Chapter 13

Family

She pulled Emma into her arms, she usually hated to be held or comforted, but right now, it was what she needed, oh how much she needed it, her world had just come apart and she just needed Maleficent to just hold her like a mother would her child, even if Emma wasn't. Another figure appeared on Emma's other side, rubbing her back in soothing motion as she cried.

"Oh Emma, darling, what happened?" The older woman asked.

She tried to answer, but it came out in muffled sobs.

"Come on Ems, stay with us, kay? We need you to pull it together to get out of here." The second voice tried again. "No one is better at escaping than you." It only made her only sob harder.

"Oh please. The great Dark One is going to save us? Everyone knows all it takes is a few words to tear her apart." Sneered a third voice. It surprised Emma, making her pull away from the comforting hold, wiping away her tears, throwing daggers at it.

"What are you doing here?" She tried to snap, but there was no bite in her words. The second figure just continued rubbing soothing circles.

"What does it look like? I'm trying to sleep." She groaned. "Keep your sobbing down." She ordered.

"Hush Aurora." Maleficent tried to reason "You're upsetting her." but Aurora just rolled her eyes.

"Why is it always my fault?" She groaned. "Aurora this, or Aurora that. Sorry I was never able to turn into a reptile, or rip the heart out of an entire village, always the disappointment."

Emma flinched, causing the two people at either side to pull her in closer.

"Well at least she's never betrayed her family." The person behind her snapped. "You've been jealous of me, us our whole lives! Poor sad Aurora, you can't do anything right!" She seethed. "Well you know what! You're right! You can't do anything right! You can't even betray us right! News flash sis, you're in the same prison cell as the rest of us, so shut it or so help me-" She trailed off, eyes flickering a deadly shade of green.

"Lily. Enough." Maleficent said calmly, hand over hers. "We're all tired and stressed here, but we can't start tearing each other down." She insisted, turning back to Emma.

"Emma, darling, are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine." She responded, an obvious lie, but she couldn't help it. She needed a moment to grieve for herself first, before-

She looked toward Lily; she was giving her a relieved expression, her dark hair a mangled mess, days' old makeup smeared and her once beautiful dress in tatters. She looked alright; just that her leg was bandaged up with what looked like a piece of bedding.

"You sure?" Lily asked. "You don't look alright." She insisted.

"I just…hate getting locked away, you know that. Makes me…disoriented." Emma said instead, sitting up, getting her breathing under control. "Anyway, why are you being so nice to me? We have the whole, tense sort of friendship thing going for us? Remember?" She asked, only half teasing.

Sometimes they could be friends, but most of the times they were at each other's throats, arguing about Henry. It seemed like they could never agree on anything other than the fact that they loved their boy.

Lily shrugged, watching as her mother went over to talk to Aurora who was sitting with her arms crossed on the other side. "Let's say that right about now, I want all the help I can get getting out of this place." She says. "And you're definitely not my least favorite person here." She adds. "Besides, you look…how I looked when…" She paused. "Emma, what happened?"

Emma tried to smile in agreement, but couldn't.

"Did she tell you why she brought you here?" Emma asked instead.

Lily nodded. "She wants something from mom, but mom won't tell me what." She said with a groan. "Apparently, Blue got Aurora to help her majesty in exchange for the power to take my heart." Lily rolled her eyes. "But we both know that's impossible, typical Aurora, not knowing that you can't take the heart of a child of true love."

Emma gave another weak smile.

True love.

I love you. She had told him. God I love you. I wish we had met so long ago. I wish so many things.

Emma hears an unintelligible shriek of pain as she covers her face with her hands, the memory physically hurting. She hears her friend gasp, and call her name, but she can't, she just can't. She's the one screaming because as much as she'd hate to admit it, he was it. He was it for her and now he was dead.

"He's dead!" She wails, not caring what anyone thinks.

"He's dead."

Lily is about to say something when there are sounds in the hallway. Emma vaguely hears chains rattling and Aurora's annoying voice shrieking.

"Come on Dark One. The Queen has summoned you." Her eyes refocus, and she hears Mal plead with them not to take Emma away, that she's been through too much and that she needs to recover.

"The Queen has made her orders." The guard states stubbornly, gripping the chains that hold her, pulling her away from Lily. She doesn't struggle, knowing it was a futile effort.

"Head up Emma." Lily says gently. "Don't let her see weakness."

Emma returns her smile the best she can. But in all honesty, she knows it's a futile effort, her mother could smell weakness a mile away.

Emma followed behind the guard, knowing perfectly well where they were leading her, the Queen's thrown room. It was large and dark and overly decorated. Snow liked it as it showed her authority to her guests.

"Emma, it's nice for you to join us." Snow greeted, making a chair appear at her feet when she entered. It was a dingy wooden one of course, paling in comparison to the luxurious velvet seat the Queen sat in. Emma glanced over at her father, realizing that at least it was better than his. David stood at the Queen's side, sword sheathed. "Sit, sit, we have lots to catch up on."

At her voice, Emma placed her Dark One's mask over Emma Swan's tear soaked face. Even though she knew her mother could see past it.

"So how are you Emma? Meet any cute boys? Have any made you smile?" She snickered. It made Emma's heart constrict. She was speaking like they were usual mother and daughter. She was speaking like Emma didn't hate her, like she hadn't slaughtered the last boy who 'made her smile'.

"Hello mother." Emma growled, sitting down, crossing her legs casually as the guards secured the chain to the ground, giving it a quick tug before backing away. "Father." She said sarcastically. "Kill anyone lately? Or is that treatment reserved for your only child's hopes and dreams?"

Neither of them even blinked at her accusation, whatever light mocking her mother had initially tried for dissolved, replaced with cold hate. "You ran away again, how did you manage that?" Her mother questioned.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Like Red didn't tell you." She muttered referring to the werewolf guard. "The deckhand set me free. The tower is obviously not what it used to be if an untrained civilian can get me right out."

She scowled before nodding in agreement. "You'll see that will be immediately fixed." She said with a crisp voice. "What I'm surprised about is that you let my puppy live to tell the tale, you never do that, it has me curious."

Emma met her gaze, staring at her mother's cold eyes.

"Murder is an awful first impression." She snickered. "But I take it you know that." She looked to her father, he didn't even flinch. "After you killed my grandmother in order to get my father into your bed."

Her mother on the other hand, did react, flicking her hand and cutting off her air supply. She grasped her neck in pain.

"I told you dear daughter of mine, never speak of that!" She snapped as Emma struggled for breath gasping and writhing in pain, but Emma was glad for that reaction, glad that even after all these years, a daughter still knew how to get under her mother's skin.

Snow held her position for a moment longer before dropping it in a frustrated huff.

Emma just smirked, rubbing her neck, taking a few long breathes as she looked at her mother. "Why not? Tired of me getting everything you want?" She spat. "Tired of me not becoming you?"

She got no reply.

"I know what it's like now mother." She said boldly. "Laying with someone I love and who loves me. Having them hold me and love me, and promise to be mine forever." She laughed. "I got what you never got." She said triumphantly, voice was mixed with madness. But grief was madness after all.

"It was better than I ever imagined. Chew on that next time you take my father with your hand on his hear-." She taunted. Her father moved swiftly, kicking her chair, making it knock back and her head hit the marble floor.

She resisted making a noise, but felt the harsh blow all the same. Her ears were ringing.

"Thank you Huntsman. You're right, Emma dear needs to relearn her manners. She's been without contact with civilized people for years, no wonder she's so confused" Snow stated, approaching her, she bent down, her eyes narrowed as she paused. "She's the Dark One. No one could ever love her." She said gritting her teeth.

"What's wrong mother? Not going to remind me of all my faults? How I can't dance or swim? How I never could shoot a bow like you?" Emma spat back. "Killian cared for me anyway, and I loved him. I loved him and you killed him."

Snow didn't take her eyes off of her, standing up and looking down at her like one would a bug. Emma felt the tiniest of flicker in her mother's usually cold distant eyes, it was unfamiliar.

"Get her up." She snapped. Her father didn't move at first, he shifted his gaze to Snow, as if trying to understand, but that was unfamiliar too. He never hesitated, not in all these years.

"Now Charming!" She snapped, driving him into action. Her father moved, grabbing the chair and righting it. Her mother moved swiftly behind her. Emma could feel her gloved hands in her hair. Emma squirmed, trying to keep out of her reach.

"Don't touch me." She growled. "I hate you, don't you dare touch me!" But her mother paid her no heed. She pulled through her hair, muttering softly to herself, before Snow let out an audible gasp. She went back around, placing her hands on Emma's face.

Emma just glared. "What? Don't like the soap I'm using for my hair?" She spat.

Snow shook her head; Emma could see deep sadness in her eyes. "Baby…" the woman whispered.

It made Emma flinch; she had never heard a term of endearment pass her mother's lips without there being something in it for her. "All I want is for us to be a family again. Why can't you understand that?" She said softly. Snow White was never gentle or caring, so seeing it now…

Emma felt her breathing hitch.

A trick. It's a trick. She doesn't care for me. She hates me. She hurts me, she kills me. She killed Killian. She said to herself like a protection spell.

"You don't get to call me that." She said softly returning her eyes towards her mother's, Emma's confusion turning to rage. "You don't get to ask me that. I waited my whole life for you to want to be a family, for you to want us to be happy together, but it's too late." She declared, furious tears starting to build. "You killed Killian, I loved him, he was going to be my family, and you killed him." She responded. "You keep me trapped, like one day we can be a family again, but family doesn't trap and control each other, family doesn't hurt each other, I know that, I've seen real family, and the truth is that we were never a family, we will never be a family."

Whatever caring look Emma thought she saw faded with her words, melting to cold anger.

"Guards, I'm done with her. Take her back to her room." Snow snapped, turning her back to her. Emma just rolled her eyes.

"See you later mother dearest." Emma said sarcastically awhiping away her angry tears the guards came in and took her from the room. Emma wished she had her super hearing skills, amplified by her dark magic, because right now, Emma would swear she heard low sobs, and low comforting whispers.

It almost sounded like her mother was crying and her father was comforting her.

But that wasn't possible, her father was heartless, and her mother's heart was too black to love anyone or anything.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Everything just stops when she sees him. Her heart drops, and her first feeling is denial.

A trick, an illusion, he had to be an illusion because Killian Jones was dead, this man here, holding out his sword tentatively could not be him, the man she loved.

But the instant he sees her, his sword drops, a silly grin appears on his face.

"Swan." He says, "Way to deprive me of a dashing rescue." He says cheekily.

And she know. Its him, it had to be him. Her feet are moving before she can even blink, leaping into his arms, hands around his shoulders. He has no trouble lifting her, he's holding her tightly, both of them shaking because after weeks of separation. "You're alive." She says in a half sob, half whisper.

They found each other.

She's suddenly kissing him, a breathless kiss because she never thought she'd see him again, and she feels him holding onto her, her back pressed against the wall as he reciprocates with the same desperation and need.

They eventually part, his head against hers, she's looking at his blue eyes, wanting to remember every shade she saw, ever look he ever gave her.

"Emma, my love, my darling." He breathes. "I'm never leaving you again."

She tightens her hold on him, gripping his collar so tight she leaves a permanent imprint of her crescent finger nails in the leather.

"You're alive." She repeats, less of a question but still uncertain.

"I guess that means I'm a survivor love." He winks. He's trying to play it cool but she can see the same tired desperation in him. "Or I would have been."

Emma's heart stops.

Killian melts to another face, snow white skin and blood red lips. Emma rips away from him, it.

"I told you Swan, I'll always find you."

It's not his voice, not his words, not his face.

She screams.

XXXXXXX

Mal is holding her when she wakes up, cradling her like a small child as she shakes. Lily is besides her, hand on her back.

"Hey, come on wake up." Mal says softly. She doesn't smile, but she cuddles a bit deeper in the embrace, needing it to stop seeing them dying. "You slept Emma." She says in surprise. "You never sleep, and you're head is bleeding, you don't bleed."

Bleeding? It must have happened when her head smashed against the marble, but Mal is right, she usually doesn't bleed so easily.

Emma nods, looking at Mal, the usually regal looking ex-fairy. She was Maleficent, the Purple Fairy, kicked out of the fairy council when she unlocked a power from her wings unheard of before. It was said that it was a magical transformation that occurred thousands of years ago when a Fairy met their true love. Apparently it had happened to her. This ancient magic however, frightened most of the fairies, most particularly, the current Fairy Queen, Blue, and so, she and her daughter Aurora were exiled.

9 months later, Lily was born.

"It's happened before hasn't it?" Mal guessed. She nodded.

"With K-Killian." She admitted. "He was exhausted after a rough night and asked me to stay with him. I did." She explained. "It was amazing, I was wrapped up in his arms and I just felt so peaceful that I dozed to sleep for a bit." She admitted. "And then a few days before I was caught. Killian and I we-"

She cut off.

"Oh please don't explain. The last thing I need is talk of the Dark One's sex life." Aurora groaned.

Lily shot her a glare.

"Tell us about him." Maleficent prodded.

"He's a sailor, best one I've ever seen, he can sail his pirate ships all by himself, he knows the ship so well. But he was a coward, terrified of his own shadow." She begins. "He pretended he didn't know how to use a sword, and he blushes when I said anything the least bit insinuating." It had been so funny.

"That doesn't seem the least bit your type." Lily asks, pulling her out of Mal's grip, she's sitting there next to Lily, watching her.

"He wasn't, not at first, I don't know, I saw something in him. He's been hurt by the people that were supposed to love and protect him. I got him to be braver, stick up for himself more, to fight for what he wanted, and he…he showed me another way to be, he made me lighter." She admitted.

"I loved him. He's my true love, I've never been surer of that before in my entire life." She exclaimed.

"I think your right Emma." Mal said, eyes wide with disbelief. "Look down at your hands."

She did, seeing her palms glow white for a moment before they flickered out.

"What the- What was that?" She exclaimed. The chains were supposed to block her magic, why wasn't it blocked? Her hands were usually glittering with black magic, not that weird light.

"Mom, was that-" Lily asked.

She nodded. "Light magic." She told them.

"But I'm the Dark One! I only have dark magic." She insisted.

"Emma." Lily started. "Are you sure…that's all you are? That there's nothing else…special about you?"

Before Killian she would have insisted no, that she was the Dark One. That's it. But now…

Emma wasn't so sure.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"How do you like your meal?"

Emma pushed the plate away. "I don't eat." She snapped. It had been days since she had exhibited her light magic, days of her feeble efforts to get it to work. It was the only way they'd get out of here, however, she'd had no luck.

"You don't bleed either." Her mother said casually. Emma rolled her eyes.

"Well my magic is neutralized, so no wonder I'm feeling a little under the weather." She said sarcastically.

Her mother picked up her fork with a bit of steak on it, placing it in her mouth slowly, chewing before continuing.

"Don't lie to me Emma, I'm still your mother." She reminded her.

"Just because you gave birth to me doesn't mean I owe you a damn thing." She snapped. "Why do you care anyway? You're just going to lock me away, out of sight out of mind isn't that right?"

Her mother didn't respond; waving her hand and something appeared next to Emma.

"You threw it; I thought you'd like it back." Snow said softly.

Her Hook pendent, she had been so grief stricken she didn't want to feel its weight around her, the grief had lessened a tad, and seeing it brought it back up in waves, but suddenly it felt manageable with the cold metal in her hand. She didn't say a word, placing it around her neck, cupping the charm in her hand.

"Thank you." She said simply, avoiding her eyes for a moment. "Why?" She asked her mother.

Snow looked at her evenly. "Because you're my daughter." Was her only reply.

"Am I?" She countered. She had light magic, and to have light magic, Emma had to be one of two things, the daughter of someone with light magic, which obviously her mother was not, or…the child of True Love.

Snow narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?" She snapped.

Emma wanted to ask her, shout her suspicions for all to hear, but she kept herself in check, she couldn't show her hand…yet.

But Emma did have another question.

"Do you still have it? My bracelet?" She let her voice quake in vulnerability. If her mother wanted to pretend she loved her, then two can play at her game. Her mother's cold eyes flickered.

"Of course." She replied, waving her hand, the bracelet appeared before her, she didn't need to count to know how many charms hung on the silver charm bracelet. 27. The 28th was the silver bracelet itself. "Do you want it back? You threw it when you left, every time you leave actually."

Emma didn't put it on, just fingering the individual charms, the identical sword, the same shield, even the compass. There were many others but those stood out to her.

"Why did you give one to Neal, the Sorcerer's son?" She asked. "You said that you would only do this for your children, just as your father did for you?"

Emma remembered playing with the charms of her mother's bracelet as a child, before she realized how her mother felt about her. "Why that boy?"

Her mother tensed up, eyes flickering with a fear that Emma never saw before.

"Guards! Take her away!" She said in something near panic. Her mother never panicked.

"Snow!" She yelled. "Mom!" She called, wanting, needing an answer, but none came. She was dragged back to her cell, staring at the retreating form of her mother, and in that instant she knew the answer, knew it with terrifying certainty.

When she returned, she knew exactly why she had been removed from the cell, and it wasn't to have lunch with her mother 'like old times'.

"Mal! Lily!" She exclaimed, rushing to their aid. Lily was on the ground, groaning from a wound on her head and Mal was covered in blood pressing onto Aurora's chest. Emma went to Lily, helping her up to a sitting position, she was trying to blink away her disorientation, but Emma could also see tears evident on her face.

"Is it true?" She muttered dazed. "Is Henry dead?" She asked in frustration, a refusal to believe.

Emma's voice caught.

"No. Emma. I told them they were lying that my boy, my little thief, wouldn't let himself get caught by them. They were lying weren't they Emma?" She asked.

She didn't know what to say.

"Emma?!" She said angrily.

She closed her eyes, letting the tears fall.

"No. No. You were supposed to protect him, I've protected him for 14 years, you were supposed to protect him for a few weeks, how could you let- you let him die!" She yelled, pushing her away. "Tell me it isn't true damn it!" Lily demanded.

Emma took a ragged breath. "She already had me caught, there was nothing I could do!" She yelled back, sinking to her knees. "There was nothing I could do." She repeated softly.

Lily let out an agonizing scream sobbing into her hands, breathless screams of grief, going to Mal, her mother. Emma wanted to go to them, to cry with her about their son, but she couldn't, she didn't deserve to.

Emma just sat there for a while listening to Lily's grief, watching Mal holding onto her other daughter, holding her chest as blood pooled, other arm around Lily, a true parent daughter relationship. Emma sunk back in her spot.

She had no one.

Sorry upload is a little late, but life is difficult at the moment. I must have rewritten this chapter 3 times (months ago but still) let me know what you thought, there were alot of small details that I plan to explain/expand on later.

You know what I wish? That Lily was actually in season 5. When I was planning this out, all the way back in the beginnings of the Dark Swan arc of Once, I THOUGHT Lily was going to be in later episodes or even 5b so I'd have a little bit more exposure to her character before I officially posted this. Oh well, but if you see me being vague with elements of Lily's back story, or if she seems more inconsistent than some of the other characters, that's why. I want to keep certain elements of characters intact, because despite the changes, I always try to keep elements of their original character. Its been making planning things with her really hard. I don't want to send her in one direction and then learn something that would have made me go in another direction had I known earlier.

Ok, I'm going to stop my ranting now.

I'm just going to answer guest reviews now.

andria: Yup, Killian and Henry are Ok for now, you will find out Henry's fate next chapter, as well as another question I recall you asking once or twice before.

Anna: I'm glad you liked the chapters, I love it when you realize a story has had more than one update since you've seen it, there will be a bit more of a wait before they are reunited, but separation just makes the heart grow fonder don't you think? I think your idea of Emma's revenge is very interesting. I can only say that things aren't as clear cut as I originally made it appear.

Ok, I lied I' about to start ranting over Ruby Slippers. Warning.

Spoiler Alert.

I thought Ruby Slippers was a good episode, its just that Ruby and Dorthy had ONE meeting and they get TLK.

Captain Swan, nope. I bet they're going to keep them from getting any firm confirmation of True Love, maybe even find a way to bring Killian back to life without a heart split because I feel they are supposed to represent a 'real couple' no real people get rainbows or pixie dust to give them confirmation about love, so I feel the writers are going to stick to that. (And leave us all in eternal suspense)

Don't forget to review!

~Luna