AN: I do not own OUAT, although I wish I did!
If you're confused on how my version of the curse works please read this and I will explain. Regina's curse was meant to take away everybody's happy endings and it did, just in different ways. Mary-margaret and David (Snow and Charming) There happy ending was to have another baby, but when the curse was active and strong, before Killian came they didn't think they had any children and thought they never would because the curse wouldn't let them and it destroyed them inside. Emma's happy ending was her having a completed family with Killian and Henry but that was taken away for her to believe that she had no family and grew up an orphan. killian's happy ending was Emma but that was taken away with the curse also and he had to raise Henry on his own.
This curse changed everybody's memories into thinking they were somebody completely different and it also changed the way they see their self, like Ashley (Ella) believes she's nine teen instead of thirty two (made up age) and Mary-margaret and David think they're twenty seven instead of Thirty six (made up age again). Emma believes she grew up in the foster system and that she's twenty eight instead of eighteen. Ruby believes she's in her twenties as well.
This chapter will have some CaptainSwan but I wanted to mostly make this a DaddyCharming, WhiteSwan and Swanbeliever chapter to show the relationship between mother, father and daughter.
Chapter 8: Hansel and Gretel
Three days had gone by since Killian had gone in the hospital. He had been recovering very well, still he hadn't woken up though, doctors said he could wake up any day now. Emma had been taking care of Henry until Killian could return home and so far everything was going smoothly, she would bring him out to Granny's for lunch and supper, they would go for walks and go to the jungle gym that Henry now called his castle. Henry had told her the story that he told Regina, where he believed that Emma was his mother and that she had to help break some curse, she just went along with it, pretending to be the princess in the story, since she really wished she was, a princess that had a family and was married to the former pirate Captain Hook who was suppose to be Killian, that just made it even better.
Emma was just sitting next to the hospital bed, looking at the badly bruised Killian Jones. Henry had gone down the road to the Pharmasave, said that he needed some air and to be away from this hospital room since he couldn't bare to see his father all broken and bruised anymore. All Emma could think about was how she couldn't wait to see those bright blue ocean eyes once again, and just to jump inside of his arms and hold him close.
Emma looked down at her deputy with tears in her eyes she gripped his hand slightly and took a soft breath, "Killian, I'm right here, I'll always be here for you and Henry," She began, "Henry has been nothing but a sweet little boy, I've been taking care of him and he's been telling me all about this curse" A soft chuckle escaped her lips, "I guess me and you are married and he's our son, apparently Snow White's daughter aka me married the rebellious Captain Hook" She joked with a soft smile to her lips. "I just wish you could wake up Killian, I miss you, and I want to be with you" A tear started to drip down her cheek and down onto Killian's own hand.
"I...love you...Emma" Killian muttered out through his sleep, making Emma jump up and place a hand onto his face.
"Killian? Killian! Are you awake!" She couldn't believe when she heard that he loved her but she didn't care about that, Killian spoke for the first time since he had got here, could he be waking up? She cupped her hands on his face, just waiting for those beautiful blue eyes to be opened and staring into her soul. But nothing happened. All of a sudden her phone rang. "S-Sheriff Swan" Emma muttered in the phone, she was paying more attention to Killian than what the other person was saying on the phone.
"Sheriff Swan...Henry...Stole...Two kids...Pharmasave" Was all Emma was able to make out from the other end.
"What?" Hearing Henry and stole in the same sentence was not what she wanted to hear.
"Henry was caught stealing along with two kids at my Pharmasave" Mr. Clark said on the other end.
Emma's eyes shot open, as she was still glued onto Killian's blank sleepless face. Henry stealing? That did not sound right at all, Henry was a sweet and caring boy, a gentleman...just like his father. "...I'll be right down there" She said as she placed one small peck on Killian's head.
Henry was able to get away from the hospital, just get away from everything. He couldn't bare to look back at his father for any longer and see all the scratches and bruises that his body endured over the accident. Other than his father being in the hospital the past few days, he was pretty good, he got to spend time with Emma, and got to see the person she was. He enjoyed staying with her, he hoped that once the curse broke him, Emma and his father would be able to find a place to be a family.
As he walked into the Pharmasave he noticed a stack of comic books, maybe that was just what he needed to distract himself from everything else that he had to worry about. Picking up a comic about the hulk he opened it up and started to read, immediately getting soaked up into it.
"Whatcha reading?" A girl said from behind Henry as he spun around and seen a much older girl with long blonde hair and she was wearing what looked to be their school uniform. He hadn't noticed this girl before.
Henry hesitated for a second, this was the first time anybody from this town had talked to him that was actually his age, "The Hulk VS Wolverine."
"I'm Ava, I think I've seen you around school," She said with a smile, "You're in Mrs. Nolan's class right?" Ava asked as Henry nodded. She noticed how happy he looked, he mustn't of had many friends, at least when she seen him around he was all alone. "This is my brother Nicholas" She said as a boy around Henry's age approached the side of her, he had dark hair and was much shorter.
"Hi" Said Nicholas as he nodded towards Henry, giving him a big friendly smile. Henry returned the smile as well, "Come on Ava lets go."
"Do you wanna come hang out for a bit?" Ava asked Henry as Nicholas started walking towards the store sliding doors.
"Oh, sure…" Henry smiled as he placed the comic book back on the shelves and through his backpack that held his Storybook over his shoulder, he was happy he was finally making friends in this small cursed town. Walking towards the doors with Ava on his side he couldn't wait to see what kind of fun they would do.
"Hold it right there!" Mr. Clark shouted as he held out a hand in front of the group of three. Mr. Clark had an allergy issue so his voice was muffled from his throat and nose being clogged and he kept sneaking. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" He asked as he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his nose.
"W-what? I didn't do anything" Henry didn't understand.
"Don't think I didn't see you rob me! Show me your bag" Mr. Clark pointed to the boys bag as he watched Henry carefully slip it off his shoulder and pass it over to him. Opening it up, he reached inside and pulled out a handful of candy, "Can you explain this to me then?"
"I didn't take it…" Henry looked over to the brother and sister he thought were going to be his friends, they were glancing looks at each others and were swallowing hard, "That's why you were talking to me, so your brother could sneak that into my bag" He was hurt, he thought he was actually starting to become somebody.
"Henry...I'm shocked, and you two...just who do you think you are?" Mr. Clark asked as he turned to face the siblings before he descended behind his desk and picked up the phone.
Henry's face fell, he knew he was going to call Emma, he had just hoped he wouldn't get in trouble for something he didn't do or didn't even know was happening. If his father were here, he wouldn't be in this mess.
"Alright Killian, I need to go figure something out with our...your son" She said as she gently squeezed the man's hand before letting go and walking out the door, glancing back one last time to see the man she loved still asleep.
By the time she had arrived to the Pharmasave, she seen Henry with two other children, Mr. Clark and...Regina. "Henry, what happened?" Emma asked as she walked in taking off her mittens that blocked her hands from the winter cold, "And Regina, you can go back and do whatever you were doing, this isn't really your place of work."
"Ms. Swan, may I remind you that I can fire you and find a new sheriff" Regina sneered, "Besides I was in the store when I heard everything happening" She was really watching Henry, watching every move he did, making sure he wasn't breaking the curse without his father.
Henry looked up at the women, he wanted to run behind Emma and protect himself from the Evil Queen.
"Sheriff Swan, sorry to disrupt your day, but I caught Henry stealing, thought you'd like to know since you're watching him for right now" He said as he motioned her over to the front desk where a bunch of things laid on the surface, bread, milk, candy, vegetables everything.
Emma gave a stern look down at Henry, she didn't believe Henry would steal anything. "Henry, did you steal anything?" She asked as the boy shook his head.
"Of course it wasn't him...it was obviously those two" Regina said in a dark stern voice.
Emma closed her eyes and sighed, of course she knew it wasn't Henry, her lie detector wasn't going off, but this Mayor was getting on her last nerve,"Madame Mayor, I have a job here to do, so may you please just go home!"
"You don't order me around prin...sheriff," Regina spat back, she was ruler of this realm and nobody, not even Snow White's daughter was going to take that from her, "Besides I have to go anyway, take care of those miscreants" And with that she left the Pharmasave with a smirk on her face she had a plan in mind, an evil plan, If she couldn't make Killian and Henry leave, then she'd have to get Emma to approach the town line, that would work just as good, without her the curse would be missing it's only way of breaking.
Emma turned around and waited for the Mayor to leave before she turned back to Mr. Clark and the siblings who she knew were behind this. "Did you call their parents?" She asked looking over at the siblings who seemed frightened but strong.
"Uh, the number they gave me was disconnected" Mr. Clark said through a stuffy nose.
Emma turned back to the kids raising one of her eyebrows, she knew who would have been better at that gesture...Killian. "Did you give Mr. Clark a fake number?" She asked sternly as the store owner walked off. Ava and Nicholas both shook their head as they bit down on their lips, she could tell they were nervous, "Then why's it disconnected?"
"Because our parents couldn't pay the bill" Ava said softly as she gave Emma a sad pleading look.
Emma looked into the children's eyes one last time before turning towards the counter where Mr. Clark had started to put the items in a shopping basket, getting ready to put them away. Then she noticed the different things, things a child wouldn't try to steal. "You guys were just trying to help out, huh?" The kids nodded weakly.
"Please, please don't arrest us" Ava begged as she watched the sheriff look over the items, "It'll just make things worse for our parents."
Emma looked between the siblings one last time, she could tell something wasn't right but she just didn't know what exactly. "Mr. Clark...I'll take whatever they stole" Even though she felt as if something was wrong she felt remorse for the children and wanted to help them out, like she wished people would have done for her.
"But sheriff…" Mr. Clark got cut off.
Emma took out her wallet, passing the man enough that would cover for everything, "Please" She begged as the man took her money and started to bag the items. When Mr. Clark finally finished bagging everything Emma took the two bags in hand and started walking out to the sheriff car, "Come on, I'll bring you home" She said as Ava and Nicholas both glanced at her before following behind, what were they suppose to do now. When they all got into the car and Ava had told them the address of their house, Emma started the engine and drove off, the three sat in silence after that. The house was one story, grey, big windows in front that probably lit up the entire level. The house seemed quite, which was a bit odd to Emma, usually family homes seemed lit up. "Is this it?" Emma asked as she parked on the side of the road, turning around to look at Ava and Nicholas as they nodded.
She wanted to go in and explain to the parents what had happened at the Pharamasave, and explain that they were in no trouble at all, but when she unbuckled her seat belt and opened up the door she was interrupted by Ava.
"Please, no, if our parents see you they'll be so embarrassed" Ava begged with sadness in her voice.
Emma knew the girl was trying to hide something, but what was it? She couldn't put her finger on it, so instead she closed her door, turned back to look at the two kids, dead in the eyes. Emma looked over at Henry who had climbed into the front seat so the sister and brother could sit together "Did Henry tell you about my super power?" Emma asked as she gave the kids a serious look. When Henry told her about the Princess she was suppose to be and how she had the power to tell when ever anybody lied to her, she smiled and said that was all they had in common was the superpower, nothing else.
Ava shook her head as she looked at Henry, "We just met him."
"I have the ability to tell whenever anybody is lying," Emma informed, "Tell me the truth, money problems aside, is everything okay at home?"
"Yeah, we're great" Ava nodded, "Can we go now?"
Emma looked between them one last time, they were lying to her. "Alright fine" She turned back around in her seat as Ava and Nicholas grabbed the two grocery bags Mr. Clark had packed and walked up to the front door of the house. Emma watched them carefully as they waved goodbye to her, she knew they were hiding something and she was going to find out, so she pretended like she was leaving and turned down the road until she wouldn't be seen from the two kids, waiting for her moment to run down the street and back to the house.
"She's gone, let's go" Ava exclaimed as her and her bother watched the sheriff leave the house. They ran to the side of the house, jumped over a gate that led into the backyard where they were hiding out in the basement of the house and unlocked the basement door. Nicholas jumped on a dirty old cot that was unmade and had pillows thrown all around it that they used for a bed while Ava took the grocery bags and started putting the boxes of food down on a old wooden shelf.
A thump came from above them on the main level of the floor, making Ava and Nicholas turn their heads and look up as they listened to what sounded like somebody walking around. Ava and Nicholas both started to climb up the ladder that lead to the main floor, when they opened the small hatch in the dirty abandoned kitchen. Ava pulled up Nicholas as they started looking around corners, walking as silently as possible.
"Why'd you guys lie to me?" Emma asked popping up behind Ava and Nicholas who got startled and jumped to see her standing there. "Where are your parents?" She questioned them.
Ava looked down at her younger brother, "...We don't have any" She said sadly.
Emma looked between them, they were orphans...like her. Emma sighed, what was she suppose to do? If they were orphans and they had nobody to take care of them then...she would have to put them into the system, the dark place she would have nightmares about. Emma pulled out her cell phone and dialed up the one person she knew could help her, "Hey, um...I have something I need help with, do you mind if I come over?"
"Of course not, me and David are just picking out colors for the baby's room" Mary-margaret cheered on the other end.
"Great...I'll see you in a bit" Emma said as she hung up and made sure Ava and Nicholas followed her to the car. What was she suppose to do with them? She couldn't bare to see brother and sister go into the system and be separated from each other.
Emma pulled up to Mary-margaret and David's white farm house. It was a nice little home they had, they had big open fields, a small heard of sheep and their house was two stories high with a small balcony on the side of the master room, Emma had a lot of good memories here when they would invite her over for supper or a game night. The land was covered in a thick sheet of pure white Snow and as they pulled in it was snowing once again. Emma ended up helping Ava and Nicholas out of the car since the driveway was pure ice, she had no idea how they survived these past weeks when it's been doing nothing but snow and temperatures were freezing. She knocked and waited.
"Emma! How's everybody? How's Killian?" David said reaching out and embracing her into a hug when he answered the door.
"Oh...me and Henry are fine, Killian's still...asleep and these two need parents" Emma said stepping to the side and revealing the siblings.
David was speechless, he couldn't figure out what to say.
Mary-margaret came up to the group holding up two different shades of green, "David, you haven't picked one yet Chartreuse or seafoam?" She said holding up the two shades, "Oh, Emma, here so soon." She said wrapping the women into a hug, knowing she's been through a lot the last days, "How are you?"
"I'm good, but I need your help" Emma said as she looked over at David, indicating for him to take the kids into the kitchen.
David took a few seconds to clue in, but once he figured it out, it wasn't long before he acted. "How about us four go into the kitchen and have a little snack, yeah?" He asked motioning the kids over.
"Yes please!" Nicholas said immediately with a cheer and a pump in the air with his fist as he ran down to where he seen the kitchen. He had been starving all morning.
Emma forced a small smile on her face as she thought about how happy Henry got whenever she asked him if he wanted a snack. That boy reminded her so much of his father, the black shaggy hair, the pale white skin, the kindness and how he was pure at heart. She wished she could always have Henry living with her, but hopefully Killian would wake up and then he would have to go back to Granny's.
"Emma...what's going on?" Mary-margaret asked.
"I found them hiding out in the basement of an abandoned house," Emma began, "Do you know them? Do they go to your school?" She asked in a low voice, not wanting them to hear.
"I've seen them around but I didn't think anything was wrong" Informed Mary-margaret in a whisper.
"What am I suppose to do?" Emma asked as she started breathing heavily, "If Killian were here he would know what to do, Mary-margaret...I miss him so much...I can't do anything without him" She said as her eyes started to sting once again with tears.
Mary-margaret took Emma into another embrace, "It'll be alright, before you know it Killian will be back, he's just healing up right now," She said comfortingly, "Alright?" She lifted up Emma's head and wiped away a tear that had strayed from her now glassy eyes.
Emma nodded and gave a small smile, her and Mary-margaret weren't that close but if Emma needed something or somebody to talk to, she was the person she could count on, "just the fact that I almost lost him...makes me realize how important he is to me and something could happen to one of us out of no where."
Mary-margaret gasped, "Emma...are you saying what I think you're saying?"
Emma smiled, "I...have feelings for him."
"Oh my god! That's wonderful! I can't wait to tell David! I can't believe you finally found somebody you actually like and wont turn you down!" Mary-margaret exclaimed with a bright smile.
Emma chuckled, "Alright, alright, calm down, it's not like we're getting married, besides I don't even know if he feels the same way."
"Are you kidding me!" Mary-margaret slapped the side of Emma's arm playfully, "You can just see it in his eyes how he feels about you, the way he looks at you says it all, now that is a man that would go to the end of time for you."
Emma smiled, "I hope you're right" She started to blush and think about how happy she'll be when Killian returns home. Then she remembered why she was really here and her smile went back to a frown. She opened up a school book that Henry had left at her apartment the morning of, "Ava and Nicholas Zimmer, said there mother was somebody named Debby Zimmer, she died a few years ago? No one seems to know her or remember her" She asked, wondering if she could get any other kind of information about them.
Mary-margaret narrowed her eyes, thinking if she knew a Debby Zimmer...she didn't. "And the father?"
"There is none. At least not one that they know of," She said as an image of Henry popped into her mind, he didn't know his mother, or at least his real mother, to him she was his mother.
Mary-margaret felt sorry for the kids, but there wasn't much she could do. "What about social services?" She waited for a moment for Emma to answer, and then she seen that look, the look that said she didn't know because she never called, "You didn't report them."
"If I report them, I can't help them, they go into the system" Emma whispered through a crack in her voice as she thought about the time she was in the system.
"The system that's suppose to help" Informed Mary-margaret.
"Yeah, says the women who wasn't in it," Emma whispered, "Do you know what happens in those places? They get thrown into homes where they are nothing but a meal ticket, these families get paid for these kids and as soon as they're too much work they get sent right back and put into another home and it just keeps getting repeated." That's what had happened to her, all those nights in bed crying for her mother and father, crying to just be loved, if only she could remember how long she was exactly in that hell, "They never helped, at least not the ones I was in."
"So, we're just going to adopt them?" Mary-margaret questioned shacking her head.
Emma looked at her with pleading eyes, about to get on her hands and knees to start begging.
"Emma...no, me and David are already having a baby" She informed as she placed a hand over the small swell that started to show in her stomach.
Emma took a deep breath, "...I don't know what else to do, if I report them to social services, they could be separated, I don't want to be the one that separated them from each other because I had no other choice but to, I want to find their father, they don't know him, he may not know they exist..."
"And you think if he knows, he'll want them" Asked Mary-margaret.
Emma hesitated, "I don't know, but I have to try, if I don't then..." She was so busy worrying over her own thoughts that she didn't even hear the small footsteps coming from behind her.
"We're going to be separated?!" Ava exclaimed through her tears as she panted making Emma turn around and her face turned pale, "Please, we can't be separated, we're all each other has" She begged as she turned around to look at Nicholas who had been peaking around the corner with David placing his hands on the boys shoulders.
Mary-margaret smiled at the sight, soon that would be their own son or daughter.
"No! That's not going to happen, I promise" Emma said shacking her head.
"Please, please don't let it" Ava begged.
Emma nodded before Ava had ran into her arms and gave her a hug, she was really counting on her to find a way for them to stay together. She knew she had to find these kids father, so that meant she had to have a trip down to city hall and get the kids birth certificate. "Henry" She called out for the boy who had sneaked into the kitchen. When she seen the small boy she wished she could call hers she knelt down in front of him, "I'm going to find their father, can you stay here with them?" When she seen the boy nod she gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before darting out the door.
"Excuse me...I'm looking for the birth certificates of Ava and Nicholas Zimmer" Emma said as she walked through the doors and seen a man sitting behind a large dark desk. The man was tall with white hair and wrinkles, he had dressed in a suit with no tie and he sat around what looked like thousands of documents.
"Of course, just fill out this form...in triplicate and just wait right here" The man said kindly as he stamped all three pages and then walked over to a filing cabinet and started searching for the papers that Emma had requested. After a couple of moments of searching he found their was nothing, then he checked his computer, "I'm sorry, it seems like those documents had already been taken out.
Emma narrowed her eyes, "By who?"
"You took out their birth certificates?" Emma asked as she walked into Regina's office immediately.
Regina smirked, "Of course I did Ms. Swan, you weren't doing your job so I went a head and did it for you." She got up from her desk and walked over to her, "I found out everything I had to anyway" She handed over both files of the children.
Emma took them, "I was getting to it" She informed in a stern voice.
"Really? Because while you were "Getting to it" I was actually finding a foster home for them...which I did" informed Regina.
"Storybrooke has a foster home?" Emma didn't know that and she should have known, she was sheriff after all, she was suppose to know every building around the small town.
"No, but Boston does," Regina said as she walked back over to her desk, "Now, I couldn't find any foster homes that could take both a boy and a girl, but I found two, a boys home and a girls home...They have to be there by seven tonight."
"What? You're separating them? But I promised I wouldn't" Emma said walking over to the desk and explaining to the mayor that they couldn't be separated, they needed each other.
"Well, then maybe you should stop making promises you can't keep," Regina snapped, "Remember you wanted to be sheriff Ms. Swan, and being sheriff means having to do things you don't want to."
"Yes, but they need each other, they are scared Madame Mayor, they've had each other everyday since their mother died, they've fought every day to survive because they had nobody but each other...you can't separate brother and sister."
Regina sighed, "Oh, I'm not, you are" She said, "Now if you mind Ms. Swan, I have a lot of work I need to tend to. Remember they have to be in Boston by seven!"
Emma sighed as she hit the files on her legs and walked out. She was so scared that she wouldn't even be able to find these kids father and that they would have to be separated. She had to figure out something.
Emma had drove over to the hospital, she needed to see him and make sure everything was going to be alright. So far everything was, except for the fact that she had to figure out who Ava and Nicholas's father was before seven tonight. When she got to Killian's room, she had searched through the documents thoroughly but she couldn't find anything about who their father was or could be, it was already things that Emma knew. She was starting to get frustrated because what if she couldn't find their father, what if their father was no longer around or what if he lived on the other side of Maine, she didn't have enough time to drive all over Maine and search for this father.
Emma slammed her fists on the rests of the chair she was sitting in, "Killian, what do I do!"
Killian could hear everything she was saying, he could sense the distress in her voice. He wanted to wake up and say something but he couldn't, something was holding him back. It was all his fault that he was in the hospital anyway, if he hadn't been so upset that Emma had been ignoring him and stormed out the station using Granny's as an excuse then he wouldn't of gotten hit by that car that seemed awfully familiar to him. The car looked like the one that had always been parked outside of Mr. Golds Pawn Shop, at least the split second he seen it before everything happened. All he wanted to do was wake up from this coma, wrap Emma in his arms and say that he loved her, tell her everything was going to be alright, that she has this.
"I can't split those children up, they need each other...everybody needs somebody." She looked back down at the documents and searched them once more, seeing if she may have just missed something, she didn't though. She cupped her hands in her face and started breathing slowly, trying to calm herself down.
"Any luck?" Henry had walked in and seen Emma searching through documents. He had come to see how his father was making out or if he had even woken up.
"No" Breathed Emma as she looked up to see the boy, "Thought I told you to stay at Mary-margaret and David's?" She didn't really care if he left as long as he had told them where he was going, she was just really stressing out over this and would much rather be left alone.
"I know who they are." Henry took out his book and opened it to a illustration of a blonde girl and dark hair boy that looked surprisingly like Ava and Nicholas. "Brother and sister, lost, no parents. Hansel and Gretel."
Emma smiled at the boy, it was cute how he believed all this was true. "Anything in there about the dad?"
"Just that he abandoned them" Henry said as he sat at the foot of the bed his father was lying on.
"Great, sounds like a familiar story, whoever this guy is could be in Camden by now." Emma walked over to Killian and took his hand in hers, squeezing gently, her stress just seemed to disappear every time she held his hand.
Henry watched how she looked at his father, he could tell she was feeling for him. "No, he's here" He informed.
"Yeah? And how do you know that?" Emma couldn't take her eyes off of Killian.
"Cause no one leaves Storybrooke. No one comes here. No one goes, they can't because of the curse" Henry told her, at least that's what he thought. If this was a cursed town then everybody would have to stay here and nobody could enter or else it would just be like any small town.
"You and your father came here"
Henry sighed, "That's because we're different, dad's special. He was meant to find you and help break the curse. To reunite our family again."
Emma paused and looked up at Killian and over to Henry. He was so convinced that this curse was real that he didn't even see reality anymore, "Right. I forgot. You guys are the first strangers I've ever noticed anyway, but what's important is that if he's around here, I'm going to find him." Her confidants always went up whenever she was around Killian, it's like something would just spark inside of her.
Henry looked around Emma's wrist, he hadn't noticed the small golden unicorn charm that had a sapphire horn before, but he did recognize it from his story. "That bracelet, the unicorn, it was given to you by your parents at birth" Henry said, remembering the illustration in his book of the long raven haired women showing her newborn daughter the bracelet for the very first time and placing it around her wrist, of course it was to big back then, but eventually she grew to fit it.
Emma narrowed her eyes, "What bracelet?" Then it caught her eye, "Oh, that bracelet." She had forgotten all about it, she hated to think that her parents only loved her enough to give her a stupid piece of jewelry but didn't love her enough to bring her to an actual hospital, they left her for dead.
"Dad gave me my baby blanket, said it was the last thing you touched before we were separated" Henry told her.
"Me? Oh right I'm your mother" It sounded weird to say but she couldn't crush his heart, he was still a young little boy with a lot to learn. Her eyes were still glued onto the unicorn bracelet, how could she not remember such a beautiful little piece? But then she got an idea from what Henry said. "Henry! I think I know how I can find their father. We have to go. Come on!" She exclaimed before she placed a kiss on Killian's forehead before running out the room with Henry.
"What's that?" Asked Nicholas with a mouth full of Mary-margaret's home made sugar cookies as he looked down at the golden charm bracelet that the sheriff was showing him and his sister.
"My charm bracelet, something I've held onto my whole life. It's the only thing I have from...my parents" Emma said, "I've spent a lot of time with a lot of kids in your situation but there's something that we all have in common, we all have something that once belonged to our parents," She explained, "I want to find your father but I need your help, so what I'm asking is there anything that you've held onto?"
Ava nodded, "I might have something, but if I give it to you, you'll make sure we stay together right?"
"Right" Emma agreed, she didn't want to worry them right yet. Ava had held out her hand that was holding an antic object, "A compass."
"Our mother kept it, said it belonged to our father" Ava said.
Emma smiled, "Thank you."
"Did you find them? Your parents?"
"Not yet" Emma said with a weak smile as she left the house once again in search for the father she had no name to.
"Don't worry, If anybody can find your father it's Emma" Henry said with a comforting smile.
"Do you have anything from your mother?" Nicholas asked.
Henry smiled and nodded as he flung his backpack on the floor and opened it up revealing a baby blue knit blanket with the name Henry on the side. When his father gave it to him he just stuffed it in his bag and forgot all about it until today. Maybe it would help Emma remember. "It's my baby blanket, my father gave it to me the other day, my mother had it custom made for me before I was born."
Once Emma had left Mary-margaret and David's home she rushed right to Mr. Gold's she knew that if this compass belonged to anybody in Storybrooke than he would know who, plus she had to see him anyway about something she knew he had done. As soon as she walked in Mr. Gold was already in plain sight behind his counter, polishing an old antic.
"Emma...how lovely to see you, I'm flattered you take time off your busy schedule for me," Gold smirked as he looked the sheriff up and down, "What can I do for you?"
Emma walked up to the counter, "I'm looking for information on this old compass, any idea where it could've come from?" She asked placing the piece gently down on the counter. She had a burning sensation inside of her to punch the man for what he had done but she couldn't get him riled up before she found out who the man who bought the compass was.
Mr. Gold took it gently in his hand and looked at the piece, it was old, the middle was broken and the hands didn't point north anymore. "Look at the detail, you know this is crystal, this jeweled setting," He said pointing to the middle of the compass "despite the unfortunate state that it's in, this is actually an unusual piece, person who owned this obviously had nice taste."
"And where would somebody like that buy it?" Emma gritted her teeth, she couldn't believe this man, he was just going to sit there and pretend like he didn't do anything.
"Why here of course" He said pointing a finger down.
"Great, so you know who it belonged to?"A spark of excitement boomed inside of her.
Gold nodded, "Piece like this is hard to forget, but even though I am good with names, I'm not that good. However as luck would have it, I do keep quit extensive letters" He said wobbling over to a small file that was filled with small pieces of paper. "Ah, here we are" He took a small rectangular slip of paper, but he just looked at Emma seriously and smirked, not giving it to her.
Emma smiled knowing it was always something with him, "What's your price?"
"oh, just your forgiveness" He smirked.
Emma glared at him, he knew that she had figured it out, "How about tolerance?"
"Well that's a start" He smirked, "The compass was purchased by a Mr. Michael Tillman" Gold read the blank card. He watched Emma turn around and start to head out the door, "Good luck with your investigation."
"What investigation? The Zimmer children or the one where you were the man that put Killian in the hospital?"
Good chuckled, "He did survive, did he not?"
"That's beside the point, if I ever find out that you and Regina are working together again to run Killian and Henry out of town or that you're going to danger one of them again, I will come after you and I will find you" Emma stated.
"Of course Ms. Swan" He bowed his head to her with a smug grin.
Emma walked out the door, she would've locked this man up for the rest of his life for what he done to Killian but that man owned everything, he could have easily just paid his own way out, there was no point in arresting him.
After asking around town she had finally found out that Michael Tillman was the owner of the towns car repair shop. That's exactly where she had found him, dressed in oil stained coveralls. She had explained to him about Ava and Nicholas, Emma thought that Nicholas was younger than Ava but as it turned out they were twins. It was a shocker to both of them.
"No, It's not possible" Micheal said as he passed the papers back over to Emma.
"Actually it is" She hated men like this, that didn't accept the truth.
Michael sighed, "Look, me and Debby, she was never my girlfriend or wife...it only happened once"
"Sometimes that's all it takes"
Michael turned around and started playing around with his tools, "I met her when I was camping and we uh..." He paused for a couple of moments before he finished, "No...it's not possible, I don't have twins."
Emma was starting to get fed up, she wished he would just accept the fact that he impregnated a women with twins, "Yes. You do. You have twins that have been homeless ever since their mother passed away. You have twins that have been living in an abandoned house because they don't want to be separated. You have twins that are begging me not to separate them and they will be if you don't step up and take responsibility for them."
Michael grunted as he cut himself on one of the cars he had been working under, "Look, i can barley manage this garage, let alone two kids...how do you even know they're mine?" He walked over to a small table and wrapped his finger up in a partially clean white rag.
Emma pulled out the compass that she had stuffed in the pocket of her red fleece jacket, "Besides the timing? Have you ever seen this before?" She held out the compass.
Michael looked at the compass that the women held. He walked up to it and grabbed it from her, he hadn't seen this in years.
"Let me guess, the last time you seen that was nine months and twelve years ago?" Emma questioned as she seen the realization on the mans face, "I know it's a lot to take in, but these kids need you and if you decide that you can't take them just remember that when they find you, and believe me they will, you'll have to answer that one simple question. Why? Why did you give me up? And you're going to have to explain to them why you couldn't take them in and be the family you should be." She explained, "One of my friends got into an accident the other day and I ended up taking his son in, I treat him like he's my own and to be honest, he feels like my own son."
"I heard about that, Killian Jones son. But taking a child in for a couple of days is a lot different than raising two kids" Michael explained.
"I'm not raising him, because I don't have a choice, he has a father that he's waiting for to wake up. You have a choice" Emma spat. She would gladly take Henry in as her own and raise him, you never know maybe she would even have a serious relationship with Killian and they would all move in together...hopefully to a bigger apartment or just a house.
Micheal handed the compass back over to Emma, "I'm sorry, I really am, but I can't take care of two kids, I don't know anything about being a dad." He started to walk away, opening up the door that led into the main building, "If you're looking for a good home, it's not with me."
Emma stayed at the entrance of the garage, stun. She had promised these kids that they would not be separated, and now she was breaking that promise because their dead beat dad didn't want to take care of the children that he helped bring into this world. What was she going to tell them? They were going to be heartbroken.
"Hello?" Mary-margaret said as she answered her phone that had rung while her and David had been helping the children back a new batch of sugar cookies since they ate the last ones. She walked away from the group so she could have some privacy.
"Hey, it's me can you come outside?" Emma asked as she opened up the car door and walked out, watching the front door.
"Is everything alright?" Mary-margaret asked with concern in her voice.
"I found their father" Emma noted.
Mary-margaret had a smile spread across her voice at the thought of that, "That's great!"
Emma frowned, "Not exactly, don't say anything in front of the kids, please come out"
"Oh...alright, I'll be right out" Mary-margaret hung up the phone and placed it back down on the counter. "David, watch the kids, I need to go speak to Emma outside."
"Sure babe" David said as he placed a soft kiss on his wife's lips before she left.
"EW!" All the kids shouted as they covered their eyes.
David chuckled, "Oh come on, it's just a simple kiss, don't tell me you won't give anybody a kiss in the future."
"Not me!" Nicholas and Henry stated as Ava just shrugged her shoulders.
Mary-margaret through on her green jacket and a small grey cap with a black fleece scarf to keep her warm before she put on a warm pair of black rubber bots and walked out her door to see Emma waiting at the bottom of her steps. "What is it?"
Emma's face fell, "He doesn't want them."
"What? Why not?" Mary-margaret shivered due to the cold that was running down her back. Christmas was definitely getting close.
"Said he couldn't take care of twins he didn't know he had, he didn't know anything about being a father" Emma told her.
Mary-margaret shrugged, "So what are we suppose to do now?"
Emma thought about for a while, thought about what was she going to do with these two kids that didn't want to be separated and didn't have anywhere else to go other than a foster home where nobody would love them and nobody would care for them. "Well...Can't we just hide them somewhere."
Mary-margaret chuckled until she realized that she was being serious, "Emma! We can't do that, it may work for a few days, but it won't last forever. These kids can't keep hiding, they need a place to go, a place to go to school, they need a chance at a better life."
"That's what Henry would say" Emma smiled at that. A chance at a better life. Is that what her parents wanted for her?
"Ms. Swan?"
Emma turned around not expecting to see anybody really important. There she was in front of her, the women that had just ruined all of Emma's plans at trying to do something else with the children. "Oh, Madame Mayor."
"Shouldn't you be half way to Boston by now?" asked Regina sternly as she walked up closer to the two women. Her heels scraping against the thin layer of ice and her hands in her long grey coat.
"Right about that..." Emma wanted to say that she needed time to figure something else out.
"Ms. Swan, I hope you're not thinking of running off with these children," Regina clicked her heels, "Remember, you wanted to be sheriff. But I guess if you're not up for the hard work I can just take your badge right now." Regina held out her hand.
"No!" Emma protested as she placed her hand on her badge that was clung to the side of her jeans.
"Good, so remember seven tonight!" Regina walked off with a smirk on her face, finally something horrible would happen to that little princess when she tried to leave.
Emma's face fell, she had no other choice now.
Gold walked into the pirates room with a vial of a blue liquid and a needle point syringe. He may have put the man in the hospital but he didn't think it would take this long for him to wake up, if he ever wanted to see his son again, he had to do this. Looking down at the man he seen the pain he had put him through, the dried blood, the deep cuts, the bruises, the broken arm, it all put a smile on his face. "Well, well, well, Captain, it seems like you're in a tough spot here, a hook for a hand wont be able to get you our of this one" Gold muttered under his breath as he took out the vial and syringe, sucking up some of the liquid and pressing it into his his IV. "Not long now."
David and Mary-margaret were suppose to watch Henry at Emma's apartment tonight until she had gotten back from Boston. Right now the four of them were saying their goodbye's, everybody was heartbroken over everything that had happened today, started off with a simple robbery and then going to orphaned siblings and now it's separating two orphaned siblings, how much worse could it get?
"We promise to watch him until you get back Emma, we wont have him up too late" David whispered into her ear as he hugged her goodbye.
Emma smiled, "Thanks." She bent down to Henry and gave him a small hug, "Behave for Mary-margaret and David alright?"
"You can't take them, you can't leave Storybrooke Emma, they can't, something bad will happen" Henry whispered into her ear, he didn't want anybody else around him to hear.
Emma pulled away and looked at the kid deep in the eyes as she placed a hand on his cheek, he looked so much like his father. "Something bad has already happened" She said as she stood up, "Now, please behave for David and Mary-margaret."
Henry nodded, there was nothing else he could say that would make her believe him.
She started to walk to the sheriff car that was parked just on the side of the road with Ava and Nicholas waiting next to it with backpacks filled with their clothes. She felt so sorry for these kids, there was nothing else she could do, she had tried everything she possibly could. Killian would be so disappointed in her that she had let it come to this. "Here" She handed Ava the compass that she had given her earlier in the day. Ava looked up at her with pleading puppy eyes, she looked so sad. "I'm sorry, but we have to go." Emma held open the door for the kids to climb in and once they were she slammed the door with anger, she hated to see children go through this sort of thing after she went through it herself. She got into the drivers seat and buckled herself in as she shifted the car into drive and drove off slowly into the night, heading towards the town line.
As they approached closer and closer to the town line Emma was starting to panic. She kept looking in back at the kids, they were holding back tears in their eyes. She had to think of something, fast! Then all of a sudden like god was answering her prayer her car started to put and the engine started to die. "You got to be kidding me."
"What? What happened?" Asked Ava.
"Engine staled." Emma ended up getting out of the car and called a toe truck, just hoping that her new plan would work.
About an hour had passed before a toe truck did end up coming, but when Emma seen the lights approaching she started to feel joy run through her.
Ava and Nicholas were sitting in the back of the car still, waiting for something to happen. They were happy that something happened with the car, as long as they got to spend more time together before they were separated. Suddenly the broken compass Ava had held onto so tightly started to spin. "Ava, look" Nicholas pointing down at the compass.
"What's happening?" The compass pointed behind them. They looked through the rear window and seen a set of lights heading towards them.
Michael stepped out of his truck, moving hesitantly towards the sheriff. He could see the twins looking back at him in the car. "Those are them" He said as he stood back.
"Those are them" Emma answered looking back at him with sorrow.
Michael walked closer to her, "And your car? It's fine?"
"I just needed you to see them...at least once," Emma said, "I know being a parent can be hard, and scary. When Killian got into that accident and I had to take care of Henry I was scared too, probably even more, but I knew I was the best chance he had and his father would want him to come with me. After getting to know him I now feel like a mother to him and he sees me as one."
Michael walked closer to the car where he was probably only ten feet away, looking at the twins. "You're taking them? To Boston?"
Emma shook her head, "I don't need to." She was now starting to get tears in her eyes.
"No" Micheal stated, "You don't need to, I'll take them!" He walked to the side the kids were on and stood outside of the window until Ava rolled down the window. He knelt down onto the cold cement of the road and looked the twins...his twins in his eyes. Ava looked so much like her mother and Nicholas looked so much like him with the dark hair.
Emma watched as father and children met for the first time. A tear rolled down her cheek as she smiled and giggled softly, she did it, she saved sister and brother from getting separated. "I did it Killian" She whispered to herself, it felt like he was there beside her, holding her hand. "You did it Swan."
Mary-margaret was snuggled up to David on the couch, Davids hand was resting against her still small belly as they both were watching How The Grinch Stole Christmas with Henry on their side. Emma walked in and seen, it looked like a small happy family, she smiled.
"Hey" David said as he seen her walk in, "What happened?"
"Their dad," Emma sat down on the chair that sat next to the couch, "He showed up, changed his mind."
Mary-margaret smiled, "Huh, well would you look at that. Changed his mind, just like that?"
Emma shrugged, "Might've had a little nudge."
"They found their father" Mary-margaret smiled.
"I wonder what that feels like" Emma said.
"Maybe you'll find out someday" Mary-margaret said with a smile.
Henry sat up, "You already did find your parents, I told you."
"What's he talking about?" David questioned looking between Henry and Emma.
"Well...Henry's theory is that I grew up with my parents and I lived happily, never once got separated from them until a curse hit our kingdom and sent us all here to this world to be saved by my husband and child" She explained getting a happy toothed smile from Mary-margaret and a confused look from David that could probably kill somebody from all the confusion.
Mary-margaret laughed slightly, "Who does he think they are?"
"Snow White and Prince Charming."
"Excuse me?" David asked even more confused.
Mary-margaret gasped, "You didn't tell me Emma was my daughter" She said looking down at Henry. Henry only shrugged. "You think I'd remember that."
"Yeah. You'd think" Emma said glancing over to Henry.
Mary-margaret looked closer at Emma, "Well, you do kind of have my chin." The two girls broke out in soft giggles.
"Excuse me, I'm still here!" David said making everybody turn to him, "Can somebody please tell me what's going on?"
"Mary-margaret can, I told her everything already" Henry said standing up, "Hey, Emma. Want to go for a quick walk?"
Emma nodded as she stood up from the chair. "Sure kid, I need some fresh air anyway." Emma looked over to the small blanket that was draped over the side of the couch, it was a baby blue knitted blanket, "What's this?"
"Just my baby blanket" Henry said.
Emma brought it up to her nose and smelt it, it smelt familiar, it felt familiar. Why did it seem like this wasn't the first time she's touched or smelled this? "It was the last thing you touched before we were separated" Henry's words just kept playing in her mind before she shook it off and placed it gently back down. Curse? No it couldn't be, those things aren't real.
The two left the small apartment building and walked out into the cold winter night air. The snow had stopped but the temperatures were still below freezing. Henry wanted to go walk by the beach so that's where they went. The walked down mainstream onto they seen a small train that led up to the beach, they walked along side the water for quite a ways. It was even colder the closer they got the the water, but they didn't seem to mind, the waves calmed them and made them forget about the cold. Henry then grabbed a hold of Emma's hand, making her hesitant to squeeze back, but eventually she did. The last time she held Henry's hand she seen a vision of her and Killian in an open field with him spinning her around, but this time she seen nothing.
"Hey, what's that?" Henry questioned as he pointed off in the distant where he seen what looked to be a small house made out of logs.
"Looks like a house" Emma said.
Henry released Emma's hand and started running towards the house, he wanted to check it out.
"Henry!" Emma ran after him and stopped beside him where he stood outside of the dark log house. "Looks vacant." There was no cars outside and the inside was not lit there wasn't even an outside light on. "Come on, lets go check it out" She said as she started walking towards the front door but stopped when she didn't see Henry following her, "You coming?"
"Are you sure it's alright? Isn't it against the law to break and enter?"
"Henry, I'm the sheriff it's not breaking and entering, besides nobody lives here." She twisted the door knob and surprisingly it wasn't locked. Henry had run up beside her and grabbed her hand again, he must of been scared. She tried the lights and surprisingly they came on. The house was just one simple room, a small kitchenette of to the side with a two person kitchen table and then there was two small beds on the other side of the house with a couch and TV int he middle. Off to the side was just a small bathroom, bigger than Emma's though.
Henry looked around, there was pictures hung on the wall of ships, small treasures were placed all over on shelf's, there was shells, gold coins, jewelry, everything. In the kitchenette there was an entire cabinet filled with well aged rum. Henry knew immediately that this must've been the house that his father would have lived at if he was cursed along with everyone else. He looked out the window and seen a small trail of lights leading out back to the water. "Let's go check that out!" Henry ran outside with Emma close behind him. When he got to the end of the lights he noticed there was a small dock with a sailing boat attached to it, this was definitely his fathers house.
Emma looked at the gorgeous boat, it needed some cleaning up but other than that it looked like it was in pretty good shape. "You know it's a little strange how the newspapers never said anything about any vacancies" Emma wondered, "think your father will like it?"
"I think he'll love it" Henry smiled up at her.
They ended up only staying a couple more minutes only finding a fire-pit outside and a small hammock stretched out between two trees. They walked back to the main street and were going to Granny's to pick something up to eat, both of them haven't ate anything all day and they were famished.
"Hey, Emma"
"Yeah kid?"
Henry looked up at her through the small glow of the street lights, "Do you think that when my dads out the hospital that maybe you and him could go on a date or maybe start dating?"
Emma started to choke on her own spit as Henry finished his question, she did not expect that at all. "Um...I don't know kid, me and your father...we um...you're too young to understand but if it makes you feel any better, If your father asked me out on a date I wouldn't say no."
"Awesome" Henry smiled.
The way back from Granny's both Emma and Henry were full and were walking back with a box of pumpkin pie. They were going to spend the night in the hospital in case Killian happened to wake up. She couldn't bare for him to wake up and her not be there, she needed to see those blue eyes as soon as they opened. A motorcycle was heard off in the distance but neither thought anything of it until it stopped in front of them and a tall dark haired man wearing a leather jacket stepped off his bike walking towards them.
"Hi" The man said as he stopped in front of the two, "Is this Storybrooke?" Emma and Henry both nodded. "Any place to get a room around here?"
Henry's eyebrows narrowed, "Uh, you're staying?" That didn't make sense, how did he get in? The curse was suppose to make this town invisible to outsiders.
"That's the plan" The man said looking down at Henry, last he remembers of the boy was when he was an infant and he watched his father carry him off into the distance after they appeared from the tree trunk while he stayed watching behind another tree.
"Yeah uh, just keep going straight for a couple of blocks, turn left and Granny's should be just on your right "Emma explained to him the best she could.
The man nodded and started walking back over to his bike, placing his helmet back on his head. "Thank you."
"Oh wait, I didn't catch your name!" Emma shouted after him.
The man looked over at Emma and the boy, Emma still looked the same with her long curly blonde hair an the emerald eyes that lightened up any dark space. "Tat's because I didn't give it." He drove off down the road until he came across his first left, turning down the road and instantly finding the Granny's Bed and breakfast.
Emma watched as the man road off into the distance and then looked back down to Henry narrowing her eyes, "Thought you said Storybrooke couldn't get any visitors?"
"It can't." Henry watched the man turned down the road, wondering what purpose he could have here.
Another Chapter done! I know there wasn't really any CaptainSwan in this chapter but next chapter I will make up for it and it will be nothing but CaptainSwan. Hehe :D. This is one of the longer chapters I've written and I've worked very hard on it with trying to add things in it and trying to include everybody. I hoped you enjoyed and I look forward to seeing your guys reviews and questions. Your reviews is what keeps me writing, you're the reason I continue this story.
Until next time laddies!