Hey everyone! So sorry that it's been so long since I updated, but I was busy with summer classes and then studying for a huge test for the next level of teaching. Anywho, here's the next chapter! Enjoy :)

Regina walked into the station and immediately noticed how pale that Emma was. David had texted her that something had happened with Emma after her interview with Jackson, and that she had used her typical excuse of catching a bug or eating something bad. Classic Emma.

As Regina walked closer to Emma's desk, it was apparent that Emma was stuck in her own head. Normally she would notice Regina right away and would light up. This time, she kept staring at a case file with an expression on her face that Regina couldn't read.

Clearing her throat to get Emma's attention, Regina spoke gently. "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Emma asked.

Regina rolled her eyes at Emma's defensive answer. "Because you look incredibly pale and David texted that he heard you throwing up." She held up her hand as Emma went to speak. "And we both know that you don't have a bug or ate something bad, so don't even think about using that excuse on me."

"Fine," Emma huffed. "It's this girl whose body was found. I had some sort of weird memory moment where I remembered something."

"A memory?" Regina asked. "Of what?"

Emma picked up the photo of the girl when she had first gone missing. "Her. Avery Castor. I knew her. I was with her when she was kidnapped."

Regina's jaw dropped. "You mean you remembered the moment that she was taken?"

"I don't know what I remembered," Emma said, running her fingers through her hair. "Honestly Regina, it's not that big of a deal. My mind was just probably playing tricks on me since I feel so bad for the parents."

"You need to see Archie," Regina pressed. "If that was a real memory that suddenly surfaced, who knows what else you forgot."

"No," Emma said, closing Avery's case file and setting it to the side. "Whatever I have hidden away I obviously do for a reason. Let it go."

"What if what you're remembering could help find Liza?" Regina asked. "If it's the same person-"

"No."

"Emma just listen-"

"I said no!" Emma snapped. She sighed, calming down before looking at Regina with a pleading gaze. "Please, just let it go. Whatever I have hidden away, I don't want to remember it."

Before Regina could say another word, Emma walked past her. Regina looked after her in concern before pulling out her phone and calling Archie. Whether she liked it or not, Emma needed to talk about whatever she was remembering.

When Emma got home later that night, the last thing she expected to see was Archie sitting in the living room. She and Regina had been living together for awhile, mainly because they helped each other with nightmares and it was easier with coparenting Henry.

Regina smiled guiltily at Emma as she walking in the front door. "Hi. Don't hate me."

"What did you do?" Emma asked skeptically. She walked slower into the house, preparing for something to jump out at her.

Regina gestured towards the living room. "There's someone here to see you."

The first person that Emma thought of was Snow. Their relationship was rocky at best, depending on the day. Most days, Emma could tolerate her. Others, she enjoyed planning the best ways to kill her.

Sighing, Emma walked towards the living room. When she saw who was really there, she froze. Archie just smiled at her warmly and waited for her brain to process the shock of seeing him there.

"Not to be rude, but what are you doing here?" Emma asked.

"I'm here to talk," Archie said casually. "Something is bothering you enough that your brain has made you forget the incident. Regina and I both agree that it's something that we need to work through together."

"I guess Regina didn't also transfer the message that I'm not interested," Emma warned. Archie gestured for her to sit down, but she remained standing. "You can leave. I'm not interested in whatever you have to say."

Archie sighed. "How defensive you are just proves my point. Your mind is guarding something Emma, something that was so traumatic for you that it was repressed from your memory. The fact that it is coming back now means that you're ready to deal with whatever it is."

"I think you should go," Emma said softly, looking away from him. "I'm sorry that I can't help Liza more, but I'm not ready to deal with whatever this is. Not yet."

"I understand," Archie said, standing up. "You know where to find me when you're ready."

Smiling at her, Archie walked out of the living room. Emma stood rooted to the floor until he was gone before she slowly took a seat on the couch.

Regina closed the front door behind Archie before cautiously walking towards the living room. She didn't know how Emma would react to what she had done. After all, she had brought Archie here against Emma's will.

"Ambushing someone with a therapist isn't exactly the best way to get them to talk," Emma said, leaning back into the cushions as she looked at Regina.

"I was desperate," Regina said guiltily, sitting down across from her on the coffee table. "Something is going on with you. I only want to help."

Emma shook her head affectionately. "You know as well as I do that Archie is the last person that I want to talk to."

"So talk to me," Regina suggested.

"I don't want to talk about it at all," Emma insisted. "Obviously whatever I have buried is there for a reason."

"Think about Liza," Regina pleaded. "You don't need to open your soul to me. Just let me help."

Emma sighed before getting up and leaving the room. Avery was someone who had to be important to her. Otherwise her mind wouldn't block the painful memories. Mentally exhausted from the day, she went upstairs to the bedroom that she and Regina shared before laying down and falling asleep.

Avery had been missing for a week and the news all over the nation was talking about it. Emma sat in front of the TV, trying her best to show very little emotion about her missing friend. She didn't want anyone to know that she had been there when Avery was taken.

The doorbell rang, and Emma listened as her foster mother went to answer it. She liked this house. Hopefully her social worker hadn't suddenly decided to come grab her and move her to another one.

"Emma," Ingrid called softly. "There's someone here to see you."

Emma turned around and smiled at Avery's father. "Hello Mr. Castor."

"Hi Emma," Mr. Castor said, taking a seat next to her on the couch. "I was wondering if you and I could talk for a little bit."

"About what?" Emma asked. She hoped it wasn't about when Avery was taken.

Mr. Castor looked at Ingrid, who took the hint and walked out of the room. "I was hoping you could tell me a little about the day that Avery went missing. I know that the two of you went out for a bike ride."

Emma looked away from him. She didn't want to talk about it. She was embarrassed that she couldn't remember what happened. "I don't really want to talk about it. I'm sorry."

"Please," Mr. Castor pleaded. "You had to have seen something while you two were out together. She couldn't have vanished without you seeing."

"We went separate paths," Emma lied. "There was a fork in the road so we went separate ways to explore both routes. Then we were going to meet up at the end and compare paths. She never came out of her side."

Mr. Castor looked at her suspiciously. For a girl who didn't want to talk about it, she sure had a pretty detailed story about why she wasn't there. "Are you sure that's what happened?"

Emma nodded. "I should go, I have homework to do. My TV time is up anyway." Before Mr. Castor could say anything else, Emma was gone.

"Are you two done talking?" Ingrid asked, looking at Emma in concern. She looked a little pale.

"Yeah, I'm going to do my homework now."

"Can you grab the mail for me quickly before you get started? I'm expecting a letter from your social worker with some important information."

Emma looked at Ingrid in surprise. "What kind of information?"

"Go look," Ingrid said, a small smile on her lips.

Emma practically ran out to the mailbox. She quickly opened it, pulling out the mail and flipping through, before stopping at a note and freezing. It only had two words, but Emma knew exactly what it meant.

Keep quiet

Emma gasped awake, her eyes flying open. Luckily, Regina wasn't next to her yet, so it must have been pretty early in the evening. She slowly sat up and rubbed her hand over her face. Another stupid memory. She couldn't even escape them in her sleep.

Sighing, she got out of bed and headed back downstairs. She didn't even look in the mirror, which she probably should have if she wanted Regina not to notice what had just happened.

As soon as she walked into the kitchen, she knew that Regina had noticed that something was wrong.

"What happened?" Regina asked. "Why are you shaking?"

Emma hadn't even realized she was.

Regina turned the temperature down on the stove before slowly walking towards Emma. "Did you remember something else?"

A nod.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

A few seconds of nothing, and then a small nod.

Regina had to force herself not to smile and jump up and down. Now they were getting somewhere.