Family is Forever

Hello readers, yes I am still alive! I know I haven't been able to update in a while and that this chapter isn't all that long so please forgive me. I have been on vacation with the family and just haven't had much time to write. I'll try and make the next chapter longer but I hope that you also love this one. On another note if you guys want to see a picture of Lilly and Ace then just check out my profile. And as always thank you all for the wonderful reviews! Your encouraging words continue to keep this story alive!

Chapter 12

It was Monday again and of course that met school. I almost thought about begging the actress to let me stay at the hotel for one more day, but I knew Lilly was anxious to see me after everything that's happen. I was already dressed in one of my new outfits and it still amazed me that I had a closet full of new clothes. I've never own more than an outfit or two in my entire life. Today I was wearing my black jeans, a stripe long sleeve best bum featuring a relaxed fit, long sleeves, a scoop neck, knit fabric, and a relaxed front pocket, and black boots. The outfit was really comfortable even if the prize was insane.

"Ready for school Emma?" asked Gin.

The actress just came out of the Master bedroom where Josh was still sleeping away, must be nice. Gin of course looked amazing in her fitting outfit that she just changed into. She was wearing expensive blue jeans, a white Tuxedo Tunic featuring a front half placket, "tuxedo"-style ruffles, and a tiered body, along with light brown boots to finish the outfit.

I sighed not really sure how school was going to play out. Because this town was small things like someone running out of town didn't stay quiet for long, and I'm sure someone already found out that I had been staying with the Once Upon a Time cast. Everyone would probably think that I was just trying to mooch off their money while playing the helpless foster kid role, as if! I could survive on my own just fine thanks; I've been doing just that since I could practically walk.

"Emma?"

I lifted my backpack from the couch and turned the flat screen off to something I wasn't even really been paying attention to. "Sorry, I'm ready"

"Are you sure you don't want to skip a day or two, I would understand?" she asked concerned.

I smiled and shook my head. "Best to get it over with now" I said.

She nodded and grabbed her purse as we headed out of the room. It was strange not having to walk to school and riding in the fancy Volvo instead, not that I'm complaining or anything. The ride was silent, but not uncomfortable. Unfortunately the school soon came into view as the actress easily pulled into the school parking lot. We said our goodbyes and I headed out the door. As soon as I stepped out of the fancy Volvo I could already feel the stares watching my every move. I was just grateful that they couldn't see Gin through the dark windows as I quickly closed the car door behind me.

Ignoring the stares and whispers I begin to make my way towards the school with my head down.

"Seeing that head down makes me think I am not looking at the same Emma Swan that I once knew"

I stopped dead in my tracks as a familiar voice brought warmth to my soul. Slowly glancing up, my green eyes widen at the beautiful sight the stood just a few feet away from me.

"Ace" My voice was shaky in awe as I stared at the deep blue eyes. He still wore those same looking thick round glasses that he had when I first met him so long ago.

He smiled that crooked little smile of his and my heart pounded from excitement. I easily dropped my back to the ground and ran into his arms not caring about the stares from the parking lot. When I was in his arms the world was ours, there was no one else around us in my mind. Being the same exact height as myself; the two of us seemed to fit into each other arms perfectly. Although many consider him to be weak because he was only 5ft, it was in his arms where I truly felt safe. It was here that I could block out the world and finally feel like I belong.

"It's been a long time Emma" I could feel him relax as he sighed in content. Eventually we pulled away and decided to take a seat on the steps of the school entrance.

"Ace it's so good to see you" I said. I still couldn't believe that he was here, sitting in front of me, this all felt like a dream. I was honestly afraid that I would wake up at any minute and he would be gone.

"And it's really good to see you Emma. I never did stop thinking about, I promised you that I would find you one day remember?" he smiled.

I couldn't help but smile back as warm tears threaten to fall. "You really did promise" I sobbed.

"I'm sorry I wasn't around for so long" he said sadly.

I shook my head as I tried to keep the damn tears away. "You found me, that's all that matters now"

"Honestly I didn't think I would really get to start looking for you until I was out of the system" he explained.

"Then…how?" I was still stunned that he was here. Even though Gin had told me she met him and gave me his number I had been afraid to call him last night. I was afraid it was some kind of cruel trick, and someone had told Gin about Ace.

He grinned. "That actress, did she tell you I was adopted?" he asked. I nodded and he continued to explain. "Well I told this family that if they really wanted me then I wanted their help first. I told them about the promise I had made to you when we were little. I told them I wasn't coming with them unless they helped me find you and that I could move wherever you lived. I told them that if they didn't help me then I would just run away from them in search for you on my own. I also told them that if I had to wait till I was 18 and finally got out of the system then I would. I explained to them that nothing was going to stop me from finding you, no matter how long it would take me. Because I never break a promise"

His voice was filled with so much warmth and passion that it made my heart pound. As I stared into his deep blue eyes old feelings started to swarm around me. When the two of us were small we were almost always together, we were the best of friends. He was the only person that never hurt me, he always knew the right words to help heal my broken soul. Unable to resist it any longer I slowly wrapped my arms around his neck as he continued to smile at me with love. His smile had always been genuine and true, I loved his smile.

"Ace, I can't believe that you're really found me" I honestly couldn't believe it. I rested my head against his while I still tried to keep the tears at bay.

"I promised I would didn't I. Even if my new parents had refused to help me I would have continued my search for you until the end of time if I had to" he vowed. He had his arms now wrapped around me.

"Will you stay?" I asked nervously.

He continued to smile. "Nothing can take me away from you now Emma. So long as you want me in your life I won't let anyone separate us again" he promised.

That was all I needed to hear. My lips met his for the first time and the sparks just zapped through me like a burning fire that could never die. When we were kids all we did was hold hands, I remember even giving Ace a quick peck on the cheek once. It was nothing but innocent puppy love back then. We never got the chance to see how strong our feelings could grow, at the age of eight we were separated by an unwanted force that we could not control. Ace and I were taken to different homes but before they could separate us Ace vowed that he would find me. He promised that when he did find me, he would then protect me and never let anyone hurt me again. Seeing him brought out all those old feelings again. As the years passed I had begun to wonder if I could ever care about another boy like I had for Ace. Of course I had little crushes here and there, even went on a few dates but nothing ever became serious. Even after all this time I could never forget that boy who promised he would always search, that boy who promised to protect me, and to always love me.

The kiss had started out slow and innocent but quickly became filled with passion. As he kissed me it felt like time stopped and everything I had ever been through had a purpose in my life. All that pain was to help lead me to this very moment. Despite all the pain and all the horrible nightmares I had go through, if it meant being with Ace right at this exact moment in time, then I would do it all over again, just for him. Soon enough we both had to pull away in order to breath. Ace and I were breathing heavily from the lack of air, but we couldn't stop smiling as we stared into each other eyes.

He then held his hand out to me and I gladly accepted it as we both finally stood up. Ace grabbed my forgotten backpack for me and we headed inside the school together. Now that Ace was back in my life I knew that no matter what came my way I wasn't alone anymore.

Once inside I headed for my locker and he headed for the office after I pointed it out to where it was. He needed to get his school schedule and promised that he would meet me at my locker before class. When I made it to my locker I gathered the books I needed and it wasn't long before another familiar face came walking over to me.

"Emma!" cheered Alice.

I smiled feeling like I was on top of the world. I hadn't been happy in such a long time, nothing could bring me down today.

"Good morning Lilly" I said calmly.

Lilly blinked surprised by my good mood, she titled her head confused. "Umm Emma you ok?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well after everything that's happen, I thought you would be in a bad mood today" she said carefully.

I shook my head. "I was when I first got here, but I'm all right now. Are you excited for tonight?" I asked.

In a flash she shrieked from excitement. "Of course I'm excited. I get to see my friend playing pool with the Once Upon A Time cast!" she bounced happily.

"Just promise you won't scare any of them away" I chuckled.

She pouted like a kid. "Emma you meanie the cast will love me!"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course, how could anyone not love Lilly?" I said sarcastically.

"Because I'm so much fun of course. And by the way nice new outfit!"

I looked down at my new clothes then back at her. "Some of the girls from the cast took me shopping, said I really needed new clothes" I shrugged.

Lilly jaw's drop nearly to the floor. "Are you kidding me?! They took you shopping and you didn't invite me!"

"You were at your dance lessons" I explained.

"I would have totally bailed the dancing for OUAT"

"And your mother would have totally killed you" I reminded her.

She sighed. "True, you got yourself a point there"

"So it's true then, the Once Upon A Time cast actually took you in?"

I froze at the unwanted voice that suddenly filled the almost empty hallways. Lilly and I turned to see Patricia and her two pathetic friends standing just a few feet away from us.

I glared at the bitch, suddenly my good mood was completely gone. "That isn't your business" I stated.

"I can't believe it. Your lame foster folks ditch you and you get to be with the Once Upon A Time cast! That's why you were them at the mall the other day wasn't it? My dad is friends with the sheriff and he told me about them folks taking off for unknown reasons. Also told me that Ginnifer Goodwin took you in!" she said pissed.

"What's the matter Pat, upset that they don't want to be with a spoiled little princess?" asked Lilly.

I was surprised to hear Lilly talk like that, but felt sort of proud also.

"Shut up freak, this has nothing to do with you" said Destiny.

"Last I checked I was talking to Pat, not you. And if someone is being rude to my friend then it clearly is my business"

My heart began to beat like drums, it felt strange to have someone other than Ace stick up for me. I still wasn't surprised that the news about my foster parents had suddenly taken off.

"You know the cast probably just feels sorry for you reject" Patricia taunted. "I bet as soon as they get bored with you, you'll be out on the streets"

"That won't be happening"

That warm voice instantly had me looking at the deep blue eyes I had always known and loved. Ace had returned and was walking over to me and Lilly.

"Who the heck is this shorty?" asked Estella.

"Damn my kid brother could beat him up" laughed Destiny.

I glared dangerously at Destiny to shut the hell up, but she just glared right back at me.

"My name is Ace and I just started here today. But as I was saying Gin is never going to send Emma away" he said with confidence. The way he spoke truly made me want to believe those words.

"Oh yeah how do you know? I think the cast is just taking care of her to make them look good" Patricia explained.

Ace looked at Patricia like she had two heads. "If they were doing it just for more fame, then don't you think it would be stupid of them to send Emma away. It would make them look bad, fans would probably hate seeing someone as kind as Gin throwing a kid out on the streets"

Patricia blinked completely taken back by his comeback. "They could lie and say she was a bad kid, send her back to foster care system" she suggested.

"Not going to happen. You see I met Ginnifer Goodwin and she made a promise to me. I believe that she is someone that doesn't break promises so therefore your theory is completely unrealistic" he explained.

"Whatever I still think that the cast doesn't really love Emma, who could love a reject" she spat.

Reject, I hated that word. No matter how many times I heard it, it still stung me every time.

"I do" said Ace.

He stunned everyone including me. I knew we both had strong feeling for each other, but love?

"I love Emma Swan, and she is no reject" he said boldly.

I blushed unable to stop the blood from rushing to my head, this was the first time Ace said that he loved me!

"If you love that reject then you're an idiot" said Destiny.

"Yeah only an idiot could love an idiot" Estella agreed.

"And only a real idiot calls someone else an idiot" said Lilly.

"Lilly shut the hell up, you only care about Emma because she can get you to meet the cast" said Patricia.

"I was friends with Emma long before the Once Upon A Time cast came into her life, and I will continue to be her friend with or without them in her life. Sure I love the show and the cast, but I would never leave a friend a behind" she vowed.

Tears threaten to blind me once again as her words helped heal my soul. All this time I had known Lilly all she could ever talk about was acting, the shows she loved, and her wild dreams. I use to think that she was a complete airhead and never understood how I felt, but now I could see that all this time she really has been a true friend. Whenever I was down she had always tried to get me laughing even if I was a complete grouch to be around with. She never let my bad attitude put her down as she tried to find something to bring me some kind of happiness. When I told her that I love music she would try and search for bands or singers that I might like just to make me smile. And now that she was telling me how she would always be there for me no matter what, made me feel truly grateful for her friendship. I glanced at Ace and he smiled proudly at me.

"You're all a bunch of idiots" Patricia huffed and begin to walk away. Her two lackeys quickly followed her like trained little puppies.

"Lilly thank you" I said honesty.

She smiled happily. "No problems Emma, I just hope you know that I'm not just hanging out with you because of the OUAT cast"

I nodded. "I know"

"Anyway now that the drama has walked away, you better tell me who your handsome friend is" Lilly pointed.

I was blushing again and now unable to look at Ace. "This is Ace" I mumbled.

Ace held out his hand to shake Lilly's. "Emma and I are friends from way back. We got separated when we were kids, and I promised her back then that I would find her one day and I'm finally fulfilling that promise" he explained.

Lilly shrieked. "Awe that is romantic! It's just like Prince charming and Snow White finding each other!" she said cheerfully.

Ace chuckled. "I guess our stories are very similar, we both had our own villains that tried to keep us separated. But in the end nothing could keep us apart forever" His eyes met mind and now I couldn't look away. It was strange to compare our story to a television series, but the crazy part was that it was somewhat true.

"Oh Emma I am so jealous right now, but I am happy that you two found each other" she smiled.

I smiled back. "Thanks Lilly"

Before either of us could say anything the first bell ringed loudly and we knew it was time for class to begin.

"I'll see you at lunch guys" said Lilly waving goodbye.

We both waved to her as she left for her math class.

"What do you have?" I asked.

"History with a Mr. Bayne" He answered while reading off his schedule.

I grinned happily as I grabbed his hand. "Perfect, looks like were sharing for first period together"

He smirked as he brought his lips down to mine, making my head spin as I silently ordered my legs not to turn jelly on me.

When he pulled away his eyes held nothing but true love. "You are the one who's perfect Emma Swan" he spoke honestly.

I could not stop smiling, knowing that Ace was here I could finally let myself be at peace for the first time in years. I know I still had a long way to go in order to forget about my past. But as long as he was by my side I could do anything, with Ace I felt strong, and I had something to fight for again. I had my home, my haven, and my love.

TBC!

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