Chapter 3

The ground is hard beneath my feet. My heart is trembling as Snow and I race through the Enchanted Forest, dodging low branches and bushes. It happened in an instant! Had it not been for Snow, my arm would be gone.

The beast had extraordinary camouflage…like nothing I had ever seen before. It was part of the forest.

"Snow, stop! Stop!" We've run as far as we can. A giant precipice is looming in front of us. "I thought there was a bridge here!" She yells as we come to the edge.

I look back for the first time since we started running. "Hold on. Look, nothing is there." We are both out of breath and stand hunched over in an attempt to regain composure. "Unbelievable." Snow shakes her head and looks back into the Enchanted Forest.

The trees are swaying precariously, almost as if they're moving, but there isn't any wind. "Are they…alive?" I ask incredulously, cocking my eyebrows. "Yes, they are and in more than one way too." She chuckles to herself.

"Why in the world is this funny?" I am offended…we could have died! "Emma, these trees are a little temperamental. Your father and I enchanted them before the curse took us to Storybrooke. We thought that they might keep the Evil Queen from gaining access to the castle." She smiles at me, "I forgot they were here."

I want to be mad but the situation is so ridiculous that I have to laugh. Snow finds delight in my laughter and giggles along with me. After our laughter subsides, I look out over the calming, beautiful sea. I cannot believe I lived in a castle! All those years of living with strangers, sleeping in a bed with 3 other kids, starving to death all of the time…and I could have had this? With parents that loved me?

God, I want to kill Regina! What a bitch! She took everything I had ever longed for as a child. I had everything and Regina took it. She destroyed it all. "What's wrong, Emma? Have I upset you?" Her voice startles me.

I clear my throat, "Oh, I'm fine. Just thinking about how different my life would have been…" I can't look at Snow, so I keep staring at the castle ruins. She hugs me tight, "I would change everything if I could. If only I could, Emma, I would."

I'm seething with hate. Regina hurt everyone! She hurt my mom, my dad, Henry…everyone. I can deal with the pain that Regina has caused me, but she hurt my family. That's where I draw the line. I'm pissed!

"Come on, Emma. We've got to keep going. The bridge that was here was probably destroyed when the curse enveloped everything. It looks like the Troll Bridge is our only means of crossing the sea and getting to the castle ruins." Her tone shifts into an uneasy, ominous realization.

***********Snow's Point of View************

I want to hold her hand and promise her everything is going to be alright. I want her to know that I'm here for her. Emma looks so much like Charming. Charming… I hope he and henry are managing without us.

"Troll bridge? Like as in 'Hi, I'm a troll and I'm going to eat you and steal your money'?" Emma harnesses the same intensity as my charming James. "Exactly like that. Scary huh?" I try for a light tone but I can see it's lost on Emma. She is definitely overwhelmed.

"Can we just sit and talk over a coffee like a normal mother-daughter duo would? Are all these mythical creatures really necessary?" She's attempting not to let a smile poke through but her eyes are alight with the air of a joke.

"Why don't we set up camp here? The trolls will have to wait for the morning. Besides, sun is going down over the trees anyway and it wouldn't be safe to go trekking after dark." I smile at her and turn to start picking up dead brush for a fire.

"Thanks, Snow." Emma's voice is soft and tired. She must be exhausted after today's events. I want to wrap her up and sing her to sleep, to watch her eyelids flutter with her dreams, but she isn't a child anymore. I missed all those precious years.

Emma helps me gather dead shrubbery and I tell her which berries are safe to eat and which ones aren't. "Why don't we hunt for something for dinner? Berries are nice and all but I haven't eaten all day. And If I don't get some real food I may actually die."

I hate killing. The thought just makes me sick. However, I know she's right. We can't survive on berries and roots for long. "You stay here and collect as much of this dead brush as you can. Maybe try to configure something for shelter or gather some sticks and leafy branches that we can use to build with."

I walk over and pick up my bow and arrows, determined to give Emma some space. "Wait, you're going in there alone?" she asks incredulously. I pause for a moment. "Emma, I'm trying to give you space. I'm here and you push me away, I leave and you hold on. What do I do?" I'm so tired.

She is stunned. "I didn't mean to. I just…this is hard to deal with okay? You weren't here for 28 years, I'm a grown woman. I needed you as a child but I need you as an adult too and I don't know how to ask for help. I don't know how to be your daughter."

My mouth is hanging wide open. I feel the tears stinging my cheeks but I don't try to stop them. "If I had the choice, I would have kept you. I would have stayed by your side. Do you think it's easy for me to have a daughter that I didn't get to see grow up? That I couldn't hold or see for 28 years? I missed everything, Emma. I missed…you."

Her face screws up into a frown and her breath catches. "No, I missed you. I missed having a mom braid my hair before school. I missed having you there to take me shopping. I missed out on having someone to love me, to be there for me on a bad day, to let me cry. I missed out on the one thing I needed for 28 years."

She's shouting at me. Her words echo off of the dark forest cavities, off of the walls of my heart. "I love you, Emma. I have always loved you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I try to spit the words out but grief suffocates me. I am the worst mother in all of history.

Emma kicks a log in frustration. I can no longer hold myself upright. The weight of the pain I caused Emma is crushing every ounce of my soul. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." I keep repeating until she turns around and shakes her head.

"I can't do this. I cannot hate you and love you at the same time, Snow. I have been through the ringer these past few days. I want to know why you gave me away. Why did you send a helpless infant out into the real world? You have no idea of the awful things I witnessed as a child. The neglect, the abuse, the hurt; you have no idea. Every day I would wake up hopeful that that would be the day that my parents would rescue me. Every night I would go to sleep praying that I would wake up from this nightmare. Despite all of those things, I still love you. I don't want to love you, but I do."

Though her words burn right through me, I can't help the pang of redemption I feel when she said "I love you". I love her more than I've ever loved anyone else. She is a legitimate, real part of me.

I walk over to her and hold out my arms. My lips are trembling. Emma looks at me for a moment, trying to fight my love for her. "Emma, I love you too. I love you to the point of pure adoration. You are the most wonderful thing to ever happen to me. You are a part of the man I love, you are a part of me and you're a part of the love we share. I would not and will not ever abandon you, my sweet Emma. Believe me I would have gone with you if the chest allowed more than one person. I can't change what happened then but I'm trying to change our future."

She falls into my arms. I cradle her, stroking her hair. "I love you, Emma. I have always loved you." I finally get to be the mother she deserves. I get to comfort her and tell her I love her. "I love you too, Snow. Nothing can change that."

**Loving the feedback! Sorry this chapter took sooo long…been having some drama. I love seeing what you guys think about it, so keep the feedback coming! Anything you'd like to see? Let me know. Next chapter will be up in a few days!**