A/N: Hi, sorry for the long wait. I had that really bad flu that was going around and I damn near died. Ugh. Anyway, when I started feeling better I didn't feel like getting right back into writing. My heart wasn't in it so, most of my stories are backed up but I plan to catch them up.
Warnings: Mentions of graphic rape and violence. This may be disturbing for some people. Sorry for mistakes and I own neither of these shows or characters.
Part Two
Three weeks later
"Nice Henry!" Emma called to her son as the soccer ball came rolling across the green grass towards her. "Good kick, buddy."
The little boy grinned at her. "Right?"
Emma's brows rose and she snorted. "And so modest."
He giggled and stuck his tongue out at her. Emma rolled her eyes with a fond smile at her silly son. When it was within reach, she kicked the black and white ball back toward him. He ran to it and hit it head on, sending it back.
"Whoa Kid." Emma praised. "Awesome!"
The little boy did a little happy dance that ended with a cartwheel making his mother laugh. Henry definitely had her sense of humor. His father didn't have much of one, unless being the actual punchline of the joke counts. "Nice, kid."
Henry Swan was having a blast and that was all that mattered. They hadn't really had much time together lately. She had been working an awful lot. There was a case that she had been working on with Graham that had consumed all of her time. It was horrible. It involved a man targeting runaway girls. He was taking them in then, gaining their trust by supporting and helping them. He would then force them into prostitution, telling them that that was how they had to pay him back. Some of the girls were as young as thirteen. The disgusting crime was discovered when the body of a sixteen year old washed up on a beach in Brooklyn. Emma and Graham were so devastated by it all that they worked day and night. She remembered barely sleeping, eating or seeing her kid. She couldn't go home. Not until she tracked down the monster who was hurting those girls.
It took almost a week before the moron who was a two time loser slipped up again. One of the girls that Emma had been talking to came to her one day and told her that he had raped her. They quickly did a rape kit. The DNA came back to him. With the statement from the girls, the clients that Emma had put the squeeze on and the other evidence they've collected, the man was put behind bars.
The girls were sent to an organization that could help them. They were going to be okay and safe. Emma could finally breathe out a sigh of relief and return home to her son.
He was so excited when he saw her early that morning when she woke him up and informed him that she was allowing him to play hookie from school that day. She had planned to climb into her bed and rest but Henry wanted to hang out. She could not deny him that so she made him breakfast, dressed him and they went down to the park. It was still late winter but it was a surprisingly nice day. The sun was shining and it wasn't that cold. It felt more like spring. Luckily for them it was a perfect park day.
The ball came her way and she caught it and kicked it back to Henry. It sailed passed the little boy and he giggled, always the good sport, he ran after it. She watched him closely. He ran off a little ways to where the ball had rolled under a bench, picked it up and came jogging back to her. She smiled as he waved at her.
The park was quiet. Not many people were around given the weather. There was the occasional dog walker or jogger but aside from that she and Henry were alone. That is a good and bad thing. Just because she didn't see anyone that didn't mean that there was no potential danger. She learned that on her job. That's why she always told Henry to pay attention to his surroundings and he was very observant because of her teaching. She stayed focused on him but also paid attention to what was going on around her.
Henry kicked the ball towards her in an attempt to catch her off guard but for Emma Swan there was no such thing as off guard. She blocked it and kicked it back. It rolled back his way and right between his legs. He giggled and chased after it.
"You're supposed to catch it, Henry." She teased. He looked at her as he grabbed it from where it had hit a tree. He made a face.
"I know." He said. He dropped the ball down in front of him and kicked it.
As it rolled back her way, she felt a vibration in her pocket then she heard the ringing of her phone. She furrowed her brows. That was her work phone ringtone. She started to leave it at home that day but decided against it and now she regretted bringing it along. She groaned and held up a finger to Henry telling him she only needed a moment. She kicked the ball back to him and he picked it up and held it in his little hands. He then looked at her with his bottom lip poked out and gave her the puppy dog eyes that could get her every time. She sighed but to her surprise and relief, he let her live. He sighed then quietly went off to play on his own.
"Not too far." She called after him as she fished her cell out of her pocket. He looked back to her and gave her a thumbs up. She nodded in return before answering the call. "Swan?" She sighed putting the phone to her ear.
"Hey Emma, it's Olivia." Emma groaned internally. No not today. Emma loved Liv. She does. She's like the big sister she never had and if she had called her on her personal cell, she would have loved to hear from her but this was obviously about work. She just wanted to be with Henry. He was her tiny bit of light in this dark cold world.
"Hey Liv, how's it going?" Emma asked keeping a close eye on Henry. He was currently trying to juggle the soccer ball on his knees like she had taught him earlier. He seemed alright.
"I know today is your day off but-"
"I haven't seen my kid in a week." Emma sighed into the phone and pinched the bridge of her nose. "He barely remembered who I was when I woke him up this morning."
"I know, I know." Detective Benson said gently. "Just hear me out. Trust me, you will want to hear this."
"Fine." Emma relented. She agreed to listen to what Olivia had to say but nothing she said could get Emma to leave Henry today. Not a damn thing. Her son needs his mother.
"Okay so, Elliot and I got a call about a seventeen year old rape victim..." Olivia began her story. "We get there and examine the victim. The entire time in the back of my mind, I'm thinking that I know this kid but I kept pushing that thought away. When we finish and as I'm leaving the room, it dawned on me... Emma, it's your girl. The one who ran off a few weeks ago."
Emma's stomach sank. No. "Regina. Was it Regina Mills?"
Olivia sighed deeply. "She didn't have any ID on her but I think that's who she is. It looks like her."
Emma's brows furrowed as she stared out into the park. Why didn't she just ask her? A sickening feeling filled her when she realized why Regina couldn't have just told them who she was. "What's wrong with her? Is she...?"
"She's unconscious." Olivia answered. "She was found out on the street in her underwear, beaten and clearly sexually assaulted."
Emma's jaw tightened and she balled her hand into a fist. A tight knot was forming in her chest and it was making it hard to breathe. There was a crushing guilt. She felt that if she would have helped Regina the first time then this wouldn't have happened. "Who found her?"
"A cab driver. He was driving by early this morning and he saw a young girl passed out on the sidewalk. He pulled over and picked her up, put her in his car and drove her to the hospital."
"Hmm..." Emma muttered. "Is the good Samaritan still around?"
"Yeah. He's waiting to find out how she is."
"Good. Make sure he stays put. I have a few questions for him."
"Okay done."
"Liv, text me the info. I'm going to drop Henry off then I'm coming to the hospital."
"Okay." Olivia started to hang up but didn't. "Hey, Em."
"Yeah?"
"Look, I know it's your day off with your kid but I thought you would want to know about this. Hell, I would want to know if I were in your shoes."
Emma nodded although the older woman couldn't see her. "I know and I appreciate that. I'm just not too sure that Henry would."
"I'm sorry."
"Eh. It's not your fault. Thanks again, Liv and see you soon."
"No problem, Em and I will be seeing you."
Emma disconnected the call and shoved her phone into her pocket. She looked over and watched Henry play for a moment longer. His shaggy dark bangs were peeking from beneath his gray beanie -that matched his mother's- and was falling over his eyes. His cheeks had taken on a deep red along with his nose from the frosty air. He didn't let the cold bother him. Henry Swan's eyes were still wide open and a huge smile was on his adorable face as he played. Emma hated that the news she had for him would most likely wipe that precious smile off his face. He was going to be so disappointed. He could possibly hate her. She felt like a horrible mom in that moment but she had work to do.
She walked over the soft grass to where he was and stopped right next to him. He hadn't even noticed her presence. He was was too wrapped up in his game. He had no knowledge of what had happened to the girl that his mother felt responsible for nor the heaviness in his mother's heart.
"Hey Henry." She said softly. He caught the ball in his hands and looked up at her. His eyes examined her face closely and her grim expression then he sighed.
"Did someone die?" He asked.
"What? No!" Emma said quickly. She hated that her six year old even understood death but it was difficult to keep such things from him. She felt that she could no longer shelter him and at times she found herself speaking to him like an adult. "No but I have some bad news..." She squatted down so that she was somewhat leveled with him. She looked up into his face. His soft hazel eyes were watching her carefully. "Um..." She placed a hand on his back and began rubbing soothing circles over the material of his coat. "That was Liv. You know Liv, right?"
"She let me hold her badge." Henry said with a nod. Emma smiled. She remembered when she brought him to the station on one of her days off. Henry loved it. He thought Emma was the coolest mom with the coolest job in the world. Liv really took a shine to him and the two of them hung out for most of the day. Henry left there an honorary officer of the police department.
"Yeah. She's cool." Emma agreed. "Well, she called because she needs me to come in."
Henry frowned instantly. "Are you going to?" He asked softly. His eyes were pleading with her to stay. Emma felt a pang of guilt in her chest.
"I have to." She said sadly. Henry's eyes dropped to the ground and she could feel his disappointment. "I'm so sorry, Henry. I will make it up to you. I promise."
He nodded. "I know."
Emma sighed. At least he didn't hate her. He understood that his mommy had a job to do. "Do you remember that girl? The one I told you that was scared?" She asked softly.
He looked up then and nodded. "Is she okay?"
Emma gave him a sad smile. "They found her. She's in the hospital. Someone hurt her real bad. They think I can help find out who did it. I have to help her."
"You have to rescue her." Henry exclaimed. His mood instantly changing from dour to urgent. He saw her as a white knight who can rescue anyone and right now Regina was a young maiden who needed saving. "You're the white knight. You have to save her!"
Emma chuckled. "I'm glad you think so highly of me, Henry."
She wondered how many years of this she had left. How much longer was her son going to see her as some invincible hero? She would be the hero he wanted her to be for as long as he needed.
"Huh?" He asked with a scrunch of his adorable face. Emma shook her head with a small smile. They had to get going.
"Nothing, Henry. Hey, let's go so I can get to the hospital." She stood and waited for him to grab his soccer ball.
He tucked it underneath his arm then looked up at her and smiled before slipping his little hand into hers. She gave his hand a squeeze and the two of them headed for the brick path that would lead them out of the park.
The drive over the Brooklyn bridge went quicker than expected. Given the day and time, early morning on a weekday, mostly everyone was at work or school and she had missed rush hour thankfully. She doubted that her brain or her nerves would have been able to handle bumper to bumper traffic with the state she was in.
She chose to live in Brooklyn for that very reason. Manhattan was much too busy for her. Brooklyn was a bit quieter. It was just as high priced as the city but traveling was easier. Henry loved it there and so did she but her job took her all over the city.
She hopped out of her vintage yellow bug and headed straight into the hospital. She was pleased to find that there wasn't much of a crowd in there either as she stepped through the automatic doors and made her way to the front desk. A young nurse was sitting there and she regarded Emma carefully. Emma held up her badge and she seemed to relax then.
"How can I help you, detective?" She asked as she flipped some dark hair over her shoulder.
"Detective Swan, SVU." Emma announced. The woman's face instantly showed understanding and she nodded. She stood slowly.
"You're here for the young girl." She mumbled as she rounded the desk. Another nurse took her place instantly. "The girl is unconscious." She waved for Emma to follow her. "A nice gentleman found her and brought her in. He was worried sick. We all are."
"What's her condition like?" Emma asked as she followed her down the white hallway.
"It's not improving but it isn't getting any worse either so that's good, I suppose. She's malnourished but more so as a result of her choosing not to eat. She's also dehydrated. We found extensive injuries all over her body which point to an assault. Sexual I'm assuming."
"Was there a rape kit done?"
"Yes." The nurse answered. "I was in the room."
"And what can you tell me?"
"Vaginal tearing and bleeding. Bruising on her inner thighs, hips and buttocks. There were also some bite marks on her breasts and hand prints all over her." The nurse listed off. "There were also signs of her being tied up and burns inside of her. Most likely from being shocked."
Emma tightened her jaw and she tried to pull back her anger. At this point she just wanted to punch something and scream. She had a feeling that this would happen and to think it was worse than she could have ever imagined. That poor girl. "She hasn't woken up yet?"
The nurse shook her head. "No but she will. We believe that she has a concussion. It will take her a long time to wake up but she will."
Emma nodded. "Alright. The kit was sent in already?"
"Yes, ma'am." The women weaved around a patient in a wheelchair. "We should get the results back soon."
"Were fluids found?"
"She was covered in them." The nurse had lowered her voice, "From her chest to her crotch. There was some even up inside of her. She was full of it."
Emma wrinkled her nose. She was nauseous and she felt like she was going to be sick. "Okay."
"Emma..." She looked up to see Olivia heading her way with Elliot by her side. Emma and the nurse stopped in the middle of the busy hallway and waited for the other detectives to approach.
Detectives Benson and Stabler stopped directly in front of her. A few doctors huffed as they had to move around them. Emma didn't particularly care though. She had more important things on her mind.
"Sorry to pull you away from your kid." Elliot said as Olivia motioned for her to follow them. They began leading Emma down the hallway again. They were still on the ground floor which meant that Regina was still in triage and she hadn't been admitted yet. "I know how hard it is to get time with your kid."
"Eh..." Emma shrugged. "It's the job. Sucks big time but he understands."
"Welcome to SVU." The man said dryly. Emma looked over at him. Stabler had been on the job much longer than she had. He had kids about two times her own son's age. With that he must have been called away from them often or had to work late. He must have broken promises and missed parties, recitals or games before. From what she could tell his kids didn't hate him so, maybe there was hope for her and Henry yet.
"Yeah..." She sighed. "Well, the girl?"
"Oh Hispanic, brunette, late teens, brown eyes. She's about 5'4, under one hundred pounds." Olivia began listing off. "Trauma relating to sexual assault."
"She was found by a Mr. Calvin Wilson." Elliot read from his notepad. "A driver who happened to be driving by and saw the girl passed out on the street."
Emma nodded. "Does this Calvin Wilson have a record?"
"Nope. Clean as a whistle no priors. A few tickets is the most we've found." Olivia replied.
Emma nodded again. "Okay so what's his story?"
Elliot sighed and looked down at his pad again. "He was driving home from a night shift. He was coming down Soho then he saw what looked like a body. He stopped the car, climbed out and checked them. He saw that it was a young girl and that she was still breathing so he gathered her up and put her in the backseat of his car and brought her here."
"He's still here waiting to hear if she's alright." Olivia added. "In case you want to speak to him yourself."
"Nah. You can cut him loose. Just tell him not to go far. I might have more questions." Emma just wanted to see Regina and find out what kind of state she was in. "He gave you the exact address of where he found her?"
Olivia responded. "Uh huh, Munch and Fin are over there now."
Emma nodded. Their team was always on it and organized. That is why they're the best at what they do. "Great."
"This is it right here." Olivia said as they came to a room. Emma glanced in through the open door but she couldn't see much. She could hear the beep of machines but that was about it. She could only see the girl's sock covered feet because the rest of her was covered by a blue and white curtain.
She inhaled sharply when she realized that Regina wasn't moving. She knew that she was unconscious but she was hoping she would have awoken by the time she arrived but she hadn't. Emma gave the other detectives a nod and then the nurse.
She then stepped inside of the room without a word. The first thing she noticed was a how quiet it was and the second thing was that it was cold. She needed to remember to ask the nurse for another blanket for Regina.
Regina's bed was all the way at the back by the window and the other bed that was closest to the door was empty. She wondered why that was but it was probably for the best though. She doubted Regina would want any company when she awoke.
She walked up to Regina's bed. She took a deep breath and reached out a hand for the curtain. She wrapped her hand around the soft material and began pulling it back to unveil the occupant of the bed.
What she saw shouldn't have shocked her given her line of work but it did. Maybe it was because she knew the victim when she was awake and somewhat healthy but she could barely stand the sight of her like that.
Regina was lying on the hospital bed. Her eyes shut which were both black and blue all around them and swollen. She was a sickly pale color. Skinny, frail and weak. Her face was covered in red marks and bruises. The girl's lip that was covered in a dark lipstick last time Emma saw her was now split and swollen. Emma's eyes traveled down to the teen's throat which was sporting an angry red mark like someone had strangled her. Her wrists were bandaged up and one of her arms was in a sling.
The rest of her from her collar down was covered up by the hospital gown and blanket. Emma was slightly thankful for that because she couldn't take much more.
"The doctors expect her to make a full recovery." Emma heard Olivia say from behind her. "There is no serious head trauma and her organs are fine."
"But she never will be..." Emma whispered. "She will never be okay after this and she trusted me."
Olivia fell silent and just watched Emma as she internally berated herself. She's been there. In fact they all have. "You know it's not your fault, right?"
"Isn't it?" Emma asked dryly.
"It's not." She placed a hand on Emma's shoulder. "It's the perp's fault. The monster who thought it would be a good idea to rape a seventeen year old and nearly beat her to death. You did your job, Emma. She didn't want to talk and you couldn't make her. There is nothing you could have done."
"Why doesn't that make me feel any better...?" Emma whispered, her eyes not leaving the girl before her.
"Because you won't until you catch that son of a bitch." She gave Emma's shoulder a squeeze. "Listen, have I ever told you the story about the case that almost made me quit?"
Emma shook her head without looking up. "No. But according to Munch you almost quit a lot of times."
Olivia chuckled. "That's true. This job wears on you that way but in the end you wonder who would do the job if you won't. Most people don't have the compassion and passion that we have for this job. Some see these victims as just that but we see them for what they are, people. People with families and feelings. This job needs people like us."
Emma looked over at Olivia then. She had a point. She doubted that any of the homicide detectives could do her job as well as she did. They didn't have it. Most people didn't have it. "You're right."
Olivia smiled a bit. "So this case... this woman came into the station claiming that she had been raped. She was completely wasted, sloppy drunk, screaming about someone locking her in a dungeon and forcing her to marry him."
Emma made a face. "What?"
"Exactly. I didn't believe her. I figured she was drunk and maybe she imagined that. I sent her home to sleep it off. Didn't hear from her again so, I forgot about her all together. Some time later the same thing happened again. A victim came up with the same story and another and another. It took me a moment to put the pieces together but then I realized that the woman had been telling the truth."
"What happened?" Emma was curious.
"I felt so guilty because I thought I had let her down. I was going to walk right out of the station without looking back but I didn't. Someone told me that I needed to stay because these people needed me."
"Did you catch him?"
Olivia snorted. "No. Someone killed him."
"Oh..."
"Yeah but what's important is that I stayed because regardless of my mistake I never gave up. What you can do for Regina now is find who did this to her. Lock them up and make her feel safe again. Don't beat yourself up."
"Okay." Emma sighed. Liv is right. She needed to get her head in the game. "Let's do this."
Olivia nodded her head. "Okay so can you confirm that this is the girl that you saw in the station?"
"That is Regina Mills." Emma said. She was positive.
"What was the name of her school again?" Olivia asked.
"Tribeca Preparatory Academy." Emma muttered.
"I'm going to see if we can get some phone numbers for her. Perhaps her mother."
"When you do... can I do the call?"
Olivia watched Emma for a moment and gave her shoulder another squeeze. "You got it." She said before pulling her hand away. Emma watched her go until she slipped out of the room.
She turned back to Regina. She was thankful that she wasn't hooked up to any tubes or machines. The most she had was an iv drip. She looked so pained even in sleep and Emma wondered if she should mention that to a nurse so that they could give her something. Well, it wouldn't hurt.
She reached out and took Regina's hand into her own. It was so cold because the room was. She gave it a squeeze. "Regina," she whispered. "It's me Detective Emma Swan. We spoke before, a few weeks ago. I really wanted to help you then and I really do now. I really need you to wake up now so you can tell me what happened to you." She watched Regina for a moment. There was no signs of her rousing. She nodded to herself. "That's okay. You don't have to wake up before you're ready but I promise I will find out what happened to you and I will protect you."
She knew that Regina could hear her in her sleep and she hoped that her words resonated and gave her some sort of comfort. She rubbed her thumb across the back of the smaller hand in her own. "You will be okay." She whispered again. "I swear to you."
She placed Regina's hand down on her stomach and began heading for the door. She looked over her shoulder one more time before slipping out into the hallway. She found Elliot leaned up against the opposite wall watching Olivia as she had the phone cradled between her shoulder and ear while she jotted something down in her note pad.
"Okay thanks." Olivia said into the phone. "I will let you know something as soon as we can. Bye." She hung the phone up and sighed. She looked over at Elliot then to Emma. "That was the school. They gave me Regina's home number, her mother's cell, her cell and the mother's office."
"Did they have any numbers for the dad?"
Olivia shook her head. "According to the school Regina's father is not allowed to contact her so they are not to contact him."
Emma furrowed her brow at that. That's weird. "Did they say why?"
"Nope."
She pushed off the wall and handed Emma the notepad. Emma accepted it and looked down at Olivia's handwriting. She envied how neat her writing was. Emma's was like chicken scratch and only she could make sense of it.
She fished her phone out of her pocket and stepped aside. She decided to call the mother's cell.
She began dialing the number. She took a deep breath and hit call. She pressed the phone to her ear and waited. It only rang about twice before it was picked up.
"Cora Mills. Talk." A cold female voice said through the line. Emma wrinkled her nose. She partially hoped that it was not Regina's mother but she knew that it was.
"Hello Miss Mills, this is Detective Emma Swan of the New York City police department." Emma introduced herself professionally. She paused to see if the woman would ask any questions but instead she remained silent. Emma cleared her throat awkwardly. "Miss Mills, I am calling about your daughter."
"Oh dear, which one?" Cora sighed with annoyance. Emma's brows rose. Regina has a sister? This is new information.
"Um... a Regina Mills."
"My youngest." Cora sighed. "What has she done now?"
Wow. Emma cleared her throat again trying to rein in her anger. Cora is the perfect example of a mother who doesn't care about her children. Emma hated parents like that. That was mostly all she ever encountered in the system. To think that Cora could care less about her own flesh and blood was upsetting. "Um... no. Regina has been hurt. She was found this morning on the street unconscious and beaten and apparently raped. She was brought into the hospital."
There was a moment of silence and Emma wondered if Cora did care after all. "Is she alive?" She asked dryly. Emma sighed deeply. Silly her for thinking that this woman had a heart.
"Yes but she hasn't woken up." Emma explained. "I would like for you to come in and give a positive ID on her."
Cora sighed. "You're saying that as if I am identifying a body."
In a way she was. Regina could not say who she was. For now it was just hearsay. "I just need to make a positive ID so that I can move forward with my investigation."
"Do you have any suspects?"
"Not yet. I would like to speak to you when you arrive though." Emma explained.
Cora huffed in annoyance. "When should I come?"
"To see your injured daughter?" Emma asked in surprise.
"You did say that she was unconscious." Cora pointed out simply as if she was talking about the weather and not her daughter. "What would my presence change?"
Emma took a deep breath. "In case she wakes up. She might want to see her mother."
Cora sighed. "Fine. Where is she?"
"New York Presbyterian." Emma said dryly.
"Alright. I am leaving my office now." Cora announced.
"Great. See you then." Emma said before disconnecting the call. She knew that it was rude practically hanging up on a victim's mother but she couldn't deal with Cora anymore. She hated her already. Poor Regina.
Emma pocketed her phone and headed over to Elliot and Olivia who were watching Regina through a little window in the wall of her room. Both of their arms were crossed and they were in a similar stance. That must be a result of working together for so long. She wondered what habits she and Graham would share in a few years.
"Spoke to the mom." Emma announced gaining their attention. They both looked over at her at the same time. "She's a real bitch."
Olivia smirked while Elliot chuckled. "How bad?" He asked.
"She could care less about this kid." Emma replied. "She literally behaved like I was asking her to let me pull her tooth when I asked her to come in and identify her daughter."
Olivia shook her head. "That's terrible."
"Poor kid." Elliot added.
Emma rolled her eyes. "Man, if someone told me Henry was hurt I would be a nervous wreck. I would fly to wherever he is to be with him."
Elliot shrugged. "Me too. But all parents aren't like us. Their kids aren't their priority."
"Then why have them?" That's a question Emma had about her own parents. She couldn't bear to think of not being in her kid's life or not loving him.
"Who knows." He said simply. "Some people just need someone weaker and smaller to push around."
Emma shook her head and folded her arms over her chest. "That is disgusting."
"Welcome to SVU." Elliot said repeating his earlier statement.
"Parents can be just as bad as the strangers." Olivia muttered. "It's a terrible reality."
Emma sighed deeply. That was sadly very true. She's seen it for herself. She turned to look at Regina. She was still unconscious and much too still. She just wished the kid would wake up. "Poor kid." She muttered more to herself but the other detectives nodded in agreement.
Emma decided to sit with Regina as they waited for Cora. The girl hadn't woken up in the hour that Emma had been sitting there. She watched the kid carefully and every once in a while glanced at her chest waiting for the rise and fall. It was weak but it was there. Regina seemed to be in a lot of pain and very tired. Whatever happened to her must have taken a lot out of her but she obviously still had a lot of fight in her.
Emma reached out and carefully wrapped her hand around the girl's smaller hand. She gave it a squeeze. She looked up into Regina's still emotionless face.
"Hey." Emma whispered as she rubbed her thumb back and forth across the girl's smooth skin. "I'm going to find out who hurt you and I swear I am going to protect you. You don't have to be scared anymore. The only one that needs to be afraid is that piece of shit that violated and beat you because I'm coming for him. I will make him pay, Regina. I swear to god, I will make him pay for even laying a hand on you. No one will hurt you again as long as I'm around."
She knew that that was a big promise, one that she may not even be able to keep but she meant every word. She will protect Regina and she will catch whoever hurt her. She knew that this kid had no one to look out for her but now she had Emma. Emma was a protector by nature and Regina was in good hands with the detective looking out for her.
She felt Regina's hand move a bit and then a squeeze to her own hand. Emma gasped and looked down at the hand that was tightly wrapped around hers, holding on for dear life as if Emma was a lifeline. She allowed it, imagining that Regina needed to feel safe.
Emma looked into Regina's face again. She was still unconscious but her expression had relaxed considerably. Apparently she was feeling safe with Emma. Which was good but Emma hoped she would open her eyes soon.
"Oh Regina..." She heard a voice coming in through the entrance to the room. Emma turned her head to find a woman standing there.
She was in a black pantsuit over a red, button down, silk blouse. The suit jacket was closed. She was wearing black pumps and her dark hair was styled to perfection. Her dark makeup and red lipstick gave away who she was. She looked like an older version of Regina. The resemblance between the two women was uncanny down to the woman's petite frame. It was more than obvious where Regina had gotten her beauty.
Emma reluctantly released Regina's hand and stood to her feet. She turned to address the new person in the room. She gave her a small friendly smile. The woman hadn't even acknowledged her presence for her dark eyes stayed on her child in the bed.
Emma inhaled a deep breath then stepped around the chair and began heading her way. She needed to get back to work.
"Hello, I'm detective Emma Swan." She said as she approached the woman. She offered her hand once she was within reach. The woman politely shook it and her eyes slowly drifted to Emma. "We spoke on the phone."
Cora seemed to snap out of it then. "Oh yes. Yes." She said quickly. "I am Cora Mills. Regina's mother." Emma nodded. That was a positive ID. Emma had been right but she hated that she was right this time. "What happened?" Cora breathed.
Emma could see the tears building up in her eyes and she could hear the shake of her voice. Either the woman was a pretty good actress or she really did care after all. She didn't know which it was at the moment. "She was found out on the street by a driver. He pulled over, picked her up and brought her here. She was observed and they found that she had been savagely beaten and raped repeatedly. She was found in her underwear so there was no ID on her and she was a Jane Doe for a while. A rape kit was done and we're waiting for results."
"Where was she found?"
"Gold Street?" Emma replied. "Does that sound familiar? Does she know anyone from over there?"
Cora shook her head. "No. My daughter's world is very small. It's restricted to her school and our neighborhood."
Emma nodded. She pulled her notepad out of her jacket pocket. "Does she-" she began but Cora cut her off.
"You said she had no ID so how did you know it was Regina?" Cora asked. "Did she wake up at some point?"
Emma shook her head. She was unsure how much to tell so she was honest. "Regina came to my station a few weeks back. She said that she was raped. I tried to get some info from her but she retracted the statement and left."
"Raped?" Cora asked in disbelief. "Someone had hurt her before?"
"Yes. That's what she said."
"Could this be related?"
Emma frowned. "I wouldn't know until I collected more evidence."
Cora folded her arms over her chest. "Alright. What do you need to know?"
Emma clicked her pen. "Where were you last night and this morning?"
"At work. I pulled an all nighter."
"Can anyone vouch for that?"
Cora nodded. "Most of my staff."
Emma would ask for their names and numbers later. "And you had no idea your daughter was missing?"
Cora cleared her throat. "Regina never leaves at night. I figured she was safe."
Well apparently not. "So you don't know where she was the night before?"
Cora reached into her purse and pulled out a face tissue. She sniffed a bit. "No. She didn't say that she was going out. I didn't speak to her last night and now I wish that I had."
Emma felt something in her gut that didn't quite sit right with her and she was sure it was not the cheap coffee that she had earlier. "Mrs. Mills, I'm sorry but I have to ask, is there anyone that would want to harm your daughter?"
Cora looked up at Emma like she lost her mind. As if the idea of anyone wanting to harm her little girl was completely crazy. "Everyone loves Regina. She's so sweet and quiet. She's also so beautiful."
"You mentioned another daughter. Is her relationship with her older sister okay?"
Cora frowned. "Regina hasn't seen her sister in at least three years."
Emma nodded. That was strange but she decided to leave it alone for now. "What about friends? Would Regina had told her friends where she was going or if anyone was bothering her?"
"Regina doesn't have any friends." Cora muttered as she dabbed at her dry cheeks with the tissue. "Well not anymore. Regina had a friend once named Kathryn Nolan. They were friends all through elementary to junior high but after they stepped into high school they stopped speaking. Regina retreated into herself and Kathryn became a social butterfly."
Emma nodded. She's heard tell of that happening. Sometimes people grow out of each other and go in different directions. That didn't make this Kathryn Nolan kid a suspect. "Is there anyone else? Every kid has friends."
Cora's eyes drifted to her daughter then back up to Emma. She let out an irritated huff. "There's this girl. Mallory Grey. I told her to stay away from my daughter but she doesn't listen. Regina is drawn to her for some reason and she confides in her even though I wish that she wouldn't."
Emma furrowed her brow at that. "Why not?"
"The little tart is nothing but trouble." Cora bit. "She parties, stays out all times of night and drinks. I'm pretty sure she's into hard drugs. The only reason she latched onto my daughter is because my child is weak. Regina is naive and innocent. A perfect target for predators like her."
Hmm. "Do you think she could have hurt your daughter?"
Cora shook her head. "No." She said without hesitation. "She wouldn't harm my daughter. She's a lot of things but I know she would never do anything to purposely hurt Regina."
Emma would still like to speak to her and see what she knows. "Do you know where I can find her? I have some questions for her."
Cora nodded. "Yes. She goes to Regina's school. Tribeca Preparatory Academy."
Emma looked at her watch and nodded. She still had time. "Great." She mumbled as she jotted down this new information. Maybe Mallory knew something. Any information would help. "Thank you, Mrs. Mills."
Cora dipped her head in acknowledgement. "Are we done here? May I go be with my daughter?"
"Um... of course." Emma stepped aside. Cora gave her a small smile and walked passed her and up to her daughter's bed. Emma watched the woman for a moment. Just observing to see what she could find about her actions.
"Oh Regina..." Cora whispered as she brushed some of her daughter's dark hair away from her forehead. "What happened to you, my love?" Of course the girl didn't respond not even physically. Cora hummed then kissed the girl's forehead. "Don't worry. Everything is going to be okay."
She sat in Emma's vacated seat and took her daughter's hand into hers. She kissed the back of it and gave her a squeeze. She looked so worried and upset. For a moment Emma thought that she had been wrong about Cora and she did care after all. She was just putting up a front to seem brave in the situation. She understood having to be strong.
Emma nodded to herself and decided to leave them be. She began heading for the door to begin her investigation but Cora's voice stopped her.
"Detective?" Emma paused in the doorway and turned to acknowledge Cora.
"Yes?"
"Please find whoever hurt my daughter." Cora whispered. "Please."
Emma nodded her head slowly. She would. "I promise." She said softly before leaving the room.
She glanced into the little window to see Cora looking up into her daughter's face. Apparently pleading with her to wake up. Emma shook her head before heading down the hallway. She swore she would find who ruined this family's lives and she planned to follow through.
Thanks for reading.
Btw Mallory Grey is Maleficent. That's usually her name in my AU stories since she doesn't have a cursed name.