I Am Emma Swan
Chapter 12
After Mary Margaret left, Emma looked around the wardrobe trying to find the latch or whatever it was to allow Henry and Regina to escape. Not able to find anything she pulled out the soft cooler from under her bed and ate from one of the containers Regina and Henry brought for her. Once she was finished, she put the dinner from Mary Margaret in the empty container and stored it back under the bed.
Emma wandered around the room thinking to herself about who she was. 'Emma Swan, I'm Emma Swan I am a…what? What do I do for work? Where do I live, where do I come from?'
Her only memory throughout all of this was as a child playing with another girl her age, she was happy until the little girl was gone. "Do I have a kid? No, no this was me when I was little. I think."
She picked up one of Judith's journals and opened to a page where she writes about how lonely she is and how she misses her parents. The woman Emma read about was kind and loving and even though she had parents she always felt alone, that a part of her was missing.
Emma felt that too, deep down she felt lonely and that she too was missing something or someone that's why she believed she was reading her own thoughts. Emma growled in frustration trying to remember who she was, all she knew was Judith's life now. She threw the journal at the ugly painting on the wall with a scream.
Neal quickly stepped back from the peep hole he was watching Emma through. He was afraid she saw him and that's why she threw the book. He had only just started to watch moments before when she first picked up the journal. He wondered if Mary Margaret was right, Emma was pacing and muttering to herself but he couldn't make out what she was saying. He'll have to give Dr. Whale a call he can't have her being unbalanced and not fool Mr. Gold on Friday.
No, he'll up the medication in her tea before bed, they're too close to botch this up now. He needs her to sign the new will and then he'll get rid of her like the real Judith. He smiled realizing the airhead of a maid just gave him a fitting way for the new Judith to die. He'll tell them that she went insane and killed herself or came after him and he defended himself. Either way he had the perfect explanation of her death knowing Dr. Whale will back it up.
He left the spare bedroom and went down the hall to the other side of the estate towards his own room when his cell rang. "What?"
"Nice way to answer your phone, Cassidy."
"Hatt, what do you want?"
"Well, I have some news you might want to hear concerning the kid and his mother snooping around the estate tonight."
"WHAT?"
Archie knew it was a little late to pay a visit to Emma Swan's landlord but he felt he was close and just needed to find her. He drove to a rundown apartment building and made his way to the door; he checked the names, located the landlord and pushed the button. No one answered so he pushed it again and then again. He pushed it for the fourth time when a short stout man came to the door, a cigar hanging from his mouth.
"Who the hell are you and what the hell do you want?" Leroy asked as he stepped through the door.
"Hi, I'm Archie Hopper and I was told that an Emma Swan lived here and I was wondering if you could tell me where she went or if she left a forwarding address."
"Why would I tell you something like that?"
"Um because I asked nicely?" Archie replied with a smile which turned into a grimace when the landlord turned to walk away.
"Wait! Look, what's your name?" Archie asked then waved a twenty at the man hoping it would entice him to give him the information he needed. "I'm not after her, or want to harm her."
"Give me the twenty." Leroy demanded holding his hand out.
Archie handed it over and waited.
"My name is Leroy and yeah she lived here."
"Great! Thank you, Leroy did she leave a forwarding address?"
"She might have but it's gonna cost you more than a twenty."
Archie pulled out another twenty, hearing Leroy cough he pulled out another and then another. "Sixty dollars is all I have."
"Right, I know you got more in your own wallet so don't try and play that crap with me."
"The owner of the bar called you and told you I was coming over, didn't he?"
Leroy shrugged, "Maybe. I know he got a hundred bucks so if you want me to tell you anything more then you're gonna give me a hundred bucks too."
Archie huffed but relented and handed over the money. "Okay so the address?"
"She never left one."
Archie clenched his hands wanting to punch this idiot out but he knew he couldn't, yet.
"Okay then, what can you tell me about her and when did she leave?"
"She was hot, a smokin hot blonde with a nice bod. She was always late with her rent though. She was sneaky at least with me, and she never took shit from anybody, a real tough gal. The last day that I saw her, she was with three other people. A hot chick with an accent, an old high society crow and some putz in a suit."
Archie listened wide eyed, not believing what was coming out of this odd little man's mouth but he took down the information regardless, "Did you catch the names of the three people?"
"No but after they left, Swan gave me the two months' rent she owed in cash. Nice new crisp bills in an envelope. She said she got a new job and they paid her in advance, she was happy for once y'know?"
"And she never said what the job was or where she was going?"
"No, she just said she was leaving the next day and I haven't seen or heard from her since."
"Thanks for the information, Leroy, here's my card if you hear from her or if you see the three people give me a call, will you? It's really important that I find her."
"She's not in any trouble, is she? I talk a lot of shit but she was okay y'know, kinda like one of the guys down at the bar."
"I hope not Leroy, I really hope not."
When Archie got back to his hotel room, he checked his messages just a couple from the law office, he listened to those first in case they had some information for him.
"Hopper, it's Killian, you left your damn personal phone here and it was buzzing off the desk. I turned it off but get your butt in here and pick it up!"
"Hopper, it's Glass, I know you're on a personal assignment, but we have a paying job for you, call and let me know it's one that's right up your alley too."
Archie sighed as he removed his clothes to grab a shower, it had been a long number of weeks looking for the Swan woman, at first, he didn't even know her name now he felt he was getting closer. The information about the three people with Emma however left him feeling very uneasy.
After hanging up with Hatt, Neal was beyond pissed. The kid was back at the estate and brought is mother with him. What were they doing, did they get inside and if so, how?
"I knew he would cause trouble. I fucking knew it!" Neal snapped throwing his phone across the room and went back to his bedroom in a fit of rage.
Hearing a thud above her, Eugenia got up to find out what was going on.
"Neal? Neal where are you?" Eugenia stood in the downstairs hallway. Hearing nothing, she continued upstairs.
"Neal." Eugenia whispered. "Neal, what's going on?"
Neal turned towards his mother. She could see the rage in his eyes, and it startled her, his anger had increased, and he punched the wall near his bed.
"NEAL! What happened what's got you in such a state?"
Taking a few deep breaths, he grabbed the bottle of scotch from his desk and poured himself a drink and downed it. Eugenia stood there and waited; she knew from past experience when her son was this upset, she was to let him settle down. He poured another and downed that as well.
Finally calmed, he sat on the desktop and looked at his mother, "The boy came back to the house and brought his mother with him."
"What? Did they get inside?"
"That I don't know but thinking about what the maid said hearing Emma talking to herself, what if she wasn't. What if they got in and know she's not Judith?"
"What are we going to do, Neal? We're so close we can't fail now."
"I already have Hatt on it, he'll do what needs to be done."
Regina couldn't sleep worrying about Emma in that house. Even though Emma said they had been good to her she didn't feel comfortable with her there alone. There was something about the woman that intrigued Regina. Yes, she was beyond beautiful and when she smiled after finding out her real name, it took Regina's breath away. Hugging her, feeling her in her arms, made Regina feel something she hadn't felt in a long time.
Between being an in-demand best-selling author and a mother to Henry, dating wasn't something she felt she had time for so it was never a big priority to her. She felt lonely at times of course and her friends would set her up on dates every now and then but nothing ever came of it. Now there was this woman who desperately needed them and who she promised to help. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, maybe it was because it had been a while since she was remotely interested in anyone or maybe, just maybe there was something more between the two of them.
She needed to sleep, to close her mind off and relax. Thinking, worrying and hoping wasn't helping anyone least of all Emma. In the morning she was going to see Sheriff Humbert and see what he could do. She trusted him and knew if he thought she was off her rocker he'd still listen and look into it. If he can't do anything legally, she was going to go back and get Emma out of there either way.
She turned over and tried to snuggle in and sleep but heard a strange noise outside. She sat up and was about to turn on her light when she heard the noise again. She quietly got up and walked to the window and peeked through her curtain. Seeing nothing she went to turn on her light when she heard a crash outside. She quickly turned on her light and ran out of her room bumping into Henry in the hallway.
"Henry, go to my room and lock yourself in the bathroom! Go!"
Hesitant at first, Henry did as his mother said, and ran into her bedroom and locked himself in her ensuite wishing that he'd brought his phone with him to call 911.
He leaned up against the door to see if he could hear anything but couldn't. He should have gone with his mom in case she needed help. Worrying his lip, he put his hand on the doorknob when he heard a crash making him jump back from the door.
Not knowing what to do he sat in the tub with his knees to his chest and his arms wrapped around them hoping his mom was okay and that she would come back soon.
