Chapter 27

It had been over an hour since Regina saw Emma. After a quick once-over by the EMTs, Regina had to answer questions for the detectives. Her only saving grace was that it wasn't the same detectives as before.

She didn't know if Emma was okay or even where she was. It had been very hard to concentrate on what the police were asking with her mind on the blonde. She glanced around the once empty club. It was now swarming with police officers and crime scene investigators. She hoped they hadn't already taken Emma away because she wanted to be with her.

"Um, excuse me, sir?" It was Freddy, one of the EMTs. He was also the same EMT that had the hots for Kathryn.

The tall dark-skinned detective turned to him, "Yes?"

"Miss Nolan is refusing to go to the hospital without her," he said pointing to Regina.

The detective nodded his understanding. He didn't look at Regina, but said, "That's all, for now, Mrs. Locksley. We have your number if we have any more questions."

"Of course," Regina replied.

She followed Freddy out of the club towards the ambulance. Emma was inside sitting on the gurney, arguing with the other EMT about something.

"Finally," Emma smiled swatting the man away.

The brunette arched an eyebrow, "What seems to be the trouble?"

"She won't let me look at her injuries. I haven't been able to run an IV and she is refusing to go to the hospital for an x-ray," the man huffed moving to hop out of the truck.

Regina crossed her arms over her chest, "Emma, he needs to see how bad it is."

The blonde glared at him, "There's only one person I want feeling me up." Emma's cheeks reddened noticeably and she attempted to correct herself. "I mean, you're the one that treated me last time."

Regina couldn't help but smile, "Well, this isn't like last time. This is an actual case now, dear." The brunette watched the other woman pout, and she laughed, "I'll come with you and supervise, what do you say?" She winked at the EMT who had been battling with Emma.

"Fine, but you're going to stay with me, right?" For a moment, the blonde looked like a scared child.

Regina climbed into the ambulance and sat down on the side bench, as Freddy climbed in behind her. The other man made his way to the driver's seat.

Freddy looked at Emma, "May I take a look?"

The blonde clenched her teeth but nodded. Emma unbuttoned the white dress shirt and revealed a large dark purple bruise on her left side. Regina couldn't help the hissing sound that passed her lips. It wasn't quite as bad as last time, but it was still bad.

Freddy gently pressed his fingers around the bruised area. He was feeling for moving bones or anything else out of the normal. When Emma winced he pulled his hand away, "There's really no way of knowing how severe it is without an x-ray."

"That's what I figured," Regina said taking Emma's hand in hers. She knew she was in pain, but she wanted the younger woman to know she was here.

"So, are you two a couple?" Freddy asked.

"Well," Emma started.

"Yes, we are," Regina interrupted. She didn't miss the surprise on the blonde's face and she smiled, "At least I think we are."

Freddy cut his eyes to Emma expectantly.

A grin crossed the soft features of the younger woman, "Yeah."

The EMT chuckled, "Well, in that case, congratulations."

Before they knew it, they were pulling up at the hospital emergency room entrance. The ambulance came to a stop and Freddy opened the doors. "Since you refused to get strapped down to the gurney, I guess you should just follow me."

Regina and Freddy helped the blonde down from the truck.

"The good thing about taking an ambulance to the ER, is you get to go straight back," Freddy said with a boyish smile.

Regina shook her head curling her mouth up at the corner, "Well there is that, I suppose."

They followed the man inside and were greeted by two nurses. They looked at the patient in question with skepticism. Before they had a chance to remark, Freddy said, "Don't ask. She's a stubborn one."

The brunette fought not to laugh when the older of the two nurses glared at Emma. She looked as though she were ready to accept a challenge and wrestle the blonde down to the floor right there.

Feeling the need to put the blonde at ease, Regina said, "She won't be any more trouble. Will you Emma?"

The blonde visibly swallowed at the challenging nurse, "Nope, I'm good."

The nurse turned to Regina, "And you are?"

Regina wasn't sure how to take the woman's tone, "I'm Doctor Regina Locksley, her girlfriend." Her voice was sharper than she intended, but it had been a really long day so far. She didn't have the patience to deal with snarky people.

"What did you say your name was," A woman's voice asked causing the brunette to look in her direction.

The woman was in her late fifties to early sixties. Her silver streaked red hair was pulled up in a bun and she wore a lab coat, her name tag read Johnson. Clearly, she was a doctor.

"Doctor Regina Locksley," Regina repeated.

The woman walked closer and stared hard at her for a long second with intense blue eyes. She was remarkably beautiful, even with her well-earned wrinkles. "Are you Doctor Henry Mills' daughter by chance?"

Regina and Emma exchanged glances before she answered, "I am."

A smile crossed the other woman's face. "I'm-," She stopped and then started again, "I'm a friend of your father's, she looked at Emma, "And you must be Emma."

The nervous vibe didn't go unnoticed and Regina tilted her head slightly, "Ellen?"

The woman's eye widened in surprise, and she nodded her head yes, "Your father's mentioned me?"

The guilt of keeping happiness from her father all these years came flooding back. This woman probably knew everything about Regina's life, yet Regina only knew her name. Her father had been too afraid to tell her he had a life and she too blind to see he needed one. She smiled sadly, "Recently, yes."

The woman seemed apprehensive, but quickly took the clipboard the older nurse held. "Miss Nolan, if you'll follow me back, we'll get you settled and into X-ray ASAP."

They did as instructed. They followed the silver-streaked redhead into a curtained-off cubicle. "If you'll wait here for a bit, I'll go and find our X-ray technician so this doesn't take much longer. I'm sure you guys are tired."

As the doctor went to leave, Regina gently touched her arm, "When you're free, maybe we could grab a coffee or something."

Ellen smiled, "I'd like that."

"What was that about," Emma asked after the other woman left.

"That's my father's girlfriend," Regina frowned without realizing it.

"Really? I had no idea he was seeing anyone." The blonde said holding her side.

"Me either," Regina chewed her bottom lip. This woman must hate her. They could've had a life together, and she'd taken it from them. "I just found out a few nights ago." She looked at her girlfriend, "We'll talk about it later, right now, we need to concentrate on you."

"So, I'm your girlfriend now?" Emma asked shyly.

Regina walked closer to the blonde, stepping between her legs, "I don't intend on seeing anyone else, do you?"

"N-no," Emma stuttered. "Only you."

The brunette leaned closer letting her lips brush against the other woman's. "Good, then I guess that makes you my girlfriend."

Emma grinned, and then let the other woman kiss her again. They both jumped when they heard someone clear their throat from behind them. Turning around, Regina found Ellen with a smirk.

"We're ready for that x-ray now."

Regina couldn't hide her blush. This was all new to her, but she found that she wasn't embarrassed. She sincerely wants this relationship to work.

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Henry paced the living room floor. His grandfather said there was nothing to worry about. If that were the case, then why was it taking them so long to get home? They should have been here by now.

Headlights reflected through the front windows. His grandfather hurried to the door pausing to look at Henry, "Wait here while I go help with Emma."

Henry wanted to go help too, but he knew he would only be in the way. He had limited information on what happened at the club tonight. All he knew was that Emma had to go to the hospital for x-rays. His grandfather and Aunt Kathryn assured him that his mom and Emma were okay.

He shifted from one leg to the other as he waited for the trio to appear in the doorway. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out.

'Hey man, I heard your dad got arrested,' Peter texted.

For a long moment, Henry could only stare at the words on the screen. He wasn't sure if he should be happy or sad or disappointed or angry. Maybe he was all of those. The phone vibrated again and it was a link to a news article. The boy clicked to open it.

The headlines read, 'Popular Night Club Owner Arrested.'

His grandfather re-appeared guiding Emma through the door. He was so confused. What had happened in that club? He wondered if they would even tell him the truth let alone everything.

The blonde looked at him and smiled, "Hey kid."

Everything inside him told him to greet her back. It told him to return the smile, but his face and voice failed him. He saw the uneasy expression that crossed the blonde's face, but she didn't say anything else.

His mother entered the house and his eyes met the dark purple bruise on her cheek and swollen lip. His mind went back to the library. Felix's injuries came into view. He clenched his jaw.

"Henry, honey," His mother asked with concern?

Without warning, Henry took off running. He ran past his grandfather and Emma. He ran up the stairs and through his bedroom door, slamming it behind him.

He couldn't breathe. He hadn't even noticed the tears streaming until wiped a hand across his face. Henry growled! His eyes moved around his room at all his things. The laptop sitting on the desk was from his father. He grabbed it, slung it across the room where it slammed against the wall.

Henry saw the microscope that he had gotten for his birthday, which Robin wasn't even present for. He yanked it up and threw it against another wall. Small fragmented pieces of plastic and glass ricocheted around the room. He was frenzied now, he grabbed his books and whatever else he could get his hand on.

Arms wrapped firmly around him holding him in place, "Henry, baby, stop." His mother's voice was soft in his ear and he crumbled to the floor. His hiccup sobs made it more difficult to breathe.

His mother held him for what seemed like hours, rocking him gently in her arms until his cried died down. He felt so tired now.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.

"I hate him," He said simply.

His mother pulled back to look at him. He knew she didn't have to ask who he was referring to. She repositioned herself more comfortably on the floor.

"I know. You're going to tell me that it's not nice to hate," he said turning to look at her.

She shook her head, "No, not this time."

He watched her for a second, "Did he hurt you badly?"

She brushed a dark lock of hair from the boy's forehead, "It looks worse than it is." She tried to sound upbeat, but Henry could hear the tremble in her voice.

"How's Emma? Is he the one who hurt her?" He let his eyes fall to the floor.

"No. It was Mister Gold's son. Not your," She tried to explain.

"He's not my father," Henry snapped.

His mother didn't argue, she just nodded her head. "Why don't you come and sleep in my bed and we can let Emma have your bed tonight. We will talk about this tomorrow after a good night's sleep."

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Emma sat at the island across from Doctor Mills and Kathryn, sipping coffee. Her mind was on Henry and his reaction. She hoped he wasn't upset with her for being with his mom. She found that everyone sitting at the island was just as confused as her.

"He's asleep," Regina announced walking into the kitchen. "I put him in my bed so Emma can have his."

Emma watched the other woman pass and waited for a reassuring look, but she didn't glance her way. Instead, she went to the coffee maker. The blonde shared glances with the others at the table.

While Regina had gone to check on Henry, Emma filled them in on what had taken place earlier that night. She left out a few things but felt she summed it all up for the most part.

"How's Henry," Doctor Mills asked?

Regina brought a full cup of coffee over and sat down on the stool next to Emma, "He's mad, hurt, confused, you name it."

Emma chewed the inside of her cheek and the brunette continued, "He hates his father."

"Well, I don't blame him," Doctor Mills said getting an agreeing nodded from Kathryn.

"What was all the banging," Emma asked?

Regina took a sip, "He was breaking all of the things Robin had given him."

Emma's eyes flashed up at the ceiling in the direction of Henry's room. She knew some of what the kid was feeling. She had a worthless father herself. She stopped in her head. Father? Neal's words came rushing back to her, 'Our father.'

"Emma?" Kathryn asked.

The younger blonde looked up, noticing everyone looking at her, "Sorry, what did you say?"

Regina tilted her head to see her girlfriend's eyes, "You okay?"

Emma gave a weak smile, but nodded, "Yeah, just lost in thought."

"Should I tell them or you?" Regina asked, seeming to have the capabilities to read her mind.

Emma swallowed. She wasn't ready to have this conversation out loud, but she also didn't want to upset the other woman, "Now?"

"That's what I figured. You told them all about what happened tonight but you left out some key information." The brunette said as she took Emma's hand without hesitation.

The younger blonde could see the curious faces of the Doctor and Kathryn. As she started to speak, her throat went dry. Suddenly she was afraid she would cry.

There was a soft squeeze of her hand and Regina began. "We don't know how true it is, but Neal Gold claimed that He and Emma share the same father."

Kathryn gasped, "Oh my God! Robert Gold might be your father?"

Emma didn't know how to respond. What do you say to information like that? It's not as if it were some DNA reveal on some daytime television show. The one where the loving father of so many years finds out the child he has cared for is not his. No. It was one deuce bag father for another.

Doctor Mills reached across the island and touched her arm, "It doesn't change anything."

"It changes everything," Emma blurted, unaware the words come from her mouth.

"How so," Kathryn asked?

Emma took a deep breath, wincing at the pain in her side, "Neal Gold has hated me my entire life. All because Robert Gold treated him like shit, same as the man I call father did me."

"Emma, the way his father treated him shouldn't have anything to do with how he treated others," Regina said.

"All I'm saying is that I can understand, but I'm angrier at my fa" She paused, "At David Nolan and Robert Gold than I am Neal."

Regina started to say something when the doorbell rang. She squeezed the blonde's hand again before going for the door.

"Are you going to talk to Gold about it," Kathryn asked?

Emma swallowed the lump in her throat, "I don't know."

"Nothing has to be done now, Swan," The old man said with a kind smile.

She nodded her understanding. He was right. What could she do anyway? She didn't even know if it was true, although she had a feeling it was.

Regina's footsteps could be heard coming back into the kitchen followed by another set. She turned seeing Zelena. The redhead walked in quietly. She seemed shy and somewhat afraid.

"I wanted to come by and check on you," She clutched the briefcase in her hand. "I do have some business I need to discuss with you, but I'll wait for August."

Emma raised an eyebrow, "August is coming here?"

The redhead nodded, "He was in Chicago and hopped the first flight he could when heard about what happened." She looked down at her watch, "He's coming straight here from the airport."

"Right. I'm sure he has to check in with Father first," Emma deadpanned.

The doorbell rang again, only this time the door opened before anyone could move, "Emma?"

August's voice called from the entryway.

"In here," Regina called back.

Her brother appeared in the doorway. At least she thought it was her brother. This man was dressed in slacks with no belt, a wrinkled white undershirt that was untucked and his hair was a mess. Her brother dressed impeccably, not the man who stood in the kitchen.

He rushed over to Emma Grabbing her in a hug, "Em."

She grunted in pain and her brother released her, "Sorry, I got here as quick as I could." His eyes moved to Regina's face and he flexed his jaw.

"I'm surprised father let you come," Emma said holding her throbbing side.

Her brother frowned, "Father is not my boss."

Emma chuckled, "Technically he is. You do work for him."

"Not anymore." He leaned to the side to kiss his Fiancé hello.

The blonde furrowed her brows in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Doctor Mills passed a steaming cup of coffee to both the redhead and one to August. He then pulled up two extra stools so they could all sit around the island.

August thanked the doctor with a nod and sat, "I mean I quit."

Emma wasn't sure she had heard him right. This was the same man who had devoted his life to gain control of Nolan Enterprise. She watched him, hoping he would elaborate.

The wish was granted as her brother continued. "He called me with the instructions to find the best defense attorney for Robin. He refused to give me details. I called Zelena. She went down to the club and was filled in by Anton on what happened. He also gave her a copy of the surveillance footage of the events. Zelena sent the copy to me and I hopped a flight. I didn't even check out of the hotel and I left all of my stuff."

"So did you actually tell Father that you quit?" Emma asked.

"Oh, about that. Well on my way to the airport, Father called again. When I told him that Robin could go fuck himself, you would have thought father died right there. I asked about you, and when his only concern was Robin, I told him to go fuck himself as well."

Emma's eyes welled up, but she laughed, "I wish I could have seen his face."

Her brother joined in, "Me too."

After a moment, there was an awkward silence. Emma looked up to see all eyes were on them. She cleared her throat, "Zelena said there was some business to discuss."

"There is." August glanced around the island, "But we don't have to talk about this now. We can do it tomorrow and in private, if you wish?"

"We can leave and give you some privacy," Regina said starting to stand.

Emma grabbed her arm and pulled her back down. She moved her hand and interlaced their finger, "No. We're all in this together."

She saw her brother look at their hands, but then he nodded with a smile, "Alright."

Zelena opened the briefcase and pulled out a folder, "This is the deed to the club."

Emma furrowed her brows and looked at her brother, "Okay, the deed is Robin's. What does that have to do with me?"

"Well, that's what we thought. But, come to find out, your brother, Will, was the full owner of this club. He bought it outright with his own money. David Nolan never had any rights what so ever. Legally, it's your club. There are no strings attached," Emma stared at the lawyer blankly.

"I didn't know Em. Robin created all those fake documents and I believed them. I honestly thought father wanted you to straighten up and start being responsible. I didn't realize he was trying to steal the club," August explained. "And I certainly didn't know that Robin was working with Neal Gold."

Emma gently slipped her hand from Regina and stood up. She walked to the other side of the kitchen and put her hands on her head as she sighed loudly. She lowered her arms running a hand over her mouth when she felt a sting of pain in her side. She closed her eyes. The x-rays showed that she didn't have any broken ribs, but she would still be sore for a while due to the bruising. She needed some space for a minute. She made her way to the front porch to breathe in the cool night air.

Tonight had been more than an overload of information. What was she supposed to do with it all? She felt as if her head would spontaneously combust. The man she had called father her whole life, was even more of a piece of shit than she initially thought.

The front door opened and closed behind her, but she didn't turn around. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream. She wasn't sure she could control either option if another person wanted to share something new with her tonight.

She heard the footsteps and Regina appeared in front of her. Without a word, she pulled Emma into her arms. Her sweet earthy perfume filled her nose as she buried her face in the older woman's neck, "I don't want to cry."

Regina chuckled, "It's okay if you do. You don't have to be embarrassed to cry in front of me."

"I'm not. I've cried in front of you on a couple of occasions already," the blonde's voice was muffled by the crook of Regina's neck. "I just don't think I can handle it right now." Instead of continuing the current topic, she pulled back to the see the older woman's face.

Emma smiled, "Your girlfriend, huh?" She just wanted to hear it again.

Regina raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, "Is there a problem?"

"No, ma'am." Emma's smile was wiped away when soft warm lips pressed against hers. As if by magic, all of her troubles disappeared for the moment. She could lose herself in the feeling of those lips.

Regina broke the kiss with a smile, "No matter what, I'm here for you."

A rebel tear rolled down Emma's cheek. She didn't realize how much she had wanted to hear those words her entire life. It sounded funny in her head, but out of every word anyone had ever said to her, these meant the most. Just knowing someone cared enough about her to say them.

The door opened and closed again, but this time, Regina ignored it. She reached up and wiped the tear away with her thumb, "I'll be inside if you need me." She leaned in and kissed the blonde, then walked back into the house.

After the door closed, her brother's voice said, "I see you two have made up."

She turned to look at him. Despite everything she and Regina had been through, she couldn't stop the smile. "Yeah, it seems so."

August wore a smile of his own, "I'm glad you didn't listen to me."

Emma sobered slightly, "Me too."

He laughed, "Who would have ever thought my little sister would fall in love?"

The blonde didn't respond to the question. Instead, she asked one of her own, "You saw the video?"

August's features dropped and he nodded, "I did."

"Did you know?" She watched his face.

He stared at her for a second, "Not at first."

Emma's first thought was to scream at him. Her mind flashed to the gorgeous woman who was here only moments ago. She didn't want to overreact or act on impulse, so she remained quiet to allow her brother to finish.

"Right after mom died, Will went digging through some old things of her that dad hadn't found yet. He ran across some letters between mom and Gold. One of the letters stated that you were Gold's," August explained.

Emma was dumbfounded. Tears fell from her eyes, "Are you telling me that you and Will have known since I was 12?"

" It's not that simple Emma," He said flatly.

Emma swallowed and clumsily wiped at her tears, "Not that simple? Why didn't you tell me?"

August stuck his hands in his pockets, "Our brother and I made a pact. We were going to tell you after you graduated."

"WHAT," She shrieked. "AFTER I GRADUATED? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SOONER!"

"We wanted to tell you right then and there, but we couldn't. If father even knew that we knew it would have caused more problems for all of us. We didn't know what he would do if he found out you knew the truth." August kept his composure.

"Okay, then why didn't he tell me after I graduated?" She lowered her tone.

"Because after the problems with Neal your senior year, we agreed you couldn't find out. Will said he would find the right time, but…," August's words died on his lips.

Emma did her best to wipe more tears, "Do you even realize how hard it was for me. I was just a kid."

August's eyes glistened and he swallowed, "No, I don't know what it was like for you Emma, and I'm sorry. But you weren't the only one who lost Mom. Will and I lost her too. I'm so sorry I was never there for you, but in many ways, I was still a kid myself and I had no clue what to do. If I could go back I would change things, but I can't. I only have now, Emma." A tear slipped down her brother's cheek, "It doesn't matter who fathered us. You are my sister and I love you. And from here on out, I will be a better brother to you, I promise."

Emma threw herself into her brother's arms. She didn't care how much her side hurt, she wanted her big brother, "I love you too."