A/N: Sorry for the missed chapter on Wednesday– damn family and work commitments! I'll be unable to publish this coming Wednesday either but I will try to do an extra big chapter for this next Sunday as well as, perhaps, a little extra Christmas treat!

Abrupt bright light rudely pierced Emma's eyelids. Groaning, she rolled over and buried her face in the pillow, inhaling the unfamiliar scent. It was a mixture of too much laundry detergent and musty material. Not exactly nice but it was better than some of the scents she had slept amongst since she had been on the streets.

"Morning," yawned her bunkmate from beneath her.

"What time is it?" Emma croaked, throat scratchy.

"Seven thirty," MM replied, already sitting up and stretching. "They like to get us up nice and early."

"Every day?" Emma asked, incredulous. Didn't the people in charge of this place know teenagers were practically nocturnal? Or was this torture deliberate?

"Nah, weekends they don't force us to get up until eight thirty. It's a real treat."

Emma groaned again as she heaved herself into a sitting position Peering over the edge of her bunk, she saw MM already gathering together some wash items. Emma had been issued with a new toothbrush, toothpaste and some shampoo the night before. She had been pleasantly surprised to discover that there were shower cubicles which offered some privacy. The feeling of the hot spray cleaning her grimy skin for the first time in days had refreshed her, cleansed her as grey water coiled down the drain at her feet.

"What time is breakfast?"

"Now," MM replied. "They serve until nine but by then the eggs are all congealed and gross. I usually eat and then shower. Do you want to join me?"

Still not quite used to the friendliness of her new bunkmate, Emma hesitated before nodding her agreement. As MM put on her shoes, Emma climbed down from her bed and grabbed her own items from a small table where all her worldly possessions were stacked.

"Ready?" MM asked, far too chirpy for the time of day.

"Yeah," Emma nodded.

The two of them exited their room which led onto a small corridor off which eleven other bedrooms made up their unit. The doors to each room remained unlocked at night but the gate which led to the unit itself was locked until the morning. MM had told her that these rooms held seventeen-year olds. There was another unit for sixteen, fifteen and fourteen year olds respectively. The few younger inmates were all grouped together. Each corridor also had a small communal space with couches and a television which had access to limited television channels and worked for a few hours each evening.

"So, what are you doing today?" MM asked Emma as they walked towards the canteen, through the already unlocked gate.

"I have another meeting with Ruby," Emma replied. "And I guess I can sign up for some classes or something then. What about you?"

"School," MM replied. "English this morning, then geography, then I have math after lunch."

"Are you studying for exams?"

"Yep," MM nodded. "I mean, we've gotta leave here with some sort of qualification, right? And it's not like there's anything else to do every day, so I figured I may as well actually apply myself for the first time in my life."

"Makes sense," Emma replied. "I've not been in school for over a year though, so I bet I'm really behind."

"They have classes for all abilities here, you'll be fine," MM said as they entered the already busy communal kitchen. "You can read, right?"

"Yeah," Emma scoffed. "Of course I can."

"You'd be surprised. The teachers here are actually good. Better than the ones I had in school, I reckon. You want fried or scrambled eggs?" she added, pointing to the canteen counter they had reached.

Plates loaded up with food, MM and Emma moved to a table where a few girls already sat. MM smiled and waved at them, receiving a few lukewarm nods in response. Emma watched curiously. From what she could tell, her bunkmate was perfectly nice. Contrary to her expectations, she didn't have an attitude problem and seemed to be making the most of the situation she had found herself in. So why did she seem to not have any friends?

"So, what are you going to talk to Ruby about?" MM asked as they began to eat.

Perhaps nosiness was the reason the pixie haired woman was not overly popular, Emma mused as she took a gulp of orange juice. "I dunno," she said eventually. "Me? What I did?"

"Kidnapping, right? Who'd you kidnap?"

Yeah, this could definitely get annoying, Emma decided. But before she could answer, Kelly, the young girl who had arrived at the same time as herself appeared by Emma's elbow. One look at the pale, puffy face told Emma that the younger girl had not slept as soundly as she had.

"Can I sit with you?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Sure," Emma nodded, grateful for the interruption as well as feeling a faint obligation to look out for this youngster. "MM, this is Kelly. She arrived with me yesterday."

"Hi Kelly," MM said, launching into more questions, this time directed at the newcomer, leaving Emma to finish her breakfast in peace.

As she drove to school the following morning, Regina glanced in her rear-view mirror more often than usual. It didn't take her long to deduce that the black sedan following her contained the appointed bodyguard. She knew it would do no good to protest her parents' decision, but she was a little indignant at their choice to have her babysat. Ok, sure, she had been held hostage the week before but that was pure chance; she hadn't been targeted.

Pulling into the school parking lot, Regina watched the sedan glide to a stop outside. At least they weren't sitting at the back of her classes, she mused as she climbed out of her own car. She made a conscious effort not to look at the parked vehicle although she was sure the eyes of whomever was in there would be watching her like a hawk.

"Hey," Zelena said, hurrying up and falling into step beside her best friend. "How are you doing?"

"I've got my own personal bodyguard now," Regina informed the redhead.

"Really? Where?" Zelena asked, looking around. "Who is it? Are they hot?"

"No idea," Regina admitted. "I've not seen them. They're parked in that black sedan outside. But don't make it obvious you're looking."

The final instruction was promptly ignored as Zelena stopped where she was, causing the student behind her to walk into her, before turning around and scanning the road outside their school to identify what Regina was talking about.

"Oh yeah, I see. Who's inside?"

"I don't know," Regina repeated. "I've not met whoever it is. My parents just announced last night that they've hired someone to follow me everywhere."

"Everywhere?" Zelena asked, the two of them recommencing their walk into school. "So yesterday, did they know you went to see your girlfriend in court?"

Regina ignored the comment but nodded her head. "And apparently Tink told them too."

"Traitor."

"I don't blame her," Regina said as they entered their first class. "I mean, she had to tell them else she'd have lost their job when they did find out. But I can't work out how I'm going to go and see Emma now. I promised Daddy I wouldn't skip school again and I can't just drive up to the juvenile centre, can I?"

Zelena's eyes gleamed in excitement. She loved the prospect of planning mischief. As soon as they took their seats, the teenager pulled out a notebook and began jotting down ideas for how Regina could slip her security detail and meet with Emma. At the top of the page, Zelena wrote 'Operation Lovebirds'. Regina rolled her eyes but said nothing and joined her friend in trying to plan her next rendezvous with the blonde whose green eyes had not left her mind since she had last seen them.

After breakfast, Emma returned to her room to wait for her appointment with Ruby while MM headed to class. She told Kelly she was welcome to sit with them at lunch too as they parted ways and received a grateful smile. Lying back on her bed, Emma began to think about the upcoming meeting with the counsellor. While she hadn't given much thought to Ruby's position the day before, she was now wondering what the meeting was going to entail.

Emma had seen a few psychologists and psychiatrists in her life. Problem foster children were always sent to specialists in an attempt to find a label to attach to them. None of those professionals had helped so she doubted Ruby was going to be successful. And anyway, there was no 'problem' with her; there were just a few bad decisions which had led to Friday and subsequently landed Emma in prison.

What would Ruby ask? Would she ask about Neal? About Lily? About Regina? The apprehension built inside her as she began to wonder what she would say. Would she talk about how she'd been betrayed by Neal? About how she'd betrayed Lily? And about how she felt about Regina? No, she wouldn't talk about Regina. She couldn't; she didn't have the words to describe the energy which flowed between herself and the brunette.

Five minutes before her appointment, according to the clock on the wall of their bunk, Emma climbed off her bed and headed down towards the small group of offices. Better to get it over and done with, she supposed.

"Come in."

Emma opened the door she had knocked on and was greeted with a warm smile from Ruby. Sitting down in the chair opposite her counsellor who was typing something on her laptop and indicated that she'd be finished in a few seconds, Emma folded her arms over her chest and waited.

"Thanks for coming this morning, Emma," Ruby began closing the lid of her laptop. "How was your first night?"

"Ok, I guess," Emma replied.

"Did you get some sleep?"

"Yes," Emma nodded.

"And MM, are you getting on with her?"

"I suppose. She asks a lot of questions."

Ruby laughed. "Yes, she does. But she's a lovely girl. It's nice to have friends in a place like this."

"Sure."

The counsellor took note of the short answers and the folded arms. It wasn't unusual to meet resistance from the young people she worked with. So instead of moving onto the main topic of the session, Ruby decided to try and make Emma feel a bit more relaxed.

"What about anyone else in here. Have you met the rest of the girls on your corridor?"

"Briefly," Emma nodded. After dinner the day before, she and MM had gone to the communal room in which a number of other seventeen-year-olds had been hanging out, killing time before lights out. She had caught a few names but not engaged in conversation with any of them.

"They're a good group. I'm the counsellor for most of them and I'm sure you'll all be friends in no time."

"Maybe."

Ruby interlaced her fingers and leaned forwards a little, elbows resting on her desk. "Friends are good, Emma," she said gently.

"If you say so."

Hesitating, Ruby pressed on. "Just because you haven't had much luck picking friends in the past, doesn't mean you won't make better choices in the future."

"What makes you think my friends were the problem?" Emma asked.

"Well, from what I know of your case, the bank robbery wasn't your idea. You're not even being charged with it. Doesn't that tell you something?"

Yes, Emma thought. It told her a lot. "That I'm getting off lightly because I struck a deal to rat out my friend."

Ah, Ruby mused. So this wasn't about Emma's friends betraying her, it was about Emma herself not feeling like she was a good friend.

"We can talk about how you're feeling about your testimony but before we begin, I have some good news."

"I'm getting out of here?" Emma asked, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.

"Your sentencing date has been set. They had an opening on Friday which is much sooner than our legal system usually performs."

"Is that good news?"

"It ends the unknown," Ruby pointed out. "Once the judge has passed their sentence, at least you'll know how long you're going to be incarcerated. From there, perhaps we can make a plan for your time here."

"I guess," Emma sighed. "What exactly happens at the sentencing?"

"Your lawyer will give you more details when she comes in to meet with you tomorrow but I can give you a brief overview," Ruby smiled, before starting to explain the process of sentencing and what Emma would have to do for her elocution.

Her phone skittered across the table, the caller ID flashing up onto the screen. Regina apologised to Zelena who had been in the middle of telling her about a cute boy she'd seen on her way home the previous day and answered the call.

"Hey Tink,"

"Regina, hi," the lawyer said. "Sorry to call you over lunch. Do you have time to just talk about something quickly?"

"About Emma?" At that, Zelena's eyes widened and she grinned at the imminent gossip opportunity. Regina wrinkled her nose at her friend's eagerness. When had her life become a worthy storyline in a soap opera?

"Unless you want an update on your father's latest acquisition property, yeah, it's about Emma."

Regina rolled her eyes at the pedantic lawyer. "Fine, what have you heard?"

"We have a date for her sentencing. Friday at four. I figured you'd want to be there?"

There was a pause before Regina spoke. "And my parents?"

"What about them?" Tink asked.

"I know you told them about yesterday. They talked to me last night. So are you going to tell them about this too?"

"Need I remind you who I work for, Miss Mills?" Tink asked. "Your parents received the same information from me earlier today. It was they who gave me permission to tell you. Even though I didn't tell them everythingwhich happened yesterday, your parents aren't blind. They know there's some sort of connection between you and Emma and they also know they'd be mad to try and keep you from her. Better to give you permission and know where you are rather than you sneaking off, right?"

"I suppose," Regina nodded. "And thanks, by the way, for not telling about … well, you know."

"Not telling them about the fact that I walked in to see you eating Emma's face? You're welcome. So, I assume you're going to be there on Friday?"

"Yes," Regina nodded. "I'll be there. And Tink, I have a question."

Tink groaned. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this question at all?"

Regina could help but laugh. "Because you know me?"

"Go on then, what do you want?"

"I want to visit Emma. Once she's sentenced, she must be allowed visitors, right?"

There was a long pause and then an answer laced with incredulity. "Regina, they're not going to allow you to visit her."

"My parents?"

"No, the juvenile detention centre. Jesus, you're the victim and she's the perp. There's no way they'd let you meet with her."

"I'm not a victim," Regina spat, louder than she intended and causing a few of her fellow students to glance at her across the canteen. "I'm not a victim, Tink," she repeated more quietly, ignoring Zelena's raised eyebrows. "And Emma isn't a perp." She was starting to detest that word, which she had never used in her life before the past weekend.

"Yeah, you are," Tink replied. "And in a weird way, Emma is too. Since she's under eighteen, she's a ward of the court and they are not going to provide consent for a meeting between Emma and anyone who was in that bank on Friday. I'm sorry, Regina, but that's not going to happen. At least," there was a pause, "not in a normal visitor session."

"What does that mean?"

There was another hesitation on behalf of the lawyer, as if she were trying to decide how much to share.

"Have you heard of Restorative Justice?"

"No, what's that?"

"It's part of the system's program which works to reduce reoffending statistics. Basically, it's a meeting between the offender, that would be Emma, and the victim, that would be you. It's a mediated meeting which is designed to allow Emma the chance to apologise for what happened and listen to how their actions affected others."

"Emma doesn't need to apologise," Regina huffed. "She didn't do anything wrong."

"Well, the law says differently," Tink replied. "I just mentioned it because that's the only way I can think of the two of you breathing the same air until she gets transferred to the adult prison. Look, we can talk about this more on Friday. I've got to go. Make sure you tell your parents this time, ok?"

"Yeah, ok, thanks Tink."

The line went dead and Regina was left looking at a curious Zelena who desperately wanted to know the other half of the conversation she had just listened to. Because she knew there was no other option, Regina began to tell her best friend what Emma's lawyer had said.

Emma settled into the routine of Storybrooke quicker than she had imagined. She had signed up for a number of classes, at Ruby's insistence, and had wiled away the hours either studying or lying on her bunk reading. It had been years since she had lost herself in a good book. It also turned out to be quite an effective way of deterring questions from her bunkmate who seemed to recognise the book as a symbol that Emma did not want to be disturbed.

Most of the time, Emma was alone. And she didn't mind that. Kelly often sat with her and MM for meals but wherever possible, Emma didn't seek out company. Even in class, she was reluctant to participate in team exercises. She wasn't sure why. No, that was a lie. Her session with Ruby on Tuesday had forced her to confront a few aspects of her personality, specifically herself as a friend.

She was a bad friend, she'd decided. The deal she had taken required her to testify against Lily. She felt nothing at the demise of Neal. Hell, she hadn't given a second thought to Peter since she left the police precinct and Felix was a distant memory. People who got close to Emma got hurt. Therefore, Emma had deduced, she should keep people at arms-length.

It was hard to do that when your roommate was MM, however. The questions were relentless. Emma provided short answers or met the queries with silence. But the short haired woman was undeterred.

"How many foster families did you have?"

"Lots," Emma muttered into her mashed potato.

"Were any of them nice?"

"Some."

"Were any of them evil?"

"Some."

"Did you ever get kicked out of foster care?"

"Yeah."

Why the girl was so interested in the foster system, Emma wasn't sure.

"How many foster brothers and sisters did you have?"

"Don't know."

"What was the worst thing you did in a foster home?"

"I dunno."

"Is it true you kidnapped Regina Mills?"

At that, Emma's head whipped up from where it had been hanging, staring at her empty plate and praying for the end of dinner service.

"What?"

"When you robbed the bank, the woman you kidnapped was Regina Mills, right?"

"How did you know that?"

Emma had been sure she hadn't mentioned Regina's name since she had been inside, except to Ruby and she was fairly sure her counsellor wasn't discussing her case with other inmates.

"It was on the news," MM said. "So, is it true?"

"I guess," Emma nodded, cheeks flushing but with remorse, not embarrassment.

"Wow, you're fucked in court tomorrow then. Henry Mills is friends with the important guy who's head of the police, right?"

"Yup," Emma nodded. She hadn't put much thought into her sentencing in all fairness. She had met with Tink the day before and discussed her elocution. As part of the deal, she was required to talk through what had happened that day and her role in the events. She was not looking forward to it but Tink had reassured her that it would be over quickly and that she just needed to focus on the things she didn't do, not what she did.

MM was still talking, something about the Mills family but Emma had tuned out. She finished her meal and stood while MM was still talking. The pixie haired teen looked a little affronted as Emma gathered her plate and walked off but she didn't follow. An hour later, when MM entered the bunk, Emma was lying on her bed with her back to the room. For once, MM decided not to try and start a conversation.

She didn't sleep well that night. The words of her elocution ran round and round in her head, chased by images, memories, of a brown-eyed girl.

Regina pushed the door to the courtroom open five minutes before the hearing was due to start. There weren't many people inside. A couple of police officers, whom she vaguely recognised as having been at the airfield the week before. A few individuals who looked like they may be journalists were talking quietly to one another near the back of the room. Regina spotted Tink, her blonde hair coiled neatly onto the top of her head. A man in a suit who could only be the DA was sat at an identical table on the other side of the aisle.

Sliding into the row at the back of the room, Regina folded her legs, interlaced her fingers over her knee and waited, eyes trained on the door she knew Emma would emerge through.

She didn't have to wait long. The blonde appeared after a few minutes, accompanied by a court officer. Regina's eyes took in the sight. The teen's head was hung low and she didn't look at anyone in the courtroom. She was wearing the same suit which Tink had brought for her appearance earlier in the week. Regina watched as Emma was guided to sit beside her lawyer. Tink lent over and said something, to which Emma seemed to nod in reply. Regina itched to move closer, to let Emma know she was there. But before she could stand, the court usher announced the arrival of the judge and the formal proceedings began.

It was quick, perfunctory. The charges against Emma were read along with the conditions of her deal. Then Tink stood and announced that Emma would be elocuting to the events of the previous week and her role in them.

Regina listened as the blonde stood and read from several pieces of paper. While she recognised the events described, it sounded strange to hear Emma speak of that day. The words were abstract, factual, with no feelings, spoken in a monotonous voice which didn't even sound like the young blonde. Only for the last paragraph did Emma express remorse and regret for what had happened, as well as saying that she had learned her lesson and would not break the law again. And then she sat down; it was over.

"And now, before I pass my sentence, is there anyone here who would like to make a statement?" the judge asked, scanning the courtroom.

Emma stared straight ahead of her and Regina gazed directly at the back of Emma's head, the long blonde hair braided neatly down her spine. Who was going to speak on her behalf? It wasn't like the teen had parents who could stand up and talk about her moral character or a beloved grade teacher who could lament about her hard work. No, she was alone.

"I'd like to make a statement."

Emma whipped her head around, eyes locking at once on Regina's as she registered her presence in the courtroom for the first time. The corner of Regina's mouth twitched slightly; a flicker of a smile. Emma was too stunned by the teenager's presence to react.

"Miss Mills," the judge said slowly, recognising the young woman immediately. "Go ahead."

Regina nodded and stepped out from the bench where she was sat and walked towards the front of the courtroom, stopping at the wooden balustrade which separated the viewing gallery from the main courtroom floor. Emma watched as the brunette took a deep, steadying breath and began to speak.