Hands of Time

Snow opened her eyes and realized that she was holding on to Charming for dear life. Looking around she saw Regina holding Henry closely and Hook and Gold clutching their hearts…however she was looking for her daughter who was nowhere in sight, "What was that?" Henry whispered out in a tiny voice.

"Creatures that must have escaped the Shadows," Hook responded with a shutter, "these particular ones make you relive your worst memories. That is why I told you all to think of your happier moments."

"So where are we?" David asked looking around in the semidarkness, "And where is Emma?"

Before Hook could respond the darkness lifted and they saw that they were in a yard. There was a man and woman sitting on the porch looking like they were in a heated argument, "I suggest we ask them." Regina said pointing at them.

"I do not know," Gold said slowly as the group started to move toward them, "something does not-"

"Excuse me!" David called out completely ignoring Gold's warning as he led the group over to them.

The people did not look up as they continued to approach, "Excuse us!" Snow tried.

"I do not think-" Hook tried to say, but Henry ran over, "Hey we-" he tried to tap the people on the shoulder but his hand went right through them, "Whoa!" He exclaimed and this time went to Snow's arms.

Before anyone could comment on what they just witnessed, they heard a small girl's voice, "Mommy! Daddy!" Their heads turned to see a blonde girl with long curls running toward the people who were just arguing holding flowers and a piece of paper, "Emma!" They greeted surprised and slightly guilty.

"EMMA?!" The on lookers exclaimed stunned.

"They couldn't mean our-?" Snow started to ask, but left the question hanging.

Gold watched the scene and limped forward as the man caught the little girl in his arms and swung her around, "It would appear to be your Emma," he said slowly, "as it would seem that we are in Miss. Swan's memory."

"How?" Regina asked as she felt uneasiness at being in the memory of her 'rival'/ 'step-granddaughter'.

Gold remained silent as they watched, "Look I pickeded these for you Mommy!" The girl exclaimed happily. The woman was speechless as she took the flowers from her. Then the girl turned to the man, "And lookie daddy! I draws this for you!"

The man took the paper and nodded, "This is very nice."

The girl smiled looking very proud of herself. As Henry watched the scene he recalled something that Emma once told him on her first stay in Storybrooke, I had a family until I was three, but they had their own kid and sent me back. His heart sank and it suddenly struck him as he started to see the pieces together, "Oh no." He stated not realizing it was out loud.

"What?" Snow asked snapping her attention from the small family. When she saw Henry not looking at her she knelt down to his level, "Henry what is it?"

Henry bit the inside of his cheek as he responded, "Well it is just that Emma once told me that…" He took a deep breath and fixed his gaze on the smiling girl who was animatedly explaining the picture, "She had a family until she was three, but they sent her back."

Snow got up and David held her as he then too began to realize what this meant, "So if those creatures make you relive your worst memories then that means…"

No one needed anymore explanation than that as they heard the woman sigh, "Emma sweetie we have something to tell you;" the child looked at her with curious eyes, "You see…mommy and daddy are going to have a baby…"

Emma was silent and her eyes narrowed in confusion. After a few moments she light up, "So I am going to be a big sister?!" Came her excited cry, "I am going to be a sister!" The little girl started to run around with excitement.

Snow could feel her heartbreaking knowing that her little girl is going to be crushed. She could feel David pulling her close, not only to offer her support, but for himself as well. Henry could feel his eyes tearing up and he looked at Regina, who nodded and he went over to her and allowed her to comfort him. Regina on the other hand tried to remain indifferent to this scene, but for some reason she found it hard. Gold kept his face impassive as he recalled Emma's words to him: You created the curse. You made me the saviour. So everything I've ever done…It's exactly what you wanted me to do. He sighed as he watched the 'parents' calm the little girl down and sat her back down. He did make her the saviour…however looking at her face going from excitement to confusion he felt his heart clench as he realized he was going to actually see what the cost was to make her the saviour.

Hook saw the little girl, Swan, getting up off the chair and backing away from the people as they too began to stand up, "No," he heard the girl whisper, "no. Why are you lying to me?"

He looked down with the feeling of intrusion. He did not need to see the hazel eyes to know that this is where it all began. His voice came to him as he remembered the beanstalk: I spent many years in Neverland-home of the Lost Boys. They all share the same look in their eyes…the look you get when you've been left alone. He flinched internally as he realized that he was calling her out instead of making conversation. But then he recalled her off putting comment: Yeah well my world ain't Neverland. He looked up just as the girl ran inside the house and the people resumed to argue…ever since he met Emma Swan, he often wondered about her world…how she grew up…how such a beautiful fiery lass, like herself, came about. Now watching as the scene starting to diminish, he was starting to think that perhaps ignorance may be bliss.

They were once again back in semidarkness and Snow was the first to speak, "So we are going to be reliving all of Emma's worse memories?"

Gold sighed, "I am afraid so."

"But why? How did we get here?" David asked.

"It would seem that Miss. Swan's magic got a bit out of hand when we were attacked by those creatures," Gold stated, "When she wanted the overwhelming sensation to stop, for some reason she must have thought we could do something about it…"

"So she fixated on us?" Regina wanted to know as she unknowingly released Henry so he could go stand by Snow and David, "How did she think that we could help?"

Gold shrugged and let out a frustrated sigh, "I do not know. You are an intelligent woman; your guess is as good as mine."

Regina was about to let out a retort when Hook stepped in between them, "Instead of wondering why we are here and how we are suppose to help; we should be asking how are we going to get out of here."

Snow sighed, "He is right. How are we going to get out of here?"

Henry was silent as the adults talked and it was then he was beginning to notice the darkness starting to lift once more, "Guys?" He called out. They became silent as he pointed to a light source as it became brighter.

Shielding their eyes, they allowed the light to reseed and when it started to dim, they saw that they were once again outside in front of a big bricked building, "Angel's Paradise." Hook read out as he noticed the sign on the building, "Where the bloody hell are we now?" He wondered.

Henry looked around and noticed a girl sitting on the stoop and immediately recognized her as his mother. Her hair was longer and it was tied back in a messy ponytail. She looked slightly older and he was shocked to see that her hands were scraped up. He also took notice that her eyes were red and the ground had tear markings…a clear sign that she had been crying, "I think we are at the orphanage." Henry responded to Hook's question.

Before anyone could comment the door to the orphanage opened and a couple came out; not even glancing in the girl's direction. Emma shook her head and the onlookers heard her say, "Good riddance."

"Emma?" Their heads turned to see an older woman come out of the building. Emma groaned and stood up.

"Yes Ms. Wilder?" She called going over to the woman.

"Fighting is not something an eleven year old girl should be doing," the woman said kneeling in front of her and placing her hands on the girl's shoulders, "this is the fourth family that has sent you-"

"Those people do not deserve to be called family." Emma spat out through her teeth, "Family does not turn their backs on one another when the going gets tough and they support each other. Where was my support?!"

Regina could see the spark in the girl's eyes and she suddenly realizes that this girl is Henry's age. This could have been Henry if Gold had not gotten him for her. Granted it was only to get Emma to come and break the curse, however that new thought would not leave her alone…Henry could have been in this position, "Do not raise your voice to me Miss. Swan," The older woman said her voice low and authoritative as she stood up, "the school said you started the fight-"

"That is a load of crud!" Emma yelled, "Those boys were picking on me! They would not stop calling me names and taunting me! They were calling me 'Roadside Trash', 'Roadkill', and a whole bunch of other names because one of the kids in that home found out how I was abandoned and told everyone else!" Emma had closed her eyes and balled her fists up as she continued, "I tried to ignore them. I swear I did, but finally I couldn't take it anymore so I warned them to stop. Then one of the boys decided to be tough and asked what I would do about it and pushed me. So I hit him back!"

Snow was crying softly and David kept muttering about child cruelty at its worse. This is not how it should have been. This is not how Emma should have been raised and how her schooling should have been, "But Emma you gave the one boy a black eye and the other a broken nose."

"They deserved worse." Emma, David, and Hook muttered out at the same time. David and Hook shared a look. Hook shrugged in David's direction and David nodded his approval. While he did not fully like the pirate, he found a bit of respect for him.

Henry shook his head at the scene and found it unfair that the family had sent his mother back for defending herself. He watched as the older woman said, "Emma I am still going to have to punish you for fighting. This is the fourth time you were sent back for this. You cannot keep doing this. Those were nice-"

"Do not lie to me!" Emma yelled again as she stamped her foot, "I am sick of your lies! If they were 'good'" Emma made the air quotes with her fingers as she continued, "people, they would not have returned me like some cheap Christmas gift that you get at K-mart! Or like some hand-me down, rag tag, ugly, sweater from the nineteen seventies!" Emma was heading back inside and she reached the door before turning back to the woman, "Just proves my point: You can't trust anyone, but yourself in this world. There are no happy endings, they just don't exist!" With that she slammed the door leaving the older woman alone on the stoop.

The scene darkened again leaving the group stunned at what they just witnessed, "She was only eleven…" David muttered out, "She was only eleven…" He again repeated and looked at Henry this time. His mind was reeling at the thought that his grandson…his innocent, happy-go lucky, grandson was the same age as his daughter when she developed her cold and cynical attitude. Somehow he knew that this experience was going to get worst; just how much worse would be the question. Turning to his wife he asked, "Did you know about any of this?"

Snow whipped at tear that had fallen and looked at her husband, "No I did not. Emma never talked about her past to me much."

"How long is this supposed to last?" Henry asked not really wanting to see anymore of his mother's past, "Is there no way out of this?"

Everyone looked at Gold who shook his head, "I am sorry, but this is Miss. Swan's doing. Unfortunately even if your adoptive mother and I had our full strength back, we would not be able to get out of this it seems. So which means we have to wait for her to wake up…"

"Wake up?" David asked.

"Aye," Hook responded, "I have only experienced this on one other occasion;" he winced as he recalled his own entrapment in his memories, "It is not pleasant. She is as well experiencing not only the memories like we are, but the feelings as well."

"So is this like a curse?" Regina asked trying to keep her emotions in check for Henry's sake…and her own…

Hook shook his head, "It is worse than a curse. She will wake up once she has the strength to do so and we will be free, however the feelings are so raw that she will almost be like an empty shell as she recalls the torment."

"Why weren't we affected by this?" David asked, "We have some bad memories too."

"Aye yes we all do…however you unlike us," Hook motioned to Regina and Gold, "Have not harbored these feelings. You were somehow able to overcome them and move on."

Regina's mind flashed to Daniel's death and then looked at Snow, "So what you are saying is that unless we have really clung on to our memory we should have fallen victim like-"

Hook nodded before Regina fully finished her statement, knowing where she was going with it, "Meaning that you have some strong happy memories blocking out the bad," he motioned to Henry, "Or that you slowly started to move on…"

Gold noticed the way Regina eyed Henry then at Snow. He also noticed the small exchange that was made and knew that it was a combination of both that saved Regina. However he also knew that Emma's burst of magic also saved them as well…it had taken them inside her memory which in turned saved them from the same fate that she was experiencing at the current moment. For him it was the fact that he was relying on the happier moments he had with Bae as well as Henry, who he recalled would come into his store and ask him about some of the items in it and how he managed to acquire them, before Mary-Margret gave him the book.

Snow sighed and thought that there was a flaw in Hook's logic. She felt the darkness closing in on her and knew that David was feeling the same way…they shared a worse memory. It was a memory that haunted them from time to time when they would watch Emma with Henry and that was on the day of Emma's birth. Of course that day was a blessing however it was a day that was also a curse. Snow would remember how she handed Emma over to David and then she would recall her cries of agony as she heard the clanging of the swords, then finally crying over David's body as he lay on the floor of Emma's nursery.

David was thinking along the same lines as Snow. He knew that if he were trapped in a bad memory, it would be the night of Emma's birth. He internally shuttered at the thought of having to witness that moment over and over, going through every feeling, emotion, and pain…physicall as well as mental pain.

Henry couldn't even begin to imagine what other memory his mother would be experiencing. He knew that her time in the system was not pleasant, but to what extent? She never talked about it. Seeing that everyone was in deep thought, he was about to break the ice when once again the darkness lifted and this time the scene came into focus quicker than expected as they all gasped when they saw a tall blonde haired girl get back handed in the face by a bearded man with a cigar in his mouth, "You little ungrateful whore!" he yelled and he went for a second strike to her face.

"Not my daughter you bastard!" Snow yelled as she aimed to Sparta kick the man, but her leg went right through him. Snow went to do another attack, but David stopped her and held her as she struggled. He tried to comfort her with some soothing words, while inside he was screaming in rage.

Henry's jaw was open as he not only was in shock about his mother getting struck in the face, but the dark looks that Regina, Gold, and Hook were sending the man. Regina swallowed and placed a hand on Snow's shoulder who looked at her, "When this is over we will find this piece of filth and take of him personally." Seeing that Snow still looked confused she added, "No man should ever lay hand on a woman like this." Regina motioned to Emma whose mouth had a bit of blood coming out. Snow looked at Hook and Gold and they both nodded looking murderous: they both knew that there were firm lines that should not have been crossed…besides for Gold he knew that this was his chance to do right by his son. Snow and David shared a look and they returned the nod.

Emma's eyes gleamed with defiance for the man in front of her who now had a finger near her face, "You are stupid, worthless, no good, goddamn, freeloading son of a bitch. Retarded, big mouth, know-it-all, asshole, jerk." He said.

Just then a woman came in with a dishtowel in her hand and immediately jumped in with, "You forgot ugly, lazy and disrespectful-"

She was about to continue when the man tore his hateful gaze way from Emma and yelled, "Shut up bitch! Go fix me a turkey pot pie!" Then he went back to Emma and lowered his voice and got very close to her face, "She is right though…you are lazy and disrespectful. We took you into our home. We have fed you and gave you clothes for your back and this is how you repay us?!" He grabbed her hair and tossed her on the couch, "You get into a fight at school and I get called out of work because I have to come and get you?! What the hell is the matter with you Swan?!"

When Emma refused to answer he leaned in closer and yelled, "ANSWER ME!"

"Get out of my face." Emma's voice was hard and full of malice defiance. Regina, Hook, and Gold saw the look in Emma's eyes fully knowing that stare perfectly…it was a stare much like her parents got when they were ready for a fight.

"Swan so help me God you better drop that attitude or-"

"Or what?" Emma challenged, "You'll throw me threw a wall again? Give me a cigar burn, just like when I accidently spilled paint on the garage floor? Or better yet send me back to the orphanage? Go ahead…I do not give-"

The man put the cigar in his mouth and ripped Emma up off the couch and tossed her on her feet. Emma stumbled as the man pinned her against the wall, "You have some nerve you ungrateful bitch."

He turned her back on her, "No you have some nerve Sanders." Emma said her voice laced with venom.

"Oh no," Snow muttered, "Emma don't…" She knew what kind of trouble Emma's temper could cause her as the Enchanted Forest showed when she fired the gun.

Regina pulled Henry close to her as she knew Henry needed some type of support, that and she was close to losing her own temper as well just watching this. She meant what she told Snow about this man. Rival or not…granddaughter or not…no man should ever lay a hand on a woman. Shooting a look over at Gold, she was surprised to see the darkness in his eyes; it was almost like he was the Dark One once more. She also caught Hook's eye as well; she knew that on some level the pirate fancied the saviour and she also knew that those feelings were returned on some level. For once she saw the deadly pirate that she once recruited to destroy her mother. They caught her eye and nodded, as soon as they got back home, they were finding this lowlife and he would pay dearly for this treatment.

David was half cheering for his daughter and half fuming. He knew that Regina's words rang true and he wanted in on the action as well. However his revenge would have to wait as he was still holding Snow in his arms as Emma continued talking, "You take in kids just like us and use us as a meal ticket! We are nothing but a tool so that the government would give you free cash just for taking us in! You are a fraud! An ungrateful mother-"

Once again his back hand met Emma's face. Henry winced at the contact and hid his face from the scene not wanting to see anymore. He prayed that this memory was over, "And you think that you can do better? You are sixteen! You have no concept of anything! You should be grateful that we even wanted your sorry roadside ass!" He leaned in close, "At the rate you are headed Swan: you were born alone, you will remain alone…" They saw Emma's eyes widen, "and you will die alone."

Right at that moment Emma reached for a bat that was leaning against the wall and swung in away so that it hit the man in the stomach. He doubled over and let out a string of curse words as Emma grabbed her bag that was laying on the couch and jumped over it as soon as the woman entered the kitchen. Emma through her shoes on and bailed out the door before the man or the woman could catch her. The last thing they heard was the man at the door, "Go! Runaway! You will never make it! You are nothing! You are worthless!" The scene dimmed out as Emma was turning down an alley way and into the shadows.