When the truth comes out
Tina asked for a oneshot of…a read and see story.
Emma knew when someone was lying to her. She didn't want to believe it, but she knew her parents were.
"Maybe you're just tired, love." Killian tried to reassure her. "Your parents wouldn't lie to you." Emma sighed.
"I know when someone's lying Killian." Emma said again. "If I'm wrong and they really are going for a hike, then they'll never know I was trailing them anyway. What's the harm? If you're right, it's just ten minutes out of our evening. If I'm right, then something's wrong anyway because my parents wouldn't lie to me for no good reason." Emma reasoned with him. Killian gave her a look, but knew Emma was set on following her parents. He also knew he had to go with her. Just in case she was right and needed backup.
"Well alright love. If you insist. But I'm telling you, we'll be back here within the hour."
That was how Emma and Killian found themselves in the maze of tunnels that was Storybrooke's mines. Emma knew they had lied to her. Now she just had to find out why. Whatever the reason, she wasn't happy.
Emma and Killian followed the hushed voices until they found Ursula, just as she whipped out her tentacle and knocked her parents unconscious.
"Hey!" Emma called out as she and Killian rushed forward. Neither Ursula nor Cruella seemed phased by Emma or Killian. "My mom was right. We shouldn't have trusted you." Emma growled. "I don't know what you said to get them down here, but this ends now. You want to mess with my family? See how well that goes down." Ursula gave an humourless laugh.
"We didn't say anything to force your parents down here. It's not our fault they're hiding the truth from you." She taunted Emma.
"My parents don't keep secrets from me." Emma hissed.
"Don't rise to their bate, Swan." Killian said, resting his hand against Emma's shoulder. "Let's just get your parents out of here and go home. We'll deal with them later." Emma nodded gruffly.
"Don't get in our way." She warned the devilish pair. Killian hoisted Charming over his shoulders whilst Emma did the same with her mom. They started to make their way out again when Cruella spoke back to them.
"You could leave now darling, but if they lied to you once, they'll lie again. We can prove we're telling the truth, for once in our lives. We can prove they're hiding something." Emma turned back to face Cruella.
"Not interested." She replied gruffly.
"Well someone takes after mummy and daddy, because that's just a big fat lie." Cruella responded. Emma hated that she was right.
"Aren't you just a little curious?" Ursula asked her. "Don't you want to know why they were down here speaking to us? We don't even have to tell you ourselves. Just put them back down and they'll have to start talking. You have magic, Saviour. It's not like you couldn't overpower us if things got, well, fishy." Ursula pointed out. Killian could see Emma thinking things over.
"Don't trust them, Swan." He told her. "They're villains. They don't care about anyone but themselves…"
"Well that's rich coming from you." Ursula scoffed. Killian shot her a dirty look.
"I don't trust them." Emma said, not taking her eyes off the villains. "But I do want to know why my parents lied to me. Put my dad down, Killian. Don't trust them, but trust me." Killian didn't like this one bit, but he put Charming back down on the ground as Emma did the same with Snow. She shot Cruella and Ursula dangerous looks. "No funny business." She warned them both. They smiled at her.
"Wouldn't dream of it darling." Cruella said sarcastically as she stepped forward towards Emma's parents. Killian and Emma eyed her carefully, but there was still nothing either of them could do to stop her from drawing out the knife from the sleeve of her fur coat and slitting the hands of both Snow and Charming. Snow and Charming both awoke with pain jolting through them. Cruella held the knife over the ashes and a couple of drops of blood dripped from the tip on top the pile and it started to sizzle.
"Hey!" Emma yelled, raising her hands to summon her magic. "I warned you both."
"Emma?" Snow asked as she and Charming got to their feet. They stood protectively between Emma and the two witches. "What are you doing down here?"
"I was following you." Emma explained coldly. Snow and Charming looked at each other momentarily, knowing they'd have to come up with a pretty good story. But it was too late for that. As from the ashes arose a tower of smoke which quickly turned into a human. Maleficent. Snow and Charming could feel their hearts turn to ice. Cruella and Ursula smiled smugly.
"Your darling daughter wants to know the truth about Maleficent's child." Cruella told them darkly. Snow and Charming's eyes widened.
"Maleficent's child?" Emma asked. "What's going on?" Snow and Charming looked at Maleficent, pleading with her to not reveal their dark secret, but she stared back coldly. Why should she show them mercy?
"Your parents stole my child from me before she had even hatched." Maleficent hissed. "I don't know what they did, but they sent my child away and I never saw them again."
"What?" Emma croaked. "No. You must be mistaken. You're lying! My parents wouldn't do that…"
"Yet they did." Maleficent snapped. "Ask them yourself."
"Mom?" Emma asked. "Dad?" There was a beat of silence as Snow and Charming tried to work out what to say.
"It's true." Charming eventually spoke up. "But it's not as simple as that. We had no choice, we had to do it to make sure you were good…"
"Don't you dare drag me into this!" Emma bellowed. "You kept a mother from their child. How could you? You of all people, who had their child taken from them?"
"We had every intention to bring her back! We were tricked, Emma. Scammed. We know what we did was terrible but we honestly did what we thought was the only thing we could…"
"No!" Emma snapped. "You did what was easy because you were scared!" Emma couldn't take this. "This is your mess, and I refuse to be part of it. Come on Killian." Emma started to march away. Killian gave the Charmings a slightly apologetic look before following after Emma. Maleficent laughed coldly.
"Well it's hardly justice for what happened to me, but it's a start." She said. "When I'm through with you and your family you will know the pain you put me through." Snow and Charming stood firm. They knew they had wronged Maleficent, but nobody threatened their children.
"Your problem is with us, Maleficent. Our children are to be left out of this. Do you hear?" Snow warned her. Maleficent just smiled.
"It would seem your daughter is already involved. Watch your back, Charmings. But can you watch your own and your precious little children's as well?" Maleficent, Ursula and Cruella disappeared together. Snow and Charming looked at each other, feeling more frightened than they ever had been. Not just for them; but for their whole family.
