A/N: Hey lovely reader! I am absolutely amazed by the answer this fic has recieved. You are all wonderful and I am so grateful for you all! Thanks for the reviews/follows/favoriting. It makes my day, and makes me absolutely giddy. You can ask my little sister if you doubt me ;). I am sory for all the mistakes, they are all mine, and since i'm a French-Canadian, well, English is obviously not my first language, so I am sorry. Well, the only thing that's mine is the plot of the story, then... Hahaha!

I am sorry for the wait for this chapter. I was anxious to write it since the start of this fic, and well, i'm only half-satisfied about how it turned, but, well, I hope you will still enjoy. I need to tell you that somewhere in this chapter, our friends do a small ritual with a few drops of blood. DO NOT DO THAT ON AN IMPULSE. Blood bonds are really dangerous. If you want to do this, read about it first, and proceed with caution. Not only for the risks of blood-borne infections, but also for the the weight it helds IRL. It's a dangerous bond to break.

On that note, I hope you enjoy, and I will try to write the next chapter as soon as I can! The plot thickens! :)

GQ -xx-

"I- Soulmate?" Emma's mouth opened at the revelation. She didn't knew what to say.

"Oh my god! This is amazing!" almost screamed Ruby, back from the shock of the new.

"I don't understand!" Raged Emma, before anyone could add anything to Ruby's comment.

"Sweetie, there is a lot of things you still have to learn." Mary-Margaret said, trying to soothe her daughter that seemed really out of depth. "I will try to explain everything to you, but first, I do think that we should cancel tonight's circle."

As the small pixie-haired woman take the reins for the closure of the circle with the other members, Tink, Ruby, Lily and Neal rounded Emma.

"So, it seems that you didn't had a crush for nothing!" Squealed Lily. Oh, she was happy for her friend and it explained a lot about the pain that Emma had been feeling when she had walked upon her mother and Miss Mills.

"Well," Emma started, dryly "I just understand nothing at all, but yeah, it's wonderful." Her voice was full of sarcasm.

"Oh, Emma! Don't worry, you have the perfect persons to explain everything to you. Miss Blanchard and Mister Nolan are soulmates too, so they are well-placed to answer any of your questions." Said Tina

"I hope it will answer my questions because this is so fucked up. I'm sorry, but I… It's just… Too much at once." The blonde answered, a pained look on her face.

"Emma?" Asked Mary-Margaret. "We're ready to go back to the loft. Will you come with us?"

"Yeah, I'm coming." Emma turned to her friends and, with only a small wave, she left the Wiccan room, and followed her parents to the car.

oo00oo

The ride was eerily silent, and quite uncomfortable. Once in front of the loft, even before David could switch off the car and take out the key, Emma had run to the front door of the building and attempted to unlock the door of the loft. Her hands were shaking, and she didn't even understood why. Was it anger, or maybe fear? Anguish or treason? Steadying her hand, she finally was able to insert the key in the lock, before Mary was behind her and with a hand on the blonde's back, she turned the key for her.

With a sigh of relief, Emma entered the loft and sat down forcefully on a barstool. She =waited for David to come in too before she started asking questions. "I don't understand. Anything. There isn't anything glowing between the two of you, first. Why's that? And why did it appeared tonight?"

"The link only appear when one of the wiccan is doing magic." Tried to explain David, with much less tact than his partner.

The words weren't soothing for Emma; she seemed clearly distressed. "But, I was there, two weeks ago, at the circle, and I've done magic for my dress on Monday and Regina was there too!"

Mary attempted to calm her daughter with soothing words and extended explanations. "Emma, slow down. We will try to answer to all of your question as best as we can. Usually, the Red Link only appears when the two soulmates reach Majority and –"

Emma cut her mother "But my birthday is only in two days! We are the 23!"

"But didn't you told us that you were found on the 25th? Maybe today's your real birthday."

At the realisation that her mother was probably right, Emma's face crumbled. "I- I- Oh god! This is crazy! It feels like I've been lied to my whole life."

"We get it Emma. I must be hard for you. Do you want time to digest it? We can continue this another day, if you'd prefer." David tried to be empathic to his daughter too, but he saw how much this was some big revelations for her and could understood that she needed time and distance.

"No, I mean, I want answers, and then maybe I'll need a bit of time…"

"Ok, so, I will tell you our story, alright?" Mary-Margaret saw the need her daughter had to get answers, and she vowed to answer to anything she could.

"Yes, please." Was Emma's small plea.

"Ok, well, I met David here in Storybrooke. He just had moved from another small village, and had took upon the post of deputy at the Station. There was a pull between us, and I was trying to get in all of the worse situations to call him. He always came to the rescue, like a real prince charming. One day, I let my car work all night long to wear off the battery. When I called him for his help, he recharged my car and asked me to go and take a coffee. Of course, I said yes, and we went for coffee every morning after that for at least two weeks. God, I was already in love, and I couldn't stop thinking about him." Mary-Margaret smiled softly at David, who returned it.

"It was Litha when I understood that he was like me. Usually, people do not care for summer solstice, but we wished each other 'happy Litha'. It was quite the surprise, and it brought us to talk about Wicca. We are both from the earth family, and I thought that our connection came from that. I was way more naïve then, as you can imagine. So I invited him to the circle, it was still Ruby's Granny, Eugenia's her name, that was the high priestess then.

Just when Eugenia started the circle, as Regina did tonight, the Red Link started to glow between me and David. Since we were already seeing each other, well, we just went on our day to day routine, and we are together since then."

"It's cute, but still, it doesn't explain anything about the Red Link." Emma said, cutting the tale.

"Wait, I'm going to. So, we wondered what was happening between us, and it was Regina who explained to us the major part of what we wanted to know. Have you heard of the legend of the red string of faith?"

Emma was sceptical. "No, I haven't."

Mary-Margaret smiled, trying to comfort her daughter, before she went on. "Well, the legend is from the Chinese culture. The myth says that the gods tie a red cord around the little finger of those that are fated to meet. The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of the place, the time, or the circumstances and the red cord can't ever break. In our culture, we often call that soulmates."

"So, because of an old Chinese legend, I am fated to Regina." The blonde's tone was highly sarcastic. It was ridiculous.

"Not exactly. This legend is a contorted belief that comes from our magic, and from the wedding traditions in the Wicca that we call hand fasting. It has a real base, as two people that find themselves linked feel an undeniable pull, and the first stories of this link are going back to the first magical yielders. It was said that the link was a union sacred by the god and the goddess. So, once the link revealed, if the two destined persons try to stay away, it hurts the other, physically. It means that the time spent apart and the distance between the two should be reduced as much as possible."

After that revelation, something was plaguing the blonde's mind. She decided to ask. "And what about seeing your… other half with someone else?"

"It would hurt like nothing else and induce burning pain, probably in your chest, like if your heart was squeezed." Mary answered, puzzled about why her daughter would ask this kind of question.

"How do you know that?" Emma's voice was pressing for answers.

The brunette looked at her daughter for a few seconds before answering. She thought she knew why her daughter was asking that. "David had been with someone else before me, and I felt the pain, less deeply of course, but still, it had hurt. Why, Emma? Did you saw Regina with someone else? Was it what was wrong in the last two weeks?"

The silence that the questions created was heavy, and seemed to hung low in the piece. Then, with a small voice, Emma answered. "Yes. Yes it was."

"Oh, sweetie. You should have told us, we would have understood."

"Well, I only thought it was the pain of seeing a crush with someone else."

"If you need to talk about it, we are here, ok?"

"Yeah, thanks. But not now, because I have some more questions… Why did you not glow anymore? Does it, like, fade?"

"No. The link stop appearing after the relation is… consumed."

"WHAT? So you tell me that everyone will know when we'll have sex for the first time, because the link will disappear?"

"…Yes."

"Damn it! That's so unfair!" The parents knew it was a lot of information, so they let their daughter's language slide.

David, trying, too hard, once again, to alleviate the tension, said something he thought could help. "Well, some circles ask for the consumption of the union in the circle when the link appears, so, it's not that bad." But the disgusted face Emma made proved him wrong.

"What's wrong with you, people? This is so humiliating. And she's my teacher!" She exclaimed.

Mary grit her tooth. "Emma, we aren't the ones that decided that!"

Emma huffed. "Yes, I know, sorry. So. To resume what you were saying, the red link means that Regina is my soulmate, that the link will disappear when we'll have sex, and that we can't be separated for too long or it will hurt. Am I right? Anything else you'd like to add?"

David, quite awkwardly, took the lead to answer that question. "Well, you'll find that when you make a physical connection like… when you touch or when either of you use their power, there is a reaction to it. Magic usually… arouse the other partner, and touching creates a fire-like sensation."

Seeing her dad's reaction, another question came up. She didn't understood how they could be so alright with the fact that she would probably go out with Regina, and, one day, also have sex. Emma was used to parents telling her not to do anything before marriage, but here she was, and it seemed like her parents were giving her their ok about it. "Why aren't you flipping out? She's like, your age, so it means she's much older than me!"

"Sweetie, of course we're a bit perplexed, but we can't separate you both or say no to the relationship you'll have. We don't want either of you to be hurt." At her mother's answer, Emma lowered her eyes, a small pleased smile floating on her lips.

When Emma finally looked back at them, she asked something else she had just thought about. "You are both from the Earth family. Does it means that I am fire, since there hadn't been any child created from two family, and Regina is fire?"

Mary took a soft tone to answer to the question. It was an inescapable reality for same-sex couple, and she was the one who had to break the new. She hoped that it wouldn't break Emma's heart too much, though. "Well, Emma, even if you both have magic, you can't have a child that's biologically yours and Regina's. So, no, same-sex soulmates aren't always from the same family... But we'll have to see soon from which you are. It would help us for your learning. The circle, next week, will be on Saturday rather than Friday, because it will be Samhain, Witches' New Year. We usually do a different ritual, and so, we can ask Regina to look into it at the same time."

Emma slowly nodded to the onslaught of information she just had been given. "Alright. Is there anything else I need to know about soulmates?"

"Hum, I can't think of anything else right now." Said Mary-Margaret, while David shook his head.

"Ok. Well. Thanks for the answers, but I think I'm going to turn in for the night. It's a lot to think about." Emma bit her lip, and furrowed her brows, trying to make order of all she just had learned. Mary cut short her thoughts.

"Alright. Goodnight, sweetie. If you have any other interrogations, you can come to us, alright?"

Grateful for her parents' openness, she hopped off of her seat. "Yeah, thanks. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Emma." David added, just before she started to climb the stairs.

oo00oo

Emma secluded herself for the major part of the weekend, trying to proceed what she had learned. She couldn't wait for Monday to come, to be able to talk to Regina. She always knew there was something special between the two of them, but this was a whole other level, and she needed to talk to her teacher to get help figuring it all out. What would they do? Date, maybe? Or would they have to wait for Emma to finish school?

She spent a part of the weekend writing her new knowledge in her Shadow's book, and putting it in order. Sunday came, and she received birthday wishes from her friends, and an enthusiast Ruby, who also pressed her for more details about what would happen with their teacher, questions to which she refused to answer. On one side, she didn't knew, and it was between Regina and Emma, and not their business.

When Emma was called for dinner on Sunday, she received a surprise. Beside the cake that Mary-Margaret had cooked for her birthday, even if they now knew her real birthday was the 23th of October, her parents gave her a gift that made her tear up. In the bag was neatly folded a bright red leather jacket that Emma had seen once in a shop window on the main street. She knew it would have been the first thing she would have bought once she would start to work, as it was so her.

With a lot of gratefulness, Emma hugged David and Mary-Margaret, tearing up a bit about the meaningful gift she had been given. She thanked them profusely before going to bed, getting ready for the next day, where she would finally see Regina.

oo00oo

Monday passed rapidly, and she was smiling when she entered Regina's classroom. As she settled at her desk, she tried to catch the eyes of the teacher, without success. After an hour of history and another of literature, the brunette hadn't even looked her way once, and she got out of the class before Emma could talk to her. A bit saddened about the way her teacher seemed to avoid her, she went back to the loft directly, not even talking to her friends. She knew she would have to try again the next day.

Tuesday went by in the same way, and Regina seemed even more insistent about avoiding Emma. The blonde knew she had to talk to Regina about all that she had learned, but it seemed rather impossible. At the end of the day, she remembered that she had a period with Miss Mills only every Wednesday, and she believed it to be her chance to have the teacher to talk to her.

Only, when she entered the classroom where they were supposed to meet, Miss McFly came in and told her that her teacher couldn't be present, since she had a day-long formation. Frustrated, Emma went to the library for the remaining of the period and sulked for the rest of the day. She wasn't even present for the classes. Regina was definitely avoiding her.

Thursday came and Emma was at her wit's end. Her head was throbbing, and her heart ached for the brunette's presence more than ever. The quick fix she usually had on school days when she saw her teacher wasn't enough anymore, and she knew she had to do something. So, in her dinner hour, she went to the teacher's lounge and asked for Regina, who came to the door. Once she saw Emma, she stood, frozen, as if caught.

"Re-Miss Mills!"

"Miss Swan. What are you doing here?" The brunette asked, a severe look on her face.

"I needed to talk to you!" the blonde pleaded. "Please!"

The brunette started to play with a ring she was wearing as a necklace. "I am sorry, but they are waiting for me. You'll have to address your questions to me in class."

"Wait! Please. Are you alright? Do you just need time?" Emma asked, clawing at her chest.

"I am just fine, Miss Swan. Thank you for the concern but I really must go now." The teacher answered, features softening a bit.

"Alright." Emma exhaled, seconds before the door closed between teacher and student.

The rest of the day found Emma with her head hung low, and not even listening to her classes. Her chest ached too much and her head hadn't stopped to pound. She just wanted to lie down in the dark and sleep off the pain.

oo00oo

Emma went back directly to the loft after her day. When she arrived, Mary was already there, and it was perfect for Emma. "Mary, can I talk to you?" She asked

"Of course, sweetie! What is it?"

Emma sat on the bar stool in front of her adoptive mother, watching her cooking, while she tried to put her thoughts in order.

"I… I want to talk to Regina about the link, but, hum, she seems to be kind of… avoiding me?"

At that, Mary turned to look at her daughter in the eyes. "Oh, Emma. I hoped it wouldn't be the case. Regina had lived some hard stuff…"

"Well, I can understand that, but I don't get why she avoid me at all costs. I mean, I don't ask for a lifelong commitment, I just want to have a conversation with her!" Emma fought the anger she felt rising in her.

"It's not my place to tell, sweetie… But you have to know that she had lost someone very important for her when she was younger and it left a mark on her."

The blonde pursued her lips. "It feels like I can't have a straightforward answer from anyone, and it kinds of bugs me."

"You'll have to find a way to talk to her, Emma. I can't tell you more." Answered Mary, her eyes full of sorrow for her daughter.

oo00oo

Well, if she had to work to get a real answer, she would do so. Emma didn't knew how long she could keep up at this pace, never having all the answers she sought; It felt like she was again in the system, manipulated, sent back with half-truths about the reason why her family was sending her back, or even lied to by the persons she was supposed to trust the most, like her social worker… So, she had a plan, albeit, maybe not a good one, but still. Cornered, Regina would talk, right? She would have no choice whatsoever. Emma couldn't let her have one.

So, the blonde left the loft and drove to her teacher – slash soulmate – mansion and opened the door without knocking. She had to take Regina by surprise and not let her the time to think about escape plans. Silently, she closed the door behind her and left her boots on the entrance rug, before walking silently to the kitchen where she could hear clatter of dishes.

Regina had her back to her, facing the stove, stirring something that smelled amazing. But Emma couldn't let that distract her, and so, she moved swiftly, posing her palms on each side of Regina, imprisoning her between her body and the stove.

When the brunette felt a body touching hers, she flinched and turned around as much as she could, while prisoner of the grip, a look of sheer fury etched on her face. She was about to use her powers when she saw that it was Emma's arms she was surrounded by. The fury seemed to recede somehow, replaced with a pained look.

"Em - Miss Swan. What are you doing here?"

"'Miss Swan', really, Regina? Aren't we past that?"

Just as Emma had not answered her question, Regina ignored hers, and reiterated. "Why are you here?"

"We need to have a conversation, and you keep avoiding me."

Regina snapped. "No, we don't. And I don't avoid you, I just have nothing to say to you."

"Regina! You were the one telling me that I have to take magic seriously and you don't want to help me anymore! We need to talk about what happened!" Emma's impatience was starting to mount and she was ready to hit under the belt if needed.

Pain contorted the beautiful brunette's face. "I just… I can't. I can't deal with that."

The blonde answered, as best as she could to summarize everything she wanted to say. "I don't understand!"

"Emma, this is not about you!"

And that did it. Emma was furious. "YES IT IS!" She screamed, making the brunette recoil a bit. Seeing that, she took a deep breath and went on, slightly calmer. "The red link, Regina. We have it and they explained to me that it means we are soulmates. Isn't that something we should talk about?"

"It's more complicated than that, at least for me."

Emma pleaded. She wasn't over that at this point. "I need to know, Regina, because you know it affects me too. It hurts to be avoided by you."

Sorrow flashed a few seconds in the eyes of the brunette. It seemed to help her make a decision. "Alright. Come with me. How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?"

"Got anything stronger?" Said Emma, trying to relax the atmosphere.

Regina's smile was tight, and Emma followed her in the study, dread pooling low in her stomach. The teacher made a sign to Emma to sit down, before turning to the cupboard.

"What do you know?" Regina asked, her back to Emma while she poured in two glasses an amber liquid. She turned around with the two glasses in her hands, and handed one to Emma, who took it gratefully.

The blonde took a sip of her glass, and gave a small noise of contentment, before answering. "Mary-Margaret explained pretty well about what's the Red Link, and she also told me… Well, she told me that you had lost someone really important for you?"

Regina sighted. "Yes. Yes I did." She twirled the amber liquid in her glass, before looking up and in Emma's eyes. "I loved Danielle more than I have ever loved anybody. But the story does not starts there; in fact, it starts with Mother." The brunette spat the last word. Clearly, their relationship had no lost love, which was clear for Emma.

"Mother had always wanted power over everything. She molded me into the perfect daughter with rather questionable methods. As you may have guessed, I had to be fluent in Latin, and from a very young age, I knew almost everything there was to know about magic. But I was quite lonely. So, when I met Danielle, I was barely 16 and still in high school, and she had just turned 18. She was also a witch, from the earth family. I met her for the first time when I saved her from a horse that had gone wild and had thrown her off the saddle. We bonded so fast, it was so easy, being with her... And then, one day, she kissed me." A smile, wistful, was slowly creeping on the teacher's features. "We were together a couple of months before my mother caught us kissing." At that, the smile disappeared from her face, replaced by the darkness that Emma had seen a couple of time, fleetingly. This time, though, it stayed. "Mother didn't took the new so well, and Dani was hell-bent on getting her favour for my hand. We believed that we were linked, and that it would appear when I would reach majority. But Mother saw in her a way to keep me in line and in the same time, accomplish her goal, which was getting more powerful."

The brunette swallowed hard and closed her eyes. She couldn't stand the weight of Emma's stare on her. Not for the next part of the story. "I had just turned 17, and I never knew that Dani was doing my mother's bidding. I learned it when… When they found her dead, her body half-buried, in the woods. She had been drained from her magic."

She took a deep, shaky breathe, and opened her eyes again. "I learned later that this had been the price for the magic she used, on my mother's behalf. The law of the triple return had taken her life, leaving mother unscathed, and benefiting from what Dani had done for her. I haven't seen her since a few days after they found Danielle in the woods. I always thought my soulmate died with Dani. Do you understand, Emma?"

Emma tried to hide her jealousy. It was inappropriate, but she couldn't help it. So, she thought about the pain her teacher must have felt and it tamed her irrational jealousy, to give place to sorrow. "I am sorry for what you've been through."

"Thanks, but It was long ago." There was a small silence between the two before Regina added, looking at her glass. "I'm sorry, Emma."

"Whatever for?" She asked.

Regina rose her eyes and looked directly in the blonde's eyes while she answered. "For pushing you away. I shouldn't have. We are quite inevitable, and I knew it. I just… I really thought, for many years, that my chance at real love had died. It felt like a lot, but I shouldn't have taken it on you."

"I get it, now. Thanks for talking to me."

Regina had a small gibe to make the blonde react, and now that she saw that their previous easiness around one another was back, she believed it right to say it. "Hey, they do say that communication is important for a couple."

Emma spluttered. "You – We… What?"

The laugh that escaped Regina at the inarticulate answer was wonderful, and Emma just wanted to make her laugh to hear it again and again. "Well, it will happen one day, even if it's not today."

"Hu-uh" was the only answer Emma could come up with, making Regina smile, a blinding smile.

"Cat got your tongue?" Their playful banter was back, and they both felt it with relief.

"Hu- No. Cat got his own." Emma answered, an eyebrow raised.

"Really?" Regina's tone was sarcastic, and so, the blonde tried to rise up to the challenge.

"Yeah. See that?" Emma asked, before sticking her tongue out.

"Emma…" Regina warned, her tone dropping an octave. "You'd better hide that."

"Or what, professor?" almost purred Emma, a wicked smile on her lips. She knew she was playing with fire, quite literally, but she loved to rile Regina up, even more when it was giving her this kind of reaction.

"Don't underestimate me, dear. You have no idea what I'm capable of."

"Don't worry, I'll find out." Emma answered, with a wink to her mentor, and a crooked smile. Suddenly, her face turned more serious once again, with flickers of nervousness. "But, even if you're not ready to, hum, like, go out with me or something, yet, I, Uh- I'd like if we could, I don't know, talk, maybe?"

The soft smile that rose on Regina's lips was all the reassurance she needed. "It would please me a lot to get to know you more, Emma. Next week, after a lesson, you could stay here for dinner?"

"That would be nice!"

"You have to understand, though that I am still your teacher. So, if we decide to start something between us before you finish your year, we can't go out in public places." Regina said, furrowing her brows.

"Yes, I thought about that. It's alright for me, if it is for you too." The blonde answered, nervously picking at her fingers.

"Yes, Emma. I wouldn't have proposed it if it wasn't right for me too."

"Good! Amazing!" Emma smiled. "I really have to go, but I'll see you tomorrow at school."

"Alright. Good night, Emma."

"You too!" she said, before leaving the house.

The smile on her face wasn't erasable, and she slept as if she was on a small cloud, her first really restful night after the last few emotional weeks.

oo00oo

The day had gone in a blur, and Emma had agreed to go out with her friends that Friday, since the circle was happening the next day. The night, even if a bit cold, was beautiful, and they took their outing to the park, with a bottle of vodka that Neal had stolen from Killian's possession, before he remembered that Emma was now 18, and could, in fact, buy alcohol. Ruby was seated on a swing, with Lily and Emma on both sides of her, and Tink and Neal were on the grass, facing them.

"So, I drink to another year that has passed, in peace and harmony with the nature. We need to thank the goddess and do a small bond with a resolution or an oath for the New Wiccan Year and a closure for the past year, just between us. Are you down for it?" Neal asked, with a small smile.

"Hell, YEAH!" Was Ruby's immediate answer, followed shortly by Lily. "It will be amazing!"

Emma wasn't sure about what her friend meant by that, answered, unsure. "Ok, I guess?"

They were just waiting for Tink's answer, while she was biting her bottom lip. "Are you sure we should do it? You know oaths can be dangerous, right?"

"Tink, live a little! It's Samhain tomorrow, and we'll do the circle to celebrate with everybody, but we can have a little fun just between us!" Lily whined.

"Ok. Ok, I'll do it with you, idiots! Do we do it in a circle?" the short blonde answered. She knew that there would be less risks if she was with them then if she let them do it by themselves.

"No, we don't have all that we need. We should just do it in a meditation circle." Neal rationalised.

"That's actually a good idea! And what should we do the bond about?" Ruby had raised from the swing and seemed very pleased by the turn of events. She was smiling and bouncing around.

"Friend first?" Questioned Lily.

"Nah, we can't do that; it's too dangerous. And, we can't ask that from Emma, since she found her soulmate. Mills will probably come before us, and it's normal." Tink answered to the brunette.

Lily proposed, again. "Alright… What about being there for one another?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea!" Neal said, happy with the idea.

"And not too much restrictive. It will be perfect!" Ruby's excitement seemed to be contagious.

Emma, who hadn't said a word yet, asked. "So, what do we need to do, now?"

"A good meditation circle is usually done while sitting cross-legged on the ground, to connect with nature." Answered Tink. "And for the bond we talked about, we'll need a small fire in the center, a plastic bottle and a knife."

"Alright. I have both in my car, I'll be back." Emma walked to the bug and picked up a small Swiss knife from her gloves box, and the water bottle she had half-finished in her cup holder. When she arrived back, her friends were already seated on the floor, leaving a place for her between Tink and Lily, a small fire lit in the center of the circle with few wood branches. Emma suspected that magic had been used, as the circle was too perfect to be like that on his own.

"We decided to let Tink direct the meditation, if that's alright with you, Ems?" Said Neal, while she sat down and crossed her legs.

Her answer was immediate. "Yeah, it's perfect. Tink's amazing."

"Great. So we can start now. You have to take each other's hands." Tink started to direct. Everyone followed her lead, and Emma's palms were gripped by a small cold hand and on the other side, by a bigger one, that was quite hot to the touch. "Alright. Now, you all need to close your eyes and take deep breaths. You need to empty your mind from all trouble and let the power flow freely from you." They all followed the instruction, and soon, Emma felt the shift of energy in the circle. She was felling all of her friends' power through her. Lily and the heat of her fire, Ruby and the touch of the earth, Tink and the soft blowing of the wind, and Neal, with the salted taste of water. It was special to feel all the element so well.

Tink unlinked their hands and took the bottle, which she emptied on the ground in front of her, and the knife. "Good. Now, you will all take the knife and make a small cut on your right palm," She said, doing it in the same time to show them how it would have to be done. "before putting two small drops in the bottle while saying 'By this blood bond, I promise to be there for my friends.' And then take one of your hair, and put it in the bottle." The small blonde then passed the knife and the bottle to Neal, who was sitting on her right.

He did what Tink had asked, before passing the bottle to the right, to Ruby, who repeated the action, and gave it to Lily after. Once Lily was also finished, she passed the instruments to Emma, who whipped the blade of the knife on her shirt before doing a small slice on her right hand and repeating the sentence. She then took one of her hair and put it in the bottle with the four others. The bottle was given back to Tink, who closed it and put it in front of her.

"Please, hold hands again, and say with me." She said with confidence, while the four others obeyed. "For this year, I promise to be there for my friends"

The friends repeated the sentence, again and again, palm in palm, while Tink made the bottle levitate and fall in the fire. As the bottle burned, the cut in their palm burned, and the fire took a red color for a few seconds, before everything was over.

"We are now bonded to be there for each other for the year. This is a serious commitment, and if you break the blood bond, be prepared to face the consequences." Tink said with a serious look in her eyes.

They all nodded, face blank for a few minutes. Then, just as they freed their hands the chatter started back. Emma looked at her phone to see the time. It was almost midnight. She had to go back to the loft.

"Hey, it's almost midnight, I have to go back. Who wants a lift?"

At her proposition, everyone followed her, and Emma made the taxi to all of her friends' houses, before going back to the loft, where both her parents were asleep already. She climbed the stairs to her room, changed in her pajamas and fell asleep.

oo00oo

Saturday morning found Emma lazily staying in bed, until she was called for lunch, and in the afternoon, after her hour-long walk on the beach, she started on her homework, until she was called downstairs. It was time to go at Regina's for the circle. She put on her white dress and followed her parents to the car.

Once at the mansion, Regina opened the door and, because they were the lasts to come in, Regina went with them in the Wiccan's room, smiling at Emma all the way to the room, a smile that was reciprocated.

Once in the room, she saw someone who wasn't usually present, and recognizing Ruby's granny, she smiled to her brunette friend.

"We'll have a special guest tonight in the circle tonight." Announced Regina, a smile directed to the temporary member of the circle, who reciprocated. "Mrs. Lucas is gracing us with her presence for our circle, as you'll find that we will do a special celebration for Samhain."

"Regina, call me granny, please, or at least Eugenia. I am not that old."

"Maybe not, but you do are my elder, and you used to be the high priestess before."

"Fine. As you wish." Eugenia huffed. In Emma's eyes, it looked like a battle that they were often having, and it made her want to laugh, at her soulmate's stubbornness and granny's annoyance.

Emma took her place between Regina and David. The teacher turned to Eugenia. "Would you like to do us the honor of doing the circle, Mrs. Lucas?"

Everyone seemed to be smiling at her. The matriarch seemed well-liked, and with a small grunt took the salt, the chalk and started to trace the circle. The second the circle closed, the energy seemed to be contained in the circle, creating a powerful buzz in Emma, and she saw the red link appear between her hand and Regina's. Of course, that fact made her on the receiving end of crooked smiles and none too subtle winks, making the brunette growl. No one dared to comment though.

Then, just as the other circles, Regina took the athamé and a rice bowl, and turned to the north. This time, though, Emma knew what to chant with the others.

"We are calling to you, by turning to face the North. Strength of the Earth, stand by us, give us your strength and wisdom to proceed to our circle. Blessed be."

The process repeated itself with the small bowl with incent. "We are calling to you, by turning to face the East. Cleverness of the Air, stand by us, give us your intelligence and creativity to proceed to our circle. Blessed be."

The third bowl was put on the circle line, with a lit up candle inside. "We are calling to you, by turning to face the South. Vitality of the Fire, stand by us, give us your passion and energy to proceed to our circle. Blessed be."

Finally, with a small bowl full of water, Regina turned to the West, and everyone chanted with her. "We are calling to you, by turning to face the West. Insight of the Water, stand by us, give us your emotions and intuition to proceed to our circle. Blessed be."

The tingly sensation that prickled at Emma's skin was the same she had experienced at the last circle, and the power that the element were brining was wonderful. It coated the air around them, but it wasn't a chocking or unpleasant sensation in itself, rather like an intimate caress from a lover. Taking Emma out of her reverie, Regina started to chant.

"As we are reunited tonight, we are here to thank the God and the Goddess to give us everything that surrounds us, as well as our magic. We give them our gratitude and open a place for them in our circle."

"Blessed be!" Everyone answered.

Then, rather than continuing, Regina talked. "This week, rather than expelling the power, I had something else in mind, if you all agree."

When everyone nodded their agreement, she continued. "I know that Samhain is usually to celebrate the dead, often in the family, but also our chance to do anew for the New Year, and close the unfinished business of this year. I thought of a way to reconcile those things together, and I came up with a celebration about family. It would serve to reaffirm the bond in-between members of a family, and can be used to welcome a new family member. We can use it to honor a member of our family who is now dead, and to reaffirm our love for them. Since tonight is the night of the year with the thinnest veil between our two worlds, they will be able to feel it."

Everyone was listening intently, giving nods here and there, seemingly happy with Regina's idea. Even Emma couldn't wait. A bond to reaffirm her attachment to her parents, a family she chose and that she loved, was a good thing.

The only thing she was worried about was the fact that she didn't know if she should add Regina to this bond. Being soulmates meant something, right?

Regina, seeing that her idea was well accepted, smiled and turned to the altar. She picked up some chalices, and gave one by family bond she knew would be formed. Granny received one, for her and Ruby, Nova too, for her and Tink. When Regina moved to give the next to Mallory, for her and Lily, Emma had to avert her eyes, and her hands went to her chest, over her heart. When Regina felt the pain the blonde was in, she turned away rapidly. She couldn't torture her love, and certainly not on that. The teacher then rapidly moved to the next family unit, Killian, Ariel, Milah and Neal, giving the chalice to Milah with a grateful smile. Finally, she turned to them, and gave the chalice to David, who smiled to her, even if she only had eyes for Emma.

Regina guided all of the families in the ritual, with the herbs to use, how much water to add, in which sense to turn the concoction… She led all of the way. When she asked every family to push magic in the potion, the room seemed to light up with love and trust and strength, and power, of course. Emma could almost taste it. It made her feel wonderful.

"The next step is much more personal, and will prove your bond to each member of your family. You will all need to prick your finger with a needle and let a drop of blood fall in the chalice. The color that the potion will take for few seconds will show the type of bond you share with each other. If it turns red, it's a familial bond made out of love, and if it turns blue, it's a biological familial bond. For those of you who are more than two, you'll all have to do it two at the time, and proceed to do all the family this way."

Regina gave small sewing needles to everyone. "They are all new. I don't want anyone to take risks, and so, I will ask you to throw them away once the ritual is over."

Once Regina took her place again in the front of the circle, Emma looked at her with so much longing that Mary-Margaret called her over. The brunette came to them, with a confused look on her face, but before she could talk, Mary-Margaret cut her.

"You are now part of our family, Regina." The pixie-haired woman answered, with a tilt of her head towards Emma. Regina offered a small smile and took a needle too.

They started with Emma and Regina, who pricked their fingers and let a drop of blood fall in the cup. The liquid turned a deep blood red for a few seconds, and returned to its original color, making the teacher and her student smile to each other. Then, Emma's parents did the same, and the result was the same. The blonde girl knew all of the results of her family would give red, but it was still a sight to behold. It was so much love, and it made her felt comforted and accepted, but most of all, loved.

Mary-Margaret pricked her finger, holding the cup, and her daughter did the same. The concoction turned red, and Emma teared up a bit. She knew that it was love that made a family, and she had just been proven right. She took the chalice from her mother's hands and turned to David, who pushed a drop of blood out of his finger, dropping it in the cup. Emma did the same with her finger, and it fell in the cup. Emma bit her lip, just as the potion started to change of color, and when she peered at it, she hiccupped, and let the chalice fall from her hand.

It touched the floor with a loud 'Clunk' and all heads snapped to them. Emma and David were staring at each other with a disbelieving expression on their face.

Then, Emma broke the silence. "Regina?"

"Yes, darling?" She answered.

Emma almost whispered. "What does it means? It must be wrong, huh?"

"No, the potion can't be wrong." Regina's tone was full of sorrow for the blonde. She knew Emma knew what it meant, and how betrayed Emma would feel. She knew her soulmate better than she wanted to admit.

"Then, why did it turned blue?" The blonde asked, just to see if her hunch was right.

Regina took a deep breath. She knew it would be a blow to both father and daughter. "Emma. David's your biological father."