Warning: This chapter discusses past child abuse. Read at your own risk.

Chapter Twenty-One: Dreamcatcher

While Regina went to the library to research for a spell to track down Emma, Charming, Snow and August decided to go to the convent to see if they could get the fairies' help. They were surprised to see Grumpy there, carrying a suitcase while Nova followed him down the stairs.

"Snow, Charming," Nova smiled. "Hello."

"Is Blue here?" Snow asked. She didn't want to ask for the fairy's help, but would stop at nothing to find her daughter. If Regina seemed to be baffled it had to be bad.

"No, I don't know where she is. Can I be of any help?"

"We have to get going," Grumpy pointed out. "We decided that Astrid should finally move with me if we're never going to make it home."

Snow narrowed her eyes at her brother. "I don't want to hear your rants about my daughter."

"Where is the little savior anyway?"

"She was kidnapped."

Any smugness immediately left Grumpy's face.

"What?" He asked.

"After Rumple took the hat, Zelena stole the other and pulled Emma through it. Regina tried to do a locator spell, but she's nowhere in this realm. She says it's going to be pretty hard to find her."

Nova instantly pulled Snow into a hug, squeezing her tightly. Once she pulled away, she put a hand on her cheek. "I'll help."

"You're not upset with her for what she did?" August asked.

"No, of course not. Rumple can be a very tricky man." She looked over at Grumpy with a disapproving look. "I told Grumpy he was wrong, but that's no matter. Come on, I'm sure we could use Granny's as headquarters."

Charming lead the peppy fairy out the door to the car. August and Snow went to follow, when Grumpy took hold of the queen's arm.

"Sister, I'm sorry," he said. "I was just upset…"

"You were meant to be her godfather, Grumpy," Snow snapped, pulling away from him. "You're supposed to protect her, not tear her down. I don't have time to deal with this right now, though. I just want to find my daughter." She stormed out the door.

August could see the guilt on Grumpy's face. "Help us find her and maybe she'll forgive you," he told her before following Snow.

August hadn't said much since Emma was pulled through the hat. A part of him didn't know what to say. He had dedicated his entire life to protecting Emma, it was what he had been sent through the wardrobe to do. He did all he could to keep her safe, had followed her to this strange land.

Yet his efforts had failed.

He couldn't stop thinking about Zelena's deal. What would've happened if he had agreed to it? She said that she would protect Emma as a result. Maybe it was a lie, maybe she would've done this any way, he had no way of knowing. How badly he wanted to go back and time and just agree to work with her. He would do anything for Emma. Turn dark or even become wood once again. She was his baby sister and he loved her more than life itself.

It wasn't the first time he felt that he had failed someone that he loved. The first was with Tinkerbell. He had been no match for his father's guards. Then his mother died and no, he wasn't there, but it still broke him inside. She had saved him that night when she found him in the woods. She knew he wasn't royal by blood and never cared. Unlike Derek, she had treated him as a son. She adored him with all her heart.

Now he had let Emma down and he wasn't sure if he was ever going to forgive himself for that.

The day went on and it didn't seem to be any use. Granny was kind enough to keep bringing them all refreshments (though no one touched any food, it was clear they weren't hungry) as they poured over many books. Regina joined them with her own, giving in her two cents every so often. As day turned to night, it was clear they were getting nowhere. Red had let them all stay behind well past closing, with different residents wandering in and out to offer their support (though, Blue was nowhere to be seen). Snow and Charming were still upset with many of them for how they treated Emma, but they knew that they all felt bad about it now. For the most part, they were all good people. They had just gotten their hopes up and had understandably disappointed. They didn't handle it in the best way, though, and would have to make that up to Emma when she got home.

The door to the diner opened once again and Red was about to call out that they were closed until she saw that it was Geppetto. She gave him a small smile, offering him a cup of tea, which he politely declined. Geppetto walked over to the table where August was staring at the same paragraph for the past 15 minutes.

"Son," he said, not getting any response. He placed a hand on August's shoulder, causing him to blink and look up.

"Huh?"

"It's getting late. I think you should head home."

August shook his head. "I have to help find Emma."

"August, you're getting tired," Snow said, kindly. "Maybe you should go back to your house. We'll come get you tomorrow."

"I'm fine," he insisted. "We need to find her and we will."

"Pinocchio, I know you care about Emma, but losing sleep over her isn't going to help you find her any time soon."

August shut his eyes in frustration. "Maybe I wouldn't be losing sleep over any of this if you hadn't put me in the damn wardrobe in the first place!" He slammed his fist on the table and stormed off towards the back of the diner.

Everyone looked at each other in shock. They hadn't experienced August freaking out like that before. Geppetto went to follow him, but Charming got up and put a hand on his arm.

"Let me, please."

He followed the path that August had taken, watching him bang his fist against a wall. When he finally stopped, he turned to face Charming.

"Better?" He asked.

August sighed and leaned against the wall. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I know, your father knows that." He moved closer to him. "I know you're worried about Emma, we all are. But we're going to find her, I won't give up on my little girl."

"I failed her," August whispered.

"Oh August…"

"I was supposed to protect her, it was my job and I didn't. Instead I lost her. Just like I lost…" He trailed off as a single tear fell down his cheek.

Charming pulled August into a tight hug. August tried to fight it at first but then relented. He buried his head into the other man's shoulder, letting out a shaky breath as he cried. Charming could feel the tears falling down his own cheeks. He had been feeling the same guilt since Emma went missing.

"You don't have to be the one that saves everyone," Charming told him, soothingly. "That's not your job."

"Yes it is."

"No, it's not. I know what it's like, the pressure. It was put on you far too young and it's not fair. I know your father meant well, Snow and I did too. That doesn't mean that it didn't cause problems. You just have to know that you didn't fail her."

August sighed. "Well, you didn't either."

"August…"

He pulled away, wiping the tears away with the back of his hand.

"We're a lot more alike than I thought," he said. "I've been watching you and Snow. I know you blame yourselves. There's nothing you two could've done to stop it. It was on me. If I had just given Zelena my heart…"

"Then Emma would be completely broken without you," Charming interrupted. "She already lost your parents. She can't lose you too."

"I guess."

"I'm right," he put his hands on his shoulders. "Will you please go home and get some sleep?"

August shook his head. "I can't. At least not yet."

David sighed, he knew they weren't going to get anywhere that way. "Alright, at least come back to me and Snow's. I don't think I'm going to be convincing her to get any sleep as it is. We should let Red, Regina, Nova and Grumpy at least get some rest."

Together, they walked back out to where everyone else was. August quickly hugged his father, muttering apologies for his outburst. Charming turned towards the table where everyone was, putting a hand on Snow's shoulder.

"We're going to head back to the loft to keep brainstorming. All of you should head back to your homes and get some sleep. We'll regroup in the morning," he said.

Everyone reluctantly agreed and left, including Geppetto, who encouraged his son to get some sleep at the loft. Together, the three loves of Emma's life headed back home. Snow went about fixing them some coffee when she came across a polaroid picture on the fridge. She had taken it of Emma a few weeks prior. She had been sitting with David in the diner, laughing at something he said. She slowly took in her features, a perfect combination of her parents. Such a beautiful little girl with a bright future.

Tears sprang to her eyes and a hand flew over her mouth as she thought of the possibility that she'd never hear that laugh ever again. Suddenly, a strong pair of arms were wrapped around her. From the smell of the aftershave, she knew just who it was. She turned around, burying her face into Charming's chest.

"I need our baby back, Charming," she whispered.

Charming cradled the back of her head. "We're going to find her," he promised. "We always find people in this family."

"Is this our fate? To always be separated?"

"No. After this, we'll never let her out of our sight again."

"I think that sounds like a pretty good plan."

They stayed in each other's arms for a while, not wanting to let go. They were always a beacon of strength for the other and in this moment, despite feeling completely broken, it was no different. Charming kissed her temple and rubbed her back before pulling away.

"I'll finish up here," he said. "You go sit with August."

Snow nodded and headed into the living room where the young man was. He was leaning against the pillows, Emma's baby blanket in his hands. She ran her fingers through his dark curls. He was 23 years old, but in that moment, she saw the little boy in him, the same one she had met 16 years ago. He had such a rough childhood, one that no one deserved. All the anxiety and stress from being marked as the savior's protector was clearly wearing on him. He didn't even have his mother anymore. From what Charming said, the two had been very close.

Snow knew that she wasn't his mom, but she felt her maternal instincts kicking in. She grabbed a quilt from the top of the couch and draped it over him. He looked up at her with his big blue eyes, blinking a few times.

"Thanks," he muttered.

"Of course," she replied. "You sure you don't want to try to get some sleep?"

He shook his head and she couldn't help but smile. Clearly, Emma's stubborn gene had rubbed off on him over the years.

"Alright. Charming's almost done with the coffee. I think we should start off with these books," she gestured over to a small pile.

"Sounds good," he agreed, carefully sitting up a bit, Emma's blanket not leaving his hands at any point.

Outside the one on the door, there were no windows in Emma and Tink's cell. Eventually the two fell asleep on the same bunk, waking up some odd hours later, blinking a few times. A guard brought them some food before leaving again. Emma hadn't eaten since the day prior, but was hesitant to eat the food provided. Tink assured her that it was safe. She had avoided food her first few days after she had been sent to Oz, but after a while gave in. Emma learned that the toast and eggs wasn't poisonous, just cold.

After breakfast, the door to the cell flew open and Zelena strode in, that wicked grin on her face. Tink instantly tried to pull Emma behind her, but with a flick of a wrist, she was on the other side of the cell. Emma just stared at the witch, noticing she had a dreamcatcher in her hand. She had seen a few of those growing up, at the markets. Her parents had always said they were just paper on sticks, but she knew they were meant to keep the nightmares away.

"You care about the state of our dreams now?" Emma snapped. She knew she couldn't fight Zelena with her magic, not with the cuff on her wrist, but it didn't matter. She wasn't going to bow down to her.

Zelena rolled her eyes. "Quite the contrary," she said, stepping closer. "This dreamcatcher is a little different. It can show you a copy of someone's memories."

Tink caught onto what was about to happen. "Zelena don't…"

"Silence," she flicked her wrist and froze her in place before turning to Emma, placing it in her hands. "Go on, darling."

"You think I give a shit about your memories?"

"They're not mine, they're someone's you love."

Emma's eyebrow rose and she feared it may be a trick, but she ran her fingers over the dreamcatcher. Suddenly it glowed and she could see Derek's face. Tears sprung to her eyes and she smiled. It had been so long since she'd seen his face. He looked younger there, there was no gray hair or anything. That's when he noticed he was in a nursery.

Derek walked to the crib and looked down at the baby inside it. The infant was wrapped in a cozy blanket that had the name "Emma" embroidered on it. Hesitantly, he reached down and lifted her out, a smile coming across the face.

"Emma," he whispered. "I promise you, I am going to be the best father. I won't let anyone take you from me, ever." A tear trickled down his cheek. "You're safe, sweet pea. I promise." He kissed her forehead.

The tears trickled down Emma's cheek, that had to be the first time he held her. Suddenly, they began to flash pretty quickly: Emma's first steps, words, everything he witnessed, showed up. She could see the pride in his face, how happy he clearly was. But she realized something, August, Alise and Odette weren't majorly featured. Sometimes they'd be in the background, but for the most part, it was just the father and daughter. That was until it flashed to August, he looked about 9 or 10, clearly scared. The pair were standing in Derek's study.

"Where is she?" Derek demanded.

"I…I don't know," August admitted. "We were playing and I turned around for 2 seconds to answer one of the maid's questions. When I went back…she was gone."

"She is your responsibility!" He told him. "You're lucky you're even here! I swear to God, if a single thing happens to her, you're done!"

"This wasn't my fault!"

Derek's hand collided with the young boy's face, causing him to gasp. "You think you belong here? Don't forget what you are, boy. I could get one of the witches to turn you back to wood!"

August's hand stayed on his face, as he stared at his father in shock. Suddenly, Odette appeared in the room, holding a sleeping Emma in her arms. Derek instantly ripped her from his wife and cuddled her close, listening to her talk about how they had found the toddler asleep by the brook.

Emma felt horrified as she continued to stare at the memory. That couldn't have been her father. Yes, he was protective and sometimes he and August didn't get along…but he wasn't abusive. He had never laid a hand on any of his children. But then she saw it, over and over. Derek berating August and not just when it came to looking after Emma. Every tiny mistake, got him screamed at. At worse times, he was hitting him, sometimes with just a hand, others with different objects he could find. A sour feeling grew in Emma's stomach. Why had August never told her about any of it? He had always let her think that he was a great guy. He had…protected her. She had spent that time being angry at him for not telling her what Zelena had meant but now she understood. Through the memories, he could see he hadn't always been too kind to Alise when she would mention wanting to tell Emma the truth. Never anything physical, but lots of yelling and her being reminded, just like August, that she didn't belong.

Emma wanted to wrap both of her siblings in a hug, squeeze them as hard as she possibly could. They hadn't deserved any of it. She felt guilt for ever being frustrated with them for keeping the secret. They had put up with so much, and for what? Even Odette seemed to fall victim to being terrified of him. They really weren't true loves. She wanted to stop watching, throw the damn thing against the wall, destroy it. She wasn't sure how much more she could take, seeing the ones she love, suffer at the hands of the man she thought was a kind, caring father. However, it was like a wreck, she just couldn't look away.

She saw Derek's reaction to August with the cook's daughter, which was just awful. But then she could hear Zelena saying something along the lines of "You haven't seen anything yet, sweetheart."

The image that appeared next was Derek walking through the woods with an army of his guards. They approached the tree house and from the noises, she could tell that August and Tink were in it. Her eyes went across the room to the former fairy and she could see the pain in her face. Everything started to click for Emma, but she watched anyway.

"Down, now!" A guard yelled up the ladder. A moment later, August's face could be seen. He drew his sword and carefully climbed down, Tinkerbell following. The two held hands when they saw Derek's face.

"Dad," August began, trying to stay calm.

Derek's eyes fixated on him. "Did you think you could get away with this? That I wouldn't notice you kept going missing? I was willing to let it go, it's your life and you're free to screw it up the way you want," he told him. "But then I got wind of your plan."

"Your highness, allow me to explain," Tink tried to defend him.. Derek held up a hand.

"Did I say you could speak?"

"Don't talk to her like that!" August argued. "It's not her fault! We were just going to tell Mom it was time. We weren't going to tell Emma!"

"I'm afraid I can't trust that. If your mother says no, this girl knows far too much." He turned to some of his men. "Take her away."

"Wait," August tightened his grip on her hand, but it was no use. A guard grabbed tight hold of her arm, yanking on it. "Stop! You're hurting her!"

"August!" Tink called out as they managed to pull her away, keeping her trapped in their arms. Tears were spilling down her cheeks, as she fought against the men. August went to run after her, but guards grabbed him and held him back.

"I'm going to find you!" August yelled to her, crying himself as he struggled against their grip. These weren't his knights, they were his father's personal men, they were far stronger. "They can't keep us apart! I love you!"

"I love you too," Tink choked out, being dragged deeper into the woods.

Emma's eyes drifted back to Tinkerbell, who was now crying over reliving that terrible memory. She had always been told that Tink just disapearred…but that hadn't been the case. It was her father's fault she was here, he had kept her prisoner for over a year and it was all her fault. August had lost the love of his life, after giving up everything. Who was this monster and what had he done with her father?

The image on the dreamcatcher switched again, now in Derek's study. August was rubbing his arm, his face full of pain and anger. Derek just paced in front of him…a smirk on his face.

"How could you do that?" August's voice came out in a hoarse whisper.

"You needed to be punished."

"Where did you take her?!"

"Don't worry about it," Derek told him. "You won't ever see her again. But let this be a warning. This time I got rid of just her, next time, you…"

"I'll what?!" August exploded. "You can't get rid of me without Emma getting suspicious! Tink is one thing. She was the only friend Emma had, let alone one of the best things to happen to me ever! But, me, I won't be able to disappear as easily."

"Anyone can. Do you not realize how powerful I am?" Derek stepped closer. "I could make it so no one even remembered that your mother and I had three children."

August's eyes narrowed. "You can't keep doing this! Emma has a right to know!"

"I am not losing her to those people!"

"You won't lose her! But she has a destiny to fill! She already knows of her magic! Just let her make the choice herself, at least. You owe her that much."

"I don't owe her anything!"

"Are you doing this for her or are you doing it for you?!"

August saw the backhand coming, he didn't even flinch. By now, he was all too used to it. At least his mouth wasn't bleeding this time. The only difference was a gasp she heard in the doorway.

"Derek!" The two men turned to see Odette standing there, her eyes wide. She rushed to her son's side and began to check over his cheek, before looking up at her husband. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Your son is a disrespectful brat," Derek told her. "He was going to tell Emma the truth."

"No! I wasn't!" August looked into his mother's eyes. "I was going to tell you that it was time, I was going to leave the choice up to you!"

"He told someone!"

"The woman I love!"

Odette's eyes filled with sadness. "You…you've fallen in love? Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"Because she's not from here, she's not royal. I knew you wouldn't approve."

Odette stared at her son, regret taking over. She reached out and touched his cheek. "Auggie, all I want is for you to be happy."

August bit his lip, shaking his head. "Well, it doesn't matter now. Derek shipped her off somewhere."

Odette didn't say anything. She just continued to look at her son, taking in everything she had just been told. Eventually, she kissed the center of his forehead.

"Your father and I have that ball tonight, can you please give us some privacy? Have Eleanor get you some ice for your face." August slowly nodded and walked out of the room.

Derek watched his wife to turn to him. "Odette, you have to understand…"

"We have a ball to prepare for," she informed him. "Tomorrow morning, we tell Emma everything."

"What?! No!"

"Yes, Derek. If this is the lengths you're willing to go to keep it a secret, we're not protecting Emma. This is just for you. It's always been about power, about you staking claim. You've used this an excuse to be a total tyrant. This isn't what either of our parents wanted for the kingdom."

"Odette!"

"I'm done lying to my daughter, I'm done having you treat my son like he's nothing! I'm telling her tomorrow and if you have a problem with it, I could care less." Odette turned on her heel and strode out of the room.

"I…I don't want to watch this anymore," Emma finally choked out. She had seen too much. Her father wasn't the man she had thought, she felt physically ill. Her mother had wanted to tell her the truth, she had cared so deeply about August, she wouldn't have minded Tink not being royalty.

"There's just one more thing," Zelena said.

She reached down, flicking the dreamcatcher to it went forward a bit. It had to be later the same night, rain was falling heavily as the horse lead the carriage down the dirt road back to the palace. Outside that, it was silent. Suddenly, the man driving the carriage was forced off, just as she had been described time and time again. He fell unconscious as the horse became spooked by the actions. But before the carriage could go crashing into the river, Derek was suddenly outside of it. Emma didn't understand as the rain suddenly came to a halt. Then there was a cloud of green smoke, causing Zelena, no longer in her "Sara" disguise to appear.

Derek looked out into the river, the carriage still in place. "Are you sure no one will be suspicious?"

"She's taken care of, the driver is too out of it to say anything."

"Good."

Emma dropped the dreamcatcher, though the image remained. Derek had been responsible for her death? He…he wasn't dead? Her breathing became rapid as she watched the two converse for a little more.

"Just make it look like I was injured enough, we can't have people get suspicious."

Zelena laughed. "You think you're going home?"

"That was our deal. You help me, I owe you a favor."

"And I'm cashing it in. Emma is going to find out the truth. Not today, but with you out of the way, no she can and I can move forward with my plans."

Derek's eyes widened and he attempted to attack the witch, but it was too late. Using her wand, she created a portal in the water and pushed him inside of it. The last thing that could be heard was the sound of Zelena's evil cackle.

The image faded away and the only thing that remained was the intricate design. Emma looked up at Zelena, who was smirking.

"Your daddy dearest is here," she told her. "He's been trapped here since that night, just not in this prison. He ended up taking over Oz for his own."

"You…you helped him…" The words couldn't even come out of Emma's mouth. "She's dead! He…"

Everything else her father had done, was awful. It couldn't be excused; she wouldn't dream of doing so. But that didn't compare to the last memory. He had killed her mother. All so she wouldn't tell her the truth. He had gone so far…just to keep her his. As if she was a piece of property. She had spent months in mourning, for both of them. He had planned to return to the palace, to most likely soothe her through the death. To pretend as if nothing ever happened, just as he had her whole life.

Tears were falling heavily down her face and there was no sign of stopping. She felt angry, devastated, betrayed. She couldn't even think of the fact that Zelena had helped Derek in that moment, her mind was just focused on him. She leant over the bed, the contents of her stomach coming up. Zelena wrinkled her nose.

"Well that's not pleasant." With a flick of the wrist, the mess was cleaned up and she smiled. "Well, now you know. Which hopefully will change your mind about assisting me." She picked up the dreamcatcher, hanging it on the wall. With another wrist flick, Tink was unfrozen. "You have 24 hours to make a choice or there will be consequences."

Zelena poofed out of the room, the door slamming shut and locking again. Emma collapsed down on the bed, drawing her knees to her chest. Tink ran up to the bunk, sitting behind her and placing a hand on her back.

"Emma," she whispered. "I am so sorry."

Emma didn't respond, her eyes hit the wall. She wanted out of the cell, back to Snow, Charming and August. Her family. The people who hadn't let her down. The people who had sacrificed so much for her. All while she idolized the man that had brought all of them nothing but pain.

She was beginning to wonder if all of her childhood had been a lie.

This was another chapter that I had pretty much all written out and the next one is as well, so I hope to get it up soon. I basically have all the Emma parts written out, I just need to add in Snowing and August. As always, let me know what you think and what you want to see. Until next time, friends. =)