thief I know…." Regina's voice trailed off as she came to the realization. "It's Emma."
"What?" Snow demanded.
"Emma. Her magic. She did this."
"Regina, that's ridiculous," David scoffed.
Regina shook her head, ignoring the comment, and waved her hand, magically materializing the only object she knew for certain belonged to Emma: the white blanket.
"Emma's blanket?" Snow asked, "what are you doing?"
"Locator spell," Regina replied, rolling her eyes, assuming that much should have been obvious. The blanket glowed purple for a moment, and then started to float. "If you're coming, hurry up," Regina said to the Charmings as she started to follow the blanket.
Henry stayed in tow, knowing Regina wasn't going to make him go to school now. The four walked in silence, following the enchanted blanket. For her part, Regina started to wonder if perhaps she should stop taking Emma out of the house, since it always seemed to end disastrously when she did. She thought about Emma's comment that there was something wrong with her, and wondered if perhaps that was what she was referring to.
She also couldn't help but think about Blue's comment about getting Emma's magic under control. Regina was convinced Emma had somehow used magic to leave with her car, and she was terrified about what could have happened if she did.
"Do you really think she used magic?" Snow asked, hurrying to walk beside Regina. Regina looked at her uneasily, before nodding.
"It's the only thing that makes sense," she replied.
"What are we going to do, when we find her?" Snow asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, about the magic, the memories coming back, everything. She's four years old. It's not fair what's happening to her."
Regina nodded. "No, it's not. But we will figure out a way to help her… even if I have to enlist the help of the fairies," Regina said, shuddering at the thought.
"It's taking us to the woods," Henry piped up, as they blanket turned ahead of them. "Back to where I found her in the first place."
"Why would she go there?" Snow asked.
"I don't know," Regina said, picking up her pace as the blanket quickened. She knew they were getting close, but she was also getting annoyed at the grating sound of Snow's voice. She knew she shouldn't think like that when Emma was missing, but alas, old habits die hard.
"There's the car!" David said, pointing it out as he ran toward it. The rest followed him, and sure enough, they found Regina's Mercedes. The cabin was empty, and the back door was open.
"It's going toward the well," Henry said, drawing their attention back to Emma's blanket. Moments later, the well was in view, and little Emma was perched on the ledge, her legs dangling into the well, looking down.
"Emma!" Regina gasped, running toward her. Emma's head snapped around to look at her, her face red and puffy from crying. Regina grabbed her and pulled her back from the ledge, holding her tight.
"What were you doing?" she asked, cupping Emma's face in her hand to look in her eyes.
"You said if I sat in the car, it would take me where I want to go, so that's what I did," Emma said, sniffling.
"You wanted to go to the well?" Regina asked confused.
"I want to go home!" Emma cried, throwing her face into Regina's chest, sobbing. Regina looked at the Charmings and Henry, at a complete loss for words.
"Emma, this is your home," Snow said, stepping over to Emma and Regina. Emma turned her head slightly to look at her from the corner of her eye.
"I want my old home!"
"You want to go back to the Enchanted Forest? With the fairies?" Regina asked. "I thought you liked it here, with us?"
Emma nodded. "I don't have bad dreams there. I don't remember bad things in my sleep when I'm there. And I can't stay with you, so I want to go back!"
Regina bit the inside of her lip, and looked at Snow and David, who looked back at her, stunned. Her first instinct was to take Emma home with her right now, regardless of how the Charmings felt, but she knew she couldn't do that. To her surprise, it was David who spoke up first.
"Emma, maybe you can stay with Regina a little longer? Would that make you feel better?" he asked.
"David!" Snow said, in protest.
"If staying with Regina will stop her from jumping down a well, that's what we're going to have to do," David explained. Regina was surprised, but she wasn't about to disagree.
"Would you like that, Emma?" Regina asked. Emma nodded. "Okay, then maybe your parents can come over and see you there? And you can get to know them?"
"Do I have to leave?" Emma said, looking up at Regina.
"Not until you're ready," Regina replied. She noticed Snow shifting uncomfortably. She knew the younger woman had had her heart set on taking her daughter home as soon as possible, but she was just going to have to wait.
"Okay," Emma agreed. "I'm sorry I took your car."
"That's the other thing… starting today, you and I are going to start magic lessons," Regina told her. "You moved a car. I definitely need to help you get this under control."
"Are you mad?" Emma asked, softly.
"No, I'm not mad. I was just scared. We all were. We all love you Emma, and this is your home," Regina told her. "And now it's time to drop Henry off at school and go back to the house. Maybe Mommy and Daddy can come see you this afternoon?"
Snow smiled at the suggestion. "We would love to."
"Alright then, let's get going. It's not even 8:30… that's enough excitement for one day, don't you think?"
Emma grinned her impish grin, and suddenly looked like the little girl from yesterday, and Regina knew the excitement was probably just beginning.
When they got home, Regina took Emma out to the backyard for her first magic lesson. She wasn't sure how to proceed, since she had never actually taught magic to a child. It occurred to her that in many ways, Emma Swan had always been like a child, and perhaps this wouldn't be so different. She knew, however, the breaking bridge approach was out of the question.
She started with some basics, like moving small objects or making them disappear, and she was pleasantly surprised to find that this little Emma was actually easier to teach than the adult Emma had been. However, as the lesson continued, she quickly discovered that four-year-old Emma had about the same attention span as the adult one, which was nearly non-existent.
Regina flipped through her spell book quickly, trying to think of something else to teach Emma, that might hold her attention longer. She didn't get very far, before Emma made the book disappear right out of her hand. Regina looked down at Emma, who was giving her an impish grin.
"Bring it back," Regina said, holding out her hand. She could make the book reappear herself, but that wasn't the point of all this.
"Nuh-uh! What's that magic word?" Emma asked.
Regina gritted her teeth, trying to keep her patience in check. "Please. Please, Emma, bring back the book."
"That's not the magic word!" Emma laughed.
"You didn't tell me what the word was. That's not playing fair," Regina replied, firmly.
"The magic word is abracadabra!" Emma laughed.
"I will not say abracadabra. Bring the book back," Regina repeated, her annoyance growing.
"You just said it!" Emma exclaimed, looking extremely pleased with herself.
"Fine. I said it. So bring the book back."
"That wasn't the right word. I was tricking you!" Emma laughed.
"Emma, this isn't funny!" Regina insisted.
"Then why am I laughing?" Emma sassed back.
Regina closed her eyes and counted silently to ten. She had never dealt with this sort of insolence from a child. "Does it look like I'm laughing?" she asked, as she opened her eyes again.
Emma narrowed her eyes and looked at Regina closely. "A little bit," she said, with a shrug.
Regina let out an exasperated sigh. "Bring the book back!" she said, with more force than she meant too. Emma's eyes grew wide and the smile wiped off her face. She looked like she might cry as she waved her hands in front of her. White magic sparked from her fingertips, but the book didn't appear.
"I don't remember how!" she cried, her voice sounding panicked.
Regina noticed the branches of the trees above her starting to shake, and she dropped to her knees in front of the child. "Okay, Emma, it's okay. I'll show you again."
Emma calmed down as Regina went through it again, and this time Emma's magic brought the book back.
"I'm sorry, Gina," Emma said, once the book was returned. "Please don't be mad at me."
"I'm not mad," Regina replied, "but I need you to understand that magic is serious, it's not a game."
"Okay," Emma nodded, "but I don't want to do this anymore right now. I'm hungry."
"Alright. That's probably enough for one day anyway. Let's go make lunch," Regina said, standing. She took Emma's little hand and brought her back inside. They had actually gotten farther than she expected for the first lesson, so she was okay with ending it there, for now.
Shortly after lunch, after Regina had put Emma down for a nap, Regina's phone rang.
"Hello?" Regina said, heading back down stairs.
"Hey, Regina. Snow and I were just talking to Blue," he started. Regina rolled her eyes, "and she needs to talk to all of us, about what's going on here."
"Oh, she does? She's known something since the beginning and she just decided now would be a good time to share with the rest of the class?" Regina snarked.
"I know you don't like her…"
"I don't trust her, David. You shouldn't either. And I don't want her anywhere near Emma. Didn't Snow tell you what happened when Blue came into the diner yesterday?"
"She did… but Regina, how else are we going to get answers?"
Regina let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. But she's not stepping foot inside my home. And Emma isn't going to see her."
"Agreed. We'll be there shortly."
Regina waited impatiently on the front steps for Blue and the Charmings to arrive, leaving the front door open in case Emma woke up. She didn't like not being beside her when she slept, but she also knew they really did need answers. Thankfully, the Charmings arrived before Blue, so Regina didn't have to face the fairy alone.
"Where's Emma?" Snow asked eagerly, as she approached the door.
"She's napping," Regina replied, absently, as she could see Blue approaching in the distance.
"Napping?" Snow asked.
"Yes, she's four. She needs to nap," Regina replied.
"But you knew we were coming over," Snow said.
"Yes, and I also know she's four. And she needs to nap. And I won't have the Blue Fairy frightening her again, anyway. I wouldn't have agreed to this meeting if she was still awake."
"Regina," Blue nodded, as she reached the step, and seemed like she might walk past her into the open door.
"No, we're staying outside," Regina said, stepping to block her.
"Very well," Blue said. Regina thought her eyes looked unnecessarily challenging.
"So, are you going to tell us what the hell is going on here, or shall we just gaze into each other's eyes some more?" Regina asked, her patience already running thin.
"Well, David tells me we now know for sure who this child is," Blue stated.
"We know," Regina said, motioning to the Charmings and herself. "I still can't figure out how any of this is your concern."
"You do know she was living with fairies in the Enchanted Forest. They called me about this peculiar child that the Yellow Fairy discovered in a field. She had a … concerning affliction."
"She said there was something wrong with her," Regina said, a little more quietly, glancing back into the house to make sure Emma hadn't come down the stairs.
"What's wrong with her?" Snow cut in.
"She was… reincarnated four months ago, as a baby, and now physically, she's four years old," Blue explained. "she's aging, rapidly. I'm assuming it's to catch up to where she's supposed to be."
"You assume," David repeated, "but you don't actually know."
"Unfortunately, no," Blue nodded.
"She has dreams," Regina said, even though she had not intended to reveal this to Blue, initially, "and her dreams are Emma's real memories. Explain that."
Blue looked at Regina pensively for a moment. "She doesn't belong here. None of us do. There are powers beyond any of our understanding, and you, Your Majesty, toyed with them when you cast your curse. I don't know how Emma was reincarnated, but she was reborn in the place that she belonged, but her parents weren't there. Now she's here, and everything is… well, a mess."
"So this wouldn't be happening if we were in the Enchanted Forest?" Snow asked.
"No," Blue agreed.
"So, what you're saying is, Emma is going to age rapidly and regain her old memories at lightening speed until what? She gets back to where she belongs?" Regina asked.
"Apparently," Blue nodded. Regina rolled her eyes at the fairies half-answers.
"Gina?" Regina heard a tiny voice behind her. She spun around on her heels to see Emma standing there, clutching her blanket tightly. "Why is she here?"
Regina stepped inside and picked Emma up. "We needed to talk to her, baby. She had some answers for us."
"You promised she wouldn't come here!" Emma cried, her lip quivering.
"I know, and I'm sorry," Regina nodded, before turning back to Blue. "And she's leaving now."
"You're welcome, Your Majesty," Blue said, sarcastically, before leaving.
"Majesty?" Emma asked, looking at Regina, confused.
"Ignore her," Regina said, "it doesn't matter. Your parents are here to see you."
Emma eyed Snow and David, uneasily, before looking at Regina again. "I had another bad dream."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Regina asked.
Emma threw her parents another glance. "Later."
"Alright," Regina agreed. "How about we all go out back then, and you can spend some time with your parents, okay, Emma?"
"Will you not leave?" Emma asked, her eyes pleading with Regina.
"I will never leave," Regina promised, as she led the way across the house to the backyard. She sat on the porch swing, watching as David and Mary Margaret played with Emma. She noted that they had chosen not to bring Neal, and she assumed he was with a sitter. Typical, she thought to herself.
She played over what the Blue Fairy had told her, in her mind. Emma had been dead four months, when the four year old version turned up in the woods. She wondered if it was safe, then, to assume she would age one year for every month. She thought about all the clothes she had bought the child, and realized she probably wouldn't get to wear most of them before she outgrew them.
She was also reminded of Blue's comment about getting Emma's magic under control before it was too late. It made sense now. Emma's magic would only grow stronger as she aged. Emma Swan had grown up in a world without magic, and her elemental ability hadn't been an issue then. But Emma's magic had been strong, and instinctual, and it would only get stronger as time went on. Regina knew they were going to have to take these magic lessons very seriously, and she wondered exactly how she was supposed to do that with a child who had the attention span of a goldfish.
She watched Emma, who was giggling as she showed her mother how she could make leaves and twigs disappear. Most of them, she was able to bring back, but a few seemed to get caught in limbo. She considered the fact that maybe the next time Emma was one on one with Blue, instead of causing a minor earthquake, she could perhaps just vanish the annoying fairy into oblivion.
Regina smiled to herself at the thought, though she considered for a moment that it wasn't completely ridiculous. This Emma hadn't had her dark potential thrust into an unwilling victim. Her heart was as it should have been all along. Regina sighed as she realized that protecting Emma's heart was just one more task she was going to have to take on in all of this.
At least the magic was enough to convince the Charmings to let Emma stay with her for now. She wondered how long that would last.
The following morning, after Emma had played until she wore herself out and passed out on the living room floor, and Regina had carefully carried her upstairs and tucked her into bed with her, Regina woke alone.
"Emma?" she asked, cautiously, looking around the room. She wasn't there.
Regina hopped out of bed and threw on her robe, to start looking. Every night meant an onslaught of new old memories returning to Emma, and Regina never knew which Emma she would be when she woke up: the mischievous imp causing trouble, or the sullen, silent, terrified lost little girl.
If Regina's calculations were correct – and if this was all working in the logical way she hoped it was – Emma should be regaining nearly two weeks of old memories every night. She had no way of accurately knowing if that was the case, but in any event, a lot can happen in a short time, and every time she slept, she had to wonder just what life Emma was re-entering that night.
Regina also had to wonder what would happen when this Emma hit seventeen, when Emma Swan was pregnant with Henry. This Emma's little body was growing and changing, and Regina had noted signs of physical abuse had shown up one night in her sleep. She brushed that worry to the side. They had thirteen years – or rather thirteen months – before that would become an issue. Right now she had to worry about locating the missing preschooler.
Once she was in the hallway, Regina didn't actually have to find Emma, to know exactly which Emma she had to deal with today. If the crayon garden drawn all over her pristine white walls was any indication, she was in for a long day with a spirited child who didn't really understand boundaries and rules.
Regina sighed, but as angry as she was about the walls, she knew she would take mischievous Little Emma over distraught Little Emma any day of the week.
And she realized she wasn't really angry, either. It was just crayon and it could be vanished off the wall instantly with a wave of her hands. What intrigued – and disturbed – her more was the fact that Emma, chronologically, should be nearly 4 and a half now, and yet she was drawing on the walls like a toddler. Either no one had ever taught her that this behaviour was inappropriate, or else they had, and she did it for attention. Regina wasn't sure which was more worrisome.
She trailed her hand lightly over the mural, which continued down the hall and down the stairs, careful to avoid stepping on fallen crayons along the way, where she spotted Emma sitting on the bottom step, colouring enthusiastically. Regina almost had to admire the passion and dedication she was putting into her masterpiece.
"Emma!" Regina said, when she was just a few steps above the child.
Emma jumped, dropping a red crayon to the ground, and spun around to face Regina, her mouth gaping open in surprise. Regina just looked at her, one eyebrow raised, waiting for Emma to offer up an excuse for her behaviour.
Emma looked back at the wall for a moment, as if she had suddenly just realized what she had done, and looked back at Regina, the same dumbfounded look on her face.
Regina was about so say something, when she spotted something different about the picture Emma had been working on when she surprised her. The rest of the mural was all flowers and grass and butterflies, but here, at the bottom, was a distinct figure, with brown eyes and brown hair, holding the hand of a little one, with yellow hair and big green eyes, with a half drawn red heart between them.
Regina sighed and sat down on the step behind Emma, picking up the red crayon she had dropped and playing with it idly in her hand. "Is that you and me?"
Emma nodded, looking back at the drawing. "I thought maybe you would like it," she said, her voice small.
"I do, but maybe next time we can use paper?" she said, offering Emma a smile to let her know she wasn't in trouble. She should be in trouble – Henry certainly would have been – but after the bruises Regina had seen show up on Emma's skin a few nights ago, she was sure Emma had been disciplined more than enough for one lifetime. If she was being honest, there really were worse things a child could do than draw a picture for someone they clearly cared about.
Regina hesitated for a moment, and then leaned forward and completed the heart with the red crayon. Emma beamed.
"Mom!" Henry cried from behind her, causing her to jump this time.
"Emma did it," Regina said, in mock defense. Emma giggled.
"You would have never let me get away with something like this!" Henry insisted.
"She's not you," Regina replied, with a shrug, as she stood. She knew Henry couldn't quite understand how bad his birthmother's childhood had actually been, and how much she needed to just be a child, with someone to trust, and to play, without fear.
And then it hit her.
"Henry," she said, pulling her son out of Emma's earshot, as Emma picked up a crayon to colour in the heart. "I know why this happened."
"What?"
Regina sighed, "I know why Emma was reincarnated. I read about this once, but… it's just… I thought it was a legend. It has to do with balance. Magic is energy, and it can't be created or destroyed, it can only change form, you know this, correct?"
Henry nodded.
"Okay, Emma's magic is the strongest elemental magic in existence. Her power, plus her sacrifice, it shifted the balance. She never got her happy ending. She barely had any happiness her entire life, until you, and even then, she had such a short time with you before she was gone. She suffered a great injustice at the hands of fate, and now fates trying to tip the scales back into balance."
"So… you think she was reincarnated so she could be happy, this time around?" Henry asked, trying to follow his mother's train of thought.
"It makes sense, doesn't it?"
Henry nodded. In a strange way, it did make sense. "So, now what? You just let her run wild until she grows back up, because that will make her happy?"
"No, obviously not. But this is a second chance for her, and we have to make it count, okay?"
Henry glanced back over at Emma and laughed. "Yeah, okay, but just be careful. If you're gonna set the precedent that she can draw all over your walls and get away with it, just imagine what she's gonna pull when she's a teenager? Or an adult again?"
"Go get ready for school, I'll deal with Emma," Regina said, rolling her eyes. He had a point though. There had to be boundaries, or Emma would walk all over her. As Henry headed back up the stairs to get dressed for school, Regina walked back over to Emma.
"Well, my darling, it looks like magic lessons will be starting early today. Today, you get to learn how to magically remove crayon from expensive wall paint."
Emma turned to look at Regina, stricken. "But… I made this for you."
"And it's beautiful, but it can't stay on the wall."
Emma pouted as she looked at her drawing. Regina could tell she really had done it with the best of intentions, and she decided to make a small compromise. She waved her hand and magically produced a blank piece of paper in her hand.
"Emma, watch this," Regina said. Emma continued to pout, pretending she wasn't watching out of the corner of her eye while Regina waved her hand and transferred Emma's drawing of the two of them – red heart and all – on to the paper. "Now we can keep this part forever."
Emma turned back and finally smiled.
After an uneventful breakfast, and once Henry was off on his way to school, Regina took Emma back to the wall and began to teach her how to remove the crayon. Emma was completely disinterested by this point, but Regina promised her if she could get all the crayon off, she would take her to the store and let her pick out a frame to hang her drawing in, and it could stay on her wall forever. That was enough motivation to get Emma to concentrate, and though it took some time, she eventually got it done.
And Regina stayed true to her word and took Emma into town to let her pick out a frame. She took her to Gold's pawn shop, which was now completely operated by Belle, and let her look around. Regina did have a small ulterior motive in choosing this shop.
Once Regina was sure Emma was distracted looking at all the trinkets in the shop, she went over to talk to Belle.
"That's Emma? Really?" Belle asked, unable to take her eyes off the child.
Regina nodded. "News travels fast, I see."
"It's a small town," Belle shrugged. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Yes, actually. Gold once had a necklace here, it was enchanted, and it allowed Henry to navigate the Netherworld after the sleeping curse."
Belle nodded, slowly, "yes, I remember. It's… well, the potion, is still here."
"Ok, good, I need it. For Emma."
"She's going into the Netherworld."
"No… but, she goes away when she dreams, into her old memories. I'm hoping that maybe… it will help her. A lot of those memories are… well, they're not good."
Belle nodded, understandingly, and headed off to get the potion. Regina glanced at Emma, who was busing tinkering with something she had found. Belle returned quickly with a small vile.
"I don't know if it will work, but I guess it's worth a shot," she said, handing Regina the vial. She reached under the counter and pulled out a small pendant to put the potion in.
"What do I owe you for this?"
"I don't make deals," Belle said, with a small smirk.
"I didn't mean that. This is still a store, is it not?"
Belle nodded, and looked at Emma. "She sacrificed everything for all of us. It's the least I can do."
"She did. Thank you," Regina nodded, sincerely, holding the vial tight.
As if on cue, Emma bounded over, with an antique red and gold picture frame in her hands. "Look, Gina it's perfect!"
It was hideous, but Regina couldn't help but smile at Emma's big smile.
"How much does this cost?" Emma asked, looking at Belle. "I have five dollars."
"You have no money," Regina laughed, and then she wondered if maybe Emma had a piggy bank in whatever home she was last in.
"It just costs one big smile," Belle said, winking at Emma.
"You're going to go bankrupt, running your business like this," Regina remarked.
Belle just smirked and winked at Emma. "Enjoy your picture frame. It's gonna look so nice in Regina's house."
Regina just shook her head, knowing that she was never going to hear the end of this from Henry, either. "Come on, say thank you to Belle, and let's go home."
"Thank you Belle!" Emma shouted, a little too loudly in her excitement. It wasn't even noon and Regina could tell this was going to be a long, long day.