Chapter 1

"Emma, you need to get going or you're going to miss your flight!" Emma silently scrambled around the house looking for her cell phone and when she found it, tucked it into the back pocket of her tight jeans.

Emma then turned to her sister and began moving her hands in sign language, "I'll miss you. Here's hoping this treatment works for me." With a hug and a kiss on the cheek, Emma bid her sister farewell in sign and then ran out the door to meet her best friend who was waiting in the car to drive her to the airport.

"Thanks for waiting, Rubes. I couldn't find my phone. I'm ready now."

"You betcha, Sweets. Let's get you to the plane for New York." Ruby drove and they listened to their 80s hair bands while drumming the beats with their hands. As they approached the 'passenger drop-off', Ruby sighed, "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you? I could be your interpreter." Emma smiled in appreciation of the offer, but then rolled her eyes. "I know, I know. You're an adult. I get it. I just want to help you so much, Em. I really hope this new treatment works for you. You've come such a long way." Emma silently nodded and leaned over the center console to hug her friend goodbye.

Once they hugged, Emma began to sign, "I'll text when I arrive and I'll keep you updated on how it goes."

"You have a client to see after your session, right? Then you fly home?"

Nodding, Emma raised her hands again, "Yes. Jennifer Lawrence is filming there and wanted to get a portrait done. As soon as it's finished, I'll come home between sessions."

"Got it, Em. Have a safe flight. Love ya, Babe." Ruby hugged her one last time after helping her unload her baggage.

After watching Ruby drive away, Emma checked her bags in and walked to the concourse to wait for her flight to board. She noticed a bar in the concourse and decided to have a drink to calm her nerves before the trip. She was worried that if this new treatment didn't work, then there would be no other options for her.

"United flight 283 to New York is ready to begin boarding. Those in business first class may board at this time." Was announced over the intercom.

Emma hustled out of her chair and guzzled the last of her whiskey, running to the gate and handing the flight attendant her ticket.

"Have a nice trip, Ms. Swan." The flight attendant smiled after stamping her boarding pass. Emma smiled and nodded as she boarded the plane that could potentially take her to change her life.

Emma sat in the waiting room, looking around and studying the room. She noticed the beautiful salt water fish tank and a play area with toys for if children came. Shivers ran up her spine so she looked elsewhere and saw a small television on with a soap opera. She couldn't help, but think how appropriate it was to have soaps on in a shrink's office. That'll make you feel normal after watching that.

"Ms. Swan." Emma turned her head to see the most beautiful woman she'd even laid eyes on. Silky, chocolate hair that came to her shoulders, flawless olive skin, and deep coffee-colored eyes. She was dressed in a white button-down shirt with three buttons undone which bordered on sinful and wore pressed gray slacks that molded to her perfect round bottom. Her shiny heels completed the look; black, which matched the lace bra she could appreciate under the white blouse.

Emma was mesmerized until she heard a throat clearing to get her attention again, "Ms. Swan? Are you alright?" Emma shot up from her chair and nodded emphatically while she remained silent. She quickly grabbed her purse and tried appear calm. Smiling, the doctor motioned towards the door behind her, "Good. Please, follow me."

Emma followed her through a door and down a hallway with several offices to the side. In one office, she noticed a guy with shoulder length, stringy hair, who looked up from his desk and stared at her as if he was trying to place her. The two stared at each other for a minute until Emma heard her name, "Ms. Swan, are you coming?" Emma quickly looked to the doctor and shuffled down the hall and into her office. "Please, have a seat wherever you feel most comfortable."

Emma noticed three different couches in the expansive office and windows that overlooked the entire city in almost all directions. There was a water fountain fixture in the corner which produced a soothing waterfall sound and the subtle smell of apples lingered in the room.

Emma chose to sit in the couch facing the city so the doctor chose to sit in a regular chair across from Emma. "It's lovely to finally meet you, Ms. Swan. I'm Dr. Veronica Rojas. Did you have a nice flight from LA?" She leaned forward and gently shook Emma's hand and then leaned back in her chair.

Emma raised her hands and began to sign, "Yes, it was very uneventful. Thanks for asking."

Nodding, the doctor continued, "I'm so glad. I would like to review your case with you before we move forward in case you have any questions. It would also help to prepare you for our sessions," Emma simply nodded so she continued, "I understand after speaking with your sister that you suffered a trauma 11 years ago and have been unable to speak or produce any sound since. Is that correct?" Emma swallowed hard and nodded so the doctor continued, "It looks like you've tried medications, therapy sessions, and even some homeopathic alternatives." Again, Emma nodded silently.

The doctor didn't ask about the details since she had learned about most of the trauma from Emma's sister. She knew both were orphaned at a young age and raised in the foster system. Both had difficult experiences with different families, but Emma's trauma occurred after they left the system. Once the doctor finished reviewing her file, she looked up at Emma, "I take it you see this as your last chance."

A more solemn look overtook Emma's face and she slowly raised her hands, "I'm at a loss of what else I can do. I have to wonder if the other methods didn't work because I was unable to face what happened to me. I just can't! It's too much." Emma's breathing began to accelerate and she began to feel a cold sweat take over.

Dr. Rojas could see the panic attack coming on so she opened her door and whistled. Soon, a dalmatian pranced into the room and made himself comfortable in Emma's lap on the couch. Emma was so shocked that she completely forgot about her anxiousness and she began petting the lovable pup. Dr. Rojas smiled and closed her door again, "This is Pongo. He's my little helper around here. I hope you don't mind if he joins us from time to time."

Emma wiped her tears away and smiled as she rubbed the dog's belly. She leaned down and place a kiss on his soft head as a thank you for calming her down. Dr. Rojas walked over to a small refrigerator and pulled out a bottled water for Emma who took it readily and began guzzling.

Now that the she was calm, Dr. Rojas could continue, "Emma, the goal of our sessions is to put you into a hypnotic state and help you to confront your demons. We can then work on healing your subconscious. Once we see improvement, we will continue without the hypnosis. Now I will warn you, many do not believe in this form of therapy. There are skeptics everywhere, but I have seen this help many of my patients and I know it could help you too." Emma's nervous smile softened the doctor more, "I know it's scary, but I promise we will go slow and at your pace. If you'd feel comfortable having someone in the room with us, then we can arrange that as well. I want you comfortable above all else. I don't need someone to interpret as I know ASL, but sometimes people going under hypnosis are worried about therapists taking advantage of them in their state so please tell me now if you'd like someone here."

Raising her hands, Emma began signing, "Pongo will be enough." She smiled softly and then looked back down at the dog while still petting him.

Dr. Rojas just chuckled, "He's excellent company that way. I should warn you; these sessions can be exhausting. Many feel like they need to sleep for a whole day after one session because of the mental drain. Are you flying back after this?"

Emma shook her head and responded, "No, but I do have a job tomorrow before I leave. It'll probably take about 6 hours to complete and then I was going to fly out tomorrow night."

"I see. You may struggle and want to reschedule, but you know yourself best. Just be prepared for that possibility. What is it you do again?"

"I'm a tattoo artist."

"Oh, that's right! I remember now. 'The tattoo artist to the stars' as I recall. I remember reading about you. I found it so interesting that you do all these incredible tattoos for the famous, yet you have none of your own."

Emma cringed, but remained silent. The doctor took the reaction as humility, not realizing she was stumbling onto dangerous territory. The doctor studied Emma as she stroked Pongo. She was a beautiful woman; long, blonde princess curls, striking green eyes, porcelain skin and an athletic build. She was totally her type, but unfortunately, she was her patient first and foremost. Damn.

Emma looked up after thinking of a question, "Just to make sure I have the schedule correct. Our sessions go once a week, correct?"

"Correct. Normally I'd recommend you finding a place to stay for next few weeks to make your commute easier, but given your high-profile job, I understand that's not an option. At least you're able to work while you travel." Emma smiled at that.

After a few more minutes of silence allowing Emma to relax with Pongo, Dr. Rojas softly spoke, "How about we get started then? Pongo can stay there if you'd like." Emma nodded and stiffened due to nervousness of not knowing what to expect.

Dr. Rojas stood up and began to dim the lights in the room and then grabbed a remote which closed shades on the floor to ceiling windows. She began to play the peaceful sounds of waves on a beach. She had chosen that particular sound given where Emma lives and feels most comfortable.

"I want you to close your eyes, Emma, and lean your head back on the couch. Get comfortable and choose a position that won't hurt your neck. You may lie down if it helps, but keep your eyes closed." Her voice was soft and flowy. "Now roll your eyes up and then down. Up…and then down. Up…Down….and Up…then down. Her voice because quieter and softer with each Up and Down. Dr. Rojas remained standing behind Emma, watching her eyes for the signs up R.E.M. When she saw the twitching, she knew she was close. "Now picture yourself on a quiet beach. Let the waves softly flow up to your toes. Feel the sand tickle your feet while the warmth of the sun colors your cheeks. You're lying down on your towel falling deeper into relaxation ….. deeper … deeper … deep …." and that's when she sees that Emma is entranced and ready for her session. Her hands have stilled on Pongo, but the dog remains still on Emma's lap acting as a life line should she need it.

Dr. Rojas decides to walk around to her chair and sit in front of Emma so she can monitor her when she begins. "Emma, on the count of a 3, I want you to open your eyes for me. 1. 2. 3." Emma sits up with her eyes open.

Emma looks around the room and immediately stands, disoriented and on the defensive. "Granny?" Emma yells and looks around. "Granny, where are you?" Her voice is scratchy from years of no use. She grabs her throat and tries to clear it while looking around the strange room in a panic.

Dr. Rojas is flabbergasted as she watches the mute girl actually speak. She watches as Emma moves around the room in a child-like skip, looking under tables while calling for her mother. How is she speaking? What is going on? Noticing Emma's scratchy throat, she reaches for the water bottle from earlier, "Emma, try drinking some water to help your throat."

Emma hesitantly walks over the doctor and stares at the bottle. "What is that?" She grabs it slowly and shakes the bottle around watching the water slosh. "How do I use this?"

Confused, Dr. Rojas grabs the water bottle and removes the twist cap as Emma watches in awe. She then hands the bottle back to the girl who takes a hesitant sip, but then quickly downs the rest.

"Emma, why don't you come sit down with me and Pongo."

Emma looks around with a confused look on her face. "Where is my Granny? We were supposed to go shopping in town today. Did the King and Queen find us?" Pongo, sensing the change in Emma, jumps down and walks over to her which causes her to giggle like a 5-year-old girl as she kneels down to play with him.

Unsure of how to approach this, Dr. Rojas decides to play along, "And who are the King and Queen, Emma?"

Emma giggles after Pongo licks her face, "Queen Snow and Prince Charming of the White Kingdom, of course, silly."

Dr. Rojas watches the change and still can't understand what is happening. Is this a past life? It couldn't be. Snow White and Prince Charming? How is she speaking after 11 years of no voice? How is this happening? I've never seen or read anything like this before. Perhaps she's regressing to her childhood and using the fairy tales to cope. So many thoughts swirl in her mind as the therapist watches the interaction between Emma and Pongo.

"Emma, can you please come sit down with me?"

Emma looks up and nods as she skips to the couch and hops into it sitting Indian style and allowing Pongo to join her as she giggles. As Emma pets Pongo, she looks at her forearm and gasps, "Where is it?" She continues to run her hand along her right forearm and shock.

"Where is what, Emma?"

"My birth mark! It's gone!"

Sensing Emma's panic, the doctor decided to cut it off at the pass. "Emma, when I count to three, you're going to go to sleep back on your beach. 1…2….3" Emma goes slack on the couch.

The doctor begins pacing and walks over to the mini-fridge to pull out a water and drinks the entire bottle in one go. Shaking her head, she walks back to the couch, but remains standing in anticipation of something happening next.

"Emma, feel the sand continue to tickle your feet as the waves gently push it between your toes. Can you hear the waves?" Emma nods her head, but her eyes remain closed. "The breeze feels nice on your warm skin and your hair is softly blowing out of your face. Feel the breeze as your slip deeper into relaxation….deeper….deeper…." Emma remains still so Dr. Rojas decides to try again.

"On the count of three, I will snap my fingers and you will open your eyes, Emma. 1…2…3." Emma sits straight up again.

Emma stands up from the couch and begins walking towards the door, "Emma, Wait! Where are you going?"

Emma begins to whimper, "Did you take my mark away? " Her bottom lip is trembling and tears are pouring down her face. She begins shaking her head and staring at her arm, "I can't feel her anymore. Why can't I feel her? Something is wrong!" Emma's fear turns to anger and she marches up to the doctor, "What did you do to me?" She stomps her foot on the floor like a child and crosses her arms waiting for an answer.

The doctor, unsure of how to approach this, speaks softly, "Emma, where was the mark on your arm?"

Emma held out her arm and points, "It started here…" she points to her wrist, "and went up to here", she points to the middle of her upper arm.

Dr. Rojas gently cupped Emma's arm and noticed a slight discoloration of skin so she rubbed it with her thumb and a dark smudge began to appear. Makeup. Whatever this is, she covered it with makeup. "Emma, look. See here? It was merely hidden under this makeup."

Emma's eyes grew wide and she looked up to the doctor like she was her hero. She then crashed into the doctor, hugging her with all she had. "Thank you! You found it!"

The doctor was beginning to get choked up, falling into this story. She needed to get a grip on the situation. After gently sitting Emma down, Dr. Rojas asked "Emma, who were you talking about when you said you couldn't feel them?"

"My sister, Lily." Emma looks around again, "Where's Lily? Is she with Granny?"

Unsure of how to continue, Regina counted to three causing Emma to collapse on the couch again with her eyes close. What the actual fuck is going on? Dr. Rojas walks around her office convinced there must be some hidden camera and a coworker is playing a prank, but finds nothing. Running her hands through her hair, she decides to end the session so she can do a little research about this.

"Emma, when I snap my fingers, you'll awaken. You'll feel refreshed and stronger than you did yesterday. You'll practice finding your voice tonight and work on sounds."

When she snaps her fingers, Emma's eyes slowly open and she stretches as if she'd just woken up from a nap. Her hands raise to use sign, "How did it go, Doc? Do you think I can be fixed?"

Dr. Rojas just stared in wonder at the change, "Yes, Emma. In fact, you used your voice while you were under so I know there's hope for you." She cautiously smiled and that was enough to raise Emma's spirits.

"Really? I spoke? How did I sound?" She was excited.

Dr. Rojas' eyes grew misty, "You sounded beautiful. It was as if you'd never lost your voice." She grabbed a paper and handed it to Emma. "If you have the energy, these are some throat exercises that I'd like you to work on each night. It's to help your vocal cords produce sound. It won't necessarily happen overnight, though your session has left me…speechless.

Emma stood up quick to shake her hand, but got a little dizzy so she grabbed the doctor for stability and ended up falling into her arms. As they stared at each other with their noses almost touching, Emma looked down at the plump, red lips that were close enough to kiss. She licked her lips, but then thought better of it. She stepped back and turned to Pongo to pet him goodbye and then shuffled out the office door and quickly left, leaving an emotionally whiplashed doctor behind.

KNOCK, KNOCK

When the doctor looked up, she saw her coworker in the doorway that Emma stared at earlier. "Roni, who was that woman?"

The doctor sneered at the man, "I told you never to call me that. My name is Veronica."

"Yes, yes, Veronica. Now the name of that woman…"

After rolling her eyes, she turned away from him and walked to her desk, "She's my newest patient, Emma Swan." What she didn't see was the expression on his face change to one of recognition. Like a light bulb had suddenly been turned on. When she turned back around, he was gone. She shrugged her shoulders and flopped down into her desk chair as she grabbed Emma's file to look through it again. "There has to be an explanation for what just happened."

Meanwhile in LA….

DING DONG, KNOCK KNOCK

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming. Keep your shirt on!" could be heard from inside the house. A little brunette girl with bright green eyes waited patiently for the door to open and when it did, her smile grew wider.

"Hi! I'm Annie! I'm your daughter!"

The woman who answered the door just stared at the girl confused, "Um, no you're not. I think I'd remember pushing a baby out of my body. Sorry, Kid. You've got the wrong house."

"Nuh Uh! See!" The little girl held up a magazine article with Emma Swan's picture as she posed next to Leonardo DiCaprio.

The woman chuckled, "That's not me, Kid."

"Yeah, it is! That's totally you. The only difference is you have brown hair now."

The woman rolled her eyes, "That's not the only difference, Kid. See? I have tats, Emma does not."

The little girl studied the image and her eyes kept moving back and forth between the woman and the picture. It just didn't make sense because the woman in front of her was identical to Emma with the exception of hair color and tattoos down her arms. "I don't get it."

The woman finally took pity on the child, "I'm Emma's twin sister, Lily. Everyone mixes us up, but my tattoo sleeves give it away."

"Twins? The book didn't say anything about twins!" The little girl then dragged a large, leather-bound book from her backpack which was title 'Once Upon A Time'.

As Annie opened the book, Lily saw the pictures and sobered up. The pictures were from another life that needed to stay buried. Oh my God, this is Emma's daughter. She looks just like…..

"Kid…I mean, Annie, why don't you come in for a bit?" Annie stepped back into the house and opened the door wider for Annie to come in. She then had the little girl come into the kitchen and sit at the island. "Want something to drink or eat?"

Annie looked around the extravagant house and then nodded, "May I have a Coke, please?"

Nodding, Lily grabbed a bottle of coke out of the fridge, opened it, and passed it to the little girl. "So how did you find Emma? Where is your family?"

After taking a large sip, Annie began to tell her story, "I live in New York, but I'm here for summer camp. I'm staying with my aunt and cousins at night and attending camp during the week. About a week ago, I found this book under my bed." She then dropped the heavy book onto the island counter and opened up the pages. She turned to a page which showed an adult Emma riding a large, black horse. In the image, Emma was wearing a red leather riding coat and black leather pants while holding a sword.

Lily stared at the image, remembering when it happened very clearly, but not commenting on it for fear of what it would bring up.

"Is Emma…I mean….my mother here?"

Lily shook her head, "I'm sorry, Kid. She's not here. She's out of town on business."

"When will she be back? I snuck out of camp to come by. I can sneak away again to see her when she comes back."

Lily stared at the adorable little girl. Very mature for her age. What is she, 11 now? "I'm sorry, Kid. I can't let you see Emma."

Annie was stunned, "What? Why?"

Lily knotted her eyebrows together as if trying to think of the least painful way to do this. It hurt to try and come up with one. In fact, there was no way to sugarcoat this. "Emma has had a rough life and seeing you will bring up difficult memories for her. She's just not ready. Maybe in the future, but definitely not now."

Annie wasn't having that, "She's my mother! Look at this picture! She's been sent to this world and cursed!"

"That's quite a story, Kid."

"IT'S NOT A STORY! I KNOW YOU KNOW BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T REACT TO THIS PICTURE!"

Lily pursed her lips together at that. Damn. "Not much gets to me, Kid." She closed the book, "Do you have a good life?" Annie nodded and was about to comment, but Lily cut her off, "Then why try to find Emma? She gave you up for a better life than she could provide. You seem to have turned out fine. Your parents have done a wonderful job. You have a mother. Emma is not your mother. She didn't raise you. You need to go home to your family and forget about my sister." Lily knew this was harsh, but she really needed to dissuade the girl. Emma couldn't see her. It would be a terrible setback.

Miffed, Annie grabbed her book and harshly packed it back into her backpack. "I won't give up."

"Oh, yes you will." Lily grabbed her cell phone and called the police. Annie couldn't believe it. "Yes, Sir. Please send an officer to pick the child up and return her to her family. I worry for her safety." After ending the call, Annie glared at Lily. If looks could kill, Lily was pretty sure she'd be set on fire. Reminds me of someone else.

Later that evening, Annie stared at her cell phone that she got for her last birthday. She had gotten straight A's so her mother finally got her an iPhone. She knew she needed to call her mom. She called her every evening to tell her about her day at camp. However, this time, her aunt wanted to talk to her mom as well. Taking a deep breath, she decided to finally get it over with. She pressed 'Mom' on her favorites list and the call began to ring.

"Hey, Sweetie! How's my Princess doing today?"

Annie audibly swallowed, "Hey, Mom. I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm missing you so much. How was camp today?"

Annie looked up to see her aunt standing in the doorway with her arms crossed and staring at her. "Um, Aunt Zee wants to talk to you about that."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Hold on" With a heavy sigh, Annie handed the phone to her aunt and then sat on the bed across from her with her head down as she stared at her clasped hands on her lap.

"Hey, Roni. She's okay. We had a little incident today. Apparently, Annie decided to ditch camp and go find her birth mother."

Annie could easily hear her mother's response. "SHE WHAT?!"