AU: I noticed many people were wondering about Emma, how they got here, what she thinks of it and all. And I must honestly admit I had already written that down. As so many asked I decided to post it =3 See it as a short intermezzo before more smut (could) ensue –inserts smile here-

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Emma remembered how she had gotten here. As she sat, hunched, with her elbows resting on her knees and her head on her arms, she recalled every single detail of her trip to this place. She had defeated the Mayor. She. Defeated. She had defeated her.

It was a thing she had thought impossible to do for a very long time. There was no way she would be a hero, no way she could take care of anyone as she couldn't even take care for herself. The only person who had steadfastly told her how strong she was and how he admired her for it had been Mr Gold. The devious snake.

Though she knew he had be honest and every word he had told her had been from the heart and meant, she regretted how she had come to rely on him. During their last days of the battle against Regina she saw him on a daily base and felt as if he were a piece of furniture. Okay, no good comparison. He'd became like her baby blanket, a little something that felt familiar to her and that she needed to have around somewhere. He was the only person to always have her back.

Mary, of course, had never faulted her, and Henry had been so pure in his belief in her capacities it had made her cry on several occasions. But they felt like family, like friends, like they depended on her. Mr Gold had been influential, strong and in no need of someone like her. He did not depend on her, or so it had felt to her. She knew he could get what he wanted any kind of way he desired, and wasn't scared to face him, tease him or even mock him in front of others. They'd laughed many a time.

Then, she achieved what she had set out to do, what she'd been destined for. The world crumbled and she was swirled along with her parents into fairy land; a land she was both unfamiliar with as alien to.

"A princess." Snow had said, smiling at her and cupping her cheeks. Yes, a princess but for how long? Charming set out to find her a suitor straightaway.

Angrily she'd stampeded into the forest where she found that Henry was waiting for her. The boy looked different, but so did they all, and nevertheless remained his beautiful self. But he wasn't alone.

"Dammit." Emma cursed, her body hurting from the violent interaction she had endured earlier on. Truth to be admitted, if she cooperated a little bit more she'd find it tolerable, pleasurable even. But her pride stood in her way, her pride and her sense for justice. She wasn't unfamiliar with stories of girls being locked away. Only she'd never guessed it would happen to her, and on this age.

Plunging back into the fairy tale world seemed to have restored their minds, and at seeing Henry with his golden skin side to side with what used to be Mr Gold she had frozen and remembered.

She let out another sigh. Secretly she was aware that she had known all the time. She knew Mr Gold had tricked her. She knew he had been involved in literally everything. And she hadn't cared. She had enjoyed their flirtations as he was one of the only who could make her laugh. But now he was a changed – not even man anymore- person. His insanity had taken a new level of madness and he had kidnapped both Henry and herself. How he kept the boy happy remained a wonder to her, but then again, as she tried to elope and find Snow at the very first night in his castle she had triggered a part of him that had not been as forgiving or gentleman-like as the Gold she had known back in Storybrooke.

Unbeknownst her attempted escape had triggered his deepest fear; that she would leave him. Having learnt from experience, Rumplestiltskin had her thrown into a room and magically tied to a chair. He kept her locked up, demanding her love and her trust, but denying her freedom. So she attempted another escape and he had her locked up in the high tower. Her third attempt had been too feeble to describe.

Yet this couldn't be all there was to it, Emma was certain of it. The golden man, an imp, zealous as he was, in her mind had to have an ulterior motive to keep her locked up in his tower. She figured it might be influence. Perhaps the balance of power had changed so much in this new (or actually old) world that the man needed her to gain control again. He had always dominated the town of Storybrooke, this might be another trick up his sleeve. On the other hand, if it wasn't for her position, she was a princess after all, it might all be part of a plan to get even with the evil witch. It wasn't as if Regina would stay away forever. Emma had defeated the mayor, not the evil queen who had presumably had been transported back to the land as the evil dethroned witch she was when she had left it with her curse. Surely this must give her hope?

Wait- what a silly thought. Emma laughed hoarsely to herself. All the time she'd spent in Storybrooke they'd seen her as their 'hope', now she finally got their point. She was doing the same. All because of Regina. Regina had brought hope into her life, how mixed up was that? For Emma knew that as long as the Evil witch roamed about she might be needed to fight again. She had defeated Regina once now and with that had proven she could do so again. She would savor the thought that she might have to fulfill her role as a hero again one day and shed this pitiful guise as Rumplestiltskin's whore.

And make Henry proud.

For surely it couldn't be love that made Rumplestilstkin keep her here. She could not imagine that he, after all the time she'd known him as a gentleman, would lock her away and ravish her the way he did if he would truly love her. How wrong she was.

How right the tales had been about the golden imp. Deceitful, demented, selfish; he was everything she'd read and more. Torturing himself in tight leather pants, having hands like claws, taking a malicious content in telling her a quip and chortling at times unfit. He had evaded answering any of her questions until he had told her she would have to be silent or he'd feed her tongue to the cat. Adding to it that he would have to buy one for the purpose of it. She would have laughed had she not been scared by the sudden change of behavior. This was not the Gold she knew, slapping her, dominating her with force instead of coy smiles and words of wit. He had no cane she could kick away to disarm him. He'd told her he'd be kind if she was trained.

What the actual fuck.

She wasn't a small child that needed potty training, though he had insisted she'd get that too now that she was locked up in this cell. He said she had to learn to appreciate his touch and allow him to dominate her 'castle'. The hell she'd let him.

With a sob she came to stare in front of her. The distant sound of birds slightly distracting her from her thoughts as she hugged her knees. Her defiance hadn't gone, her warrior spirit still awake, her will to fight not yet absent. She was stubborn and would not change that. In her mind, at least, Rumplestiltskin did not stand a chance. And it made her smile, bitterly.

She wondered what Henry must think of this all. The boy had been so happy to have his family together. Emma let out a soft sob as the door to her cell opened and showed Henry who seemed more than happy to see her again. The boy rushed over to her side and hugged her tightly. The boy nuzzled his nose to her neck and breathed her scent. She hugged him back, aware of Rumple standing in the doorway, blocking any way to escape. Henry smiled against her skin and whispered to her.

"Don't worry, mommy. One day soon you'll get rid of the madness and we'll have our happy ending after all."