Chapter 18

"Scarlett?" Graham gasped with shock. Was this just a hallucination? He rubbed his eyes vigorously but when he opened them again, Scarlett was still there. She sat on the couch, a juice box clutched in one hand with her teddy bear under the other arm.

"H-how did you get in here?" He asked, taking a tentative step towards her. He still couldn't believe his eyes; this had to be a trick. It had to be a trap.

"Hi Daddy!" She waved cheerfully. "Me dwink gwape juice!" She smiled adorably. Her reappearance, coupled with Emma's disappearance, made things seem very suspicious. Before he could say anything else, he found Scarlett's arms wrapped tightly around his legs.

Slowly, Graham bent down to pick up his daughter. "Scar? Is that really you?" And not a trap. He wanted to add.

"It's me Daddy!" She squealed happily. "I Scarlett!"

It had to be a trick. He knew that Regina had kidnapped her. But she felt so, so…real. He held her close, savoring her familiar Scarlett scent. There was no way a hallucination could be this realistic. Right? He had so many questions (like what in the hell had happened to Emma), but he couldn't bring himself to ask them as he hugged his daughter. He'd missed her so, so much. A few tears trickled out of his eyes as he buried his face in her pile of curls. She reminded him so much of Emma.

Just then, Mary Margaret and David burst into the room, followed by Henry.

"We got your message." David said. "What's wrong?"

And then they spotted Scarlett, nestled in her father's arms. "Wait. Scarlett?" Mary Margaret's eyes widened in shock.

"Scar!" Henry cried happily, but his grandparents held him back.

"This could be a trap." David cautioned. "We don't know if that's the real Scarlett. Or the real Graham, for that matter."

"It's me." Graham reassured them. They still didn't look all too convinced.

"What does Emma like with her hot chocolate?" Mary Margaret asked, crossing her arms over her chest suspiciously.

"Cinnamon." Graham answered automatically. It wasn't exactly common knowledge, making it the best security question.

"All right it's you." David said. "But what about her?" He gestured at the toddler.

"I don't know." Graham said uncertainly. "I just found her here, on the couch." He placed his daughter down on the couch again and everyone surrounded the toddler.

"All right Scarlett. Tell us, how did you get here?" Graham asked again. He started blurting out a whole bunch of questions, questions that had irked him for ages. "What happened? Where's Mommy?"

At the word Mommy, Scarlett's face immediately crumpled up, like she was about to start crying. "Want Mommy."

"Whoa there. If this is the real Scarlett, we don't want to overload her. She'd just a toddler." David reminded him.

Graham nodded. "Ok, Scar. Let's try this again. How did you get here?"

Scarlett shrugged adorably. "I sleep. I wake up. I here! Wif teddy!" She held up her teddy bear.

"Yes, yes ok. But what happened? To you? Who took you?" Mary Margaret asked, even though they already knew the answer. They needed to make sure this was actually Scarlett.

Her face darkened. "Bad lady. Black hair. Twied to kill Mommy." Scarlett suddenly burst into tears. "I want Mommy! Mommy!"

And in that moment, Graham knew that this was his daughter. No one, not even Regina and Cora with all of their magic, could imitate Scarlett quite so well. He knew, knew in his bones that this was the real Scarlett.

"I know, Scar. I know." He wrapped up his daughter tightly. "Shhh. Calm down. We're gonna find her. We're gonna find Mommy." He said soothingly, but even as he said it, he wasn't quite sure.

"But we're gonna need your help, Scarlett." Mary Margaret urged. "Scarlett, I know it's hard, but we need to think, ok?"

Scarlett sniffled. "Kay."

"Now, think back to when you were with Regina. Did she say anything? Did her mother, the lady with the brown hair, say anything? Anything about Mommy?"

Scarlett scrunched up her face in concentration. "I dunno." She yawned. "I tired."

They groaned in frustration.

"Maybe we're pushing her too far." Mary Margaret said. "I mean, she's just a baby."

"But we don't have time." Graham said urgently. "For all we know, Emma's dead. We failed to protect her again. I failed to protect her again." Without meaning to, tears started dripping down his cheeks.

Suddenly, Scarlett's arms were around his neck. "Don't cwy Daddy."

"Thanks." He sniffled. "I love you Scarlett."

"Wuv you too." She said.

Just then, she pointed excitedly at a picture book on the coffee table. "Mommy!"

"I know, I know." He said. "We're gonna find her."

"Mommy!" Scarlett pointed again.

"That's just a book, Scar." David held up the book. The brightly colored cover had a unicorn next to a wishing well. He flipped through it. "See, something you read."

Scarlett shook her head vigorously. "No. Mommy!"

"It's just a book." Mary Margaret echoed her husband. "Which I'm sure Mommy used to read to you."

But Henry regarded his sister curiously. "I-I think she's trying to tell us something."

"Mommy!" Scarlett repeated. "Mommy!"

"What does the book have to do with Emma?" Mary Margaret asked. "It's just a book."

"Maybe its reminding Scarlett of something Regina and Cora mentioned? Something related to Emma?" David guessed.

"But it's just a unicorn and a magic wishing well." Graham argued. "Not a swan."

"Wait a minute. Well?" Henry's eyes widened. "Well!"

"What?"

With newfound excitement, Henry held up the book in front of his sister. "Scarlett, is this what you're talking about? The wishing well?"

Scarlett nodded and clapped her hands. "Mommy!"

Henry looked back at his confused family. "They've taken her to the well."

~Long Gone~

It took five minutes to assemble all needed weapons, and another five to actually drive to the forest. Thanks to the threat of Regina, most everyone was staying off the streets in fear. They'd taken Henry and Scarlett with them, not sure if Regina or Cora would come to kidnap them if they were left home.

"Ok, everyone. We need to be careful." David advised as they approached the base of the forest. "We know that Regina and Cora have magic. They're highly dangerous." He said as he unsheathed his sword.

"Henry, I think it's best if you stay in the car with Scarlett." Graham said.

"No!" Henry protested. He held his sleeping sister in his arms. "We're coming with you!"

Mary Margaret, David, and Graham looked at each other. They knew it was no use arguing, nor did they have any time to do so.

"All right." Graham said finally. "But you're staying back. Make sure to stay hidden, and keep an eye on Scarlett. Keep her quiet."

Henry nodded. "Got it."

"Here, take this." Mary Margaret handed him a knife. "Just in case."

They set out, weapons drawn, walking single file, keeping their eyes and ears peeled for anything. Any traps or anything that could've been set out. They had no idea what to expect, but one thing was for sure: it wasn't going to be good.

"We're almost there." David whispered. "Stay close. And be very, very quiet." He whispered. Everyone nodded, their faces screwed up with concentration.

Behind here. Mary Margaret mouthed. They huddled behind a thick tree, about twenty feet from the well. The sight before them made Graham's heart clench. Regina and Cora stood in the clearing. They seemed to be poring over something. An old spell book? And next to the well was Emma/the swan. She was tied up, completely defenseless. And the worst part was, she looked exhausted, drooped over the chains binding her. Like the epitome of someone who'd given up.

"So we have to wait till sunset?" Regina squinted at what appeared to be an old spell book. "Ugh."

"Patience, my dear." Another voice said. Cora. "We'll have our revenge and no time. And we'll be home too."

Regina nodded. "Thank you. For everything, Mother."

Cora smiled. It was a creepy, bone chilling sight. "Don't thank me. Thank Emma here." She nudged the swan with the tip of her boot. "If it wasn't for her noble sacrifice, we wouldn't be able to get home."

"Of course." Regina agreed. "So all we have to do is slit her throat, er beak, right as the sun sets."

"Yes." Cora nodded. "And then we'll throw the blood into the well to make a portal. To get home."

Slit her throat? Mary Margaret mouthed, her eyes wide with anger and fear.

"Over my dead body." David whispered.

Scarlett began to stir. "Shh!" Henry hissed. "Go back to sleep."

"So what do we do?" Graham whispered. "We can't just sit back." He checked his watch. "Six minutes till sundown."

Scarlett yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Mama?" She said. "Mommy!" She squealed excitedly as she glimpsed her mother.

"Shh!" Everyone hissed automatically as they surveyed the situation in front of them. No one thought about how Scarlett knew who the swan was.

"We could wait till their backs are turned." Mary Margaret suggested, but before they could plan any further, Scarlett shot out of Henry's arms and toddled towards her mother, arms outstretched.

"Mommy!" She ran as fast her little legs could take her. "Mamaaaa!"

Regina and Cora turned towards the toddler; the surprise was etched all over their faces. "What the…"

"No! Scar!" Mary Margaret, David, Graham, and Henry shot after her. "Stop!" They came to a crashing halt, afraid to take another step, as Regina and Cora turned towards them.

"Scarlett?" Mary Margaret called. "Come back here, honey."

Regina and Cora lunched for the toddler at the same time Graham tried to. But Scarlett was too fast for all of them. And then it happened. Scarlett ran straight for her mother and hugged her tightly. The swan was enveloped in a bright yellow glow, temporarily blinding everyone, even Regina and Cora.

Scarlett stepped back from the swan, clapping her hands happily. "Mama!"

And Emma stood up, unfolding her long limbs, long blonde hair ruffling in the wind.

"No." Regina gasped.

Emma was a human again.

Author's note: Any guesses as to why/how this happened?