I Am Emma Swan

Chapter 11

Mr. Hatt enjoyed the outdoors and when available would choose to sit outside to have his lunch or a drink. Today he was very happy with his choice due to the three women talking a few tables away. Hearing the waitress say 'little Henry' perked his interest and he paid more attention to their conversation. Once the waitress went back inside, he watched the other brunette make a call then got up to leave. Waiting a few minutes, he placed some cash under his glass and followed the woman.

He knew from the conversation that she was friends with Cassidy's wife and was asking interesting questions which his client should know about. He knew that her name was Regina from when she first arrived, but he didn't get a good look at her.

The hired gun followed Regina's car to a white Cape Cod house a few blocks away from the diner. He drove past as the woman got out of her car and waiting for her was a young boy presumably the Henry that Neal wanted gone.

Driving around the neighbourhood, Hatt noticed their house had a large back yard but not many houses around them. This he believed would make it easy to access the house with minimal detection. Coming back around to Mifflin Street he noticed there wasn't a fence but high bushes lining the walkway. "They make things so easy for me to grab and go." He smiled as he drove away planning his next move.


Emma couldn't believe that she now knows her real name at least what she believes it to be. She doesn't remember it, nor does it sound familiar, but it feels right. She hugged Henry so hard he said he couldn't breathe. She couldn't stop the tears that flowed as she stared at the piece of paper. It was her handwriting, she knew it. All the practising to write like the journals she knew in her gut it was wrong. Now she knows, she knows in her heart that she is not Judith Cassidy, she's not Neal's wife. The weight on her shoulders now gone she feels so much lighter.

Regina and Henry were excited for the woman, but an uneasiness filled their hearts wondering about their Judith.

"Now that we know your name, what do we do next?" Henry asked looking at his mom then to Emma. "I mean should you…"

They're conversation came to an end when Emma heard Mary Margaret coming towards her room most likely with dinner.

"Shit, you guys need to go! My maid is coming."

Henry grabbed his mother's hand and drug her behind the wardrobe and disappeared through the secret pathway.

Emma was shocked when the wardrobed moved easily and then slid back just before Mary Margaret unlocked the bedroom door.

"Judith! You're awake, good, good. How do you feel? I popped in earlier, and you were dead asleep. Our walk must have tired you out."

Emma smiled at the woman, hoping she didn't notice her eyes were puffy from crying. "I'm good Mary Margaret, really. I think the walk did me good actually I can't wait to go out again."

Once Mary Margaret delivered Emma's dinner, she left the room and went straight to Mr. Cassidy and his mother. "Good evening, Mr. Cassidy, Mrs. Cassidy, I'll have your dinner ready in just a few moments, but I wanted to let you know that I think Judith might be relapsing."

"What do you mean relapsing? What happened?" Eugenia asked with concern.

"Well as I was approaching her room with her dinner, I heard her voice as if she were having a conversation. And when I went in it looked as if she had been crying."

"Did you hear anyone besides Judith?"

"Um no, I don't think so it's just that I took care of someone a number of years ago who in the end was diagnosed with multiple personality disorder and well it just…well it seemed familiar when I walked in her room this evening."

"Thank you, Mary Margaret, we'll let the doctor know, I'm sure he will arrange some tests if he is concerned with this new information." Neal replied with his slimy smile that always made Mary Margaret uneasy.

"I just hope I'm wrong about this but with her memory loss and her belief in the beginning of being someone else it seems it could be a possibility. I truly hope it isn't for her sake." Mary Margaret sighed then took a breath and smiled. "I'll go and bring out your dinner in a tick." The chipper woman left with a spring in her step.

Neal grimaced at the woman's enthusiasm leaving the room. "She's quite daft, isn't she?"

"I wonder what she heard; do you think the medication is making Judith mentally ill? She needs to be of sound mind when Gold gets here."

"I'm sure she's fine, Mother. Mary Margaret is a loon, and we should take what she says with a grain of salt. I'm not worried but I will check in on her later if it makes you feel better."

"Thank you, Neal but I do hope you're not 'checking' in on her often."

"Of course not, Mother."


"So, you're looking for Swan are ya? What has she done now?"

"You do know her then?" Archie asked hoping he'll finally find this woman. "I was told she worked here."

"What's it to you?"

"I can't divulge that; I was hired to find her that's all I can say. So does she work here?"

"Look buddy, I don't know who the hell you are, and I really don't care but I'm not telling you shit. How do I know you're not gonna hurt her or something?"

"I'm not going to hurt her, I'm a licensed investigator hired by someone who wants to meet with her. Nothing deceitful or harmful to you or Miss Swan I promise." Archie answered then pulled out his I.D. in hopes that it would appease the gruff bar owner.

Robin stared at the mousey looking man to see if he's lying trying to make the man squirm but Archie didn't give in.

Archie sighed, he was hoping he wouldn't have to do this but he pulled out some money from his back pocket and dropped fifty dollars on the bar. Robin looked down at the money then back at Archie, laughed then went back to drying some glasses.

"Fine, here's a hundred bucks, what can you tell me about Emma Swan?"

Robin quickly picked up the money, checked it out, and then pocketed it before looking around the bar at the handful of patrons. "Yeah, she worked here for a few months, she could be a real bitch and she wasn't the best barkeep but she showed up for her shifts and the guys here liked her."

"She worked here, so she doesn't now?"

"No, she up and left almost two months ago without a word. No notice or anything just left me short-handed and she never came back for her last pay cheque either."

"You had no idea she was leaving?"

"Nope. I knew she was looking for another job, she was short for her rent so I guess she found one but I woulda thought she'd come back for her money."

"Do you have her last known address? I mean could you give it to me?"

"Sure, but she's not there anymore. Leroy, her landlord comes in here now and then and he said she just upped and left there too."

Archie wrote down the address and left the bar to go to the apartment, he was getting closer now.


Regina and Henry walked down the passage way towards the beach; it's a steep decline Regina has her hand on the walls as they make their way down. They stay quiet so no one else in the household hears them. Judith once told Henry that there are different pathways you can go and they lead into different rooms of the estate but that sometimes you can be heard. When she was younger Henry, the butler caught her all the time, she could never hide from him he was too good and knew of all the pathways, as he was the one to show her them in the first place.

Once they made it to the end, Henry opened the door that led to a small alcove then out to the beach. They walked back up to the far end of the estate, climbed over the gate and then back to Regina's car.

"That was kinda close with the maid." Henry admitted as he took a drink from his bottle of water and then passing it to his mother.

"Yeah, a little too close, we'll have to be more careful." Regina replied slumping back into her seat. They've uncovered so much in such a short amount of time; she's feeling a little overwhelmed for both Emma and Judith.

"I'm scared for Judy, Mom I mean where could she be? Do you…do…" Henry whispered but began to cry thinking his best friend was no longer alive.

"Oh sweetie." Regina replied pulling him to her and hugging him close. "I'm sorry but I don't know if we're going to find Judith alive. She may have been hurt or worse."

"But if she is alive, we're going to save her, right? Judy and Emma, right Mom? We can save them?"

"We're going to do everything we can, Henry. We need to go see the Sheriff; this has turned into something way too big for us my little prince."

"Okay, let's get out of here and find the Sheriff."

Regina started the car and drove away from the estate heading towards town. A moment later, another car started up and followed them.