See the end of the chapter for author's notes. I do not want to risk the chance of spoiling anything! Thanks for reading.

Chapter 13: Awaken

Emma's mind was in a haze, taking in more information than she could comprehend. The walk to the principal's office lasted what seemed like years, her pace getting slower and the distance getting longer with every step.

She pushed every negative thought out of her mind. Everything was alright, she rationalized. She was just over reacting. This was normal, right? Emma had never been in a school long enough to get to know the principal, but this was normal, wasn't it? Sometimes he just needed to chat with some of the students.

Killian stood silent beside her, walking at her pace. If only she could be more like him-so strong in the face of uncertainty. He never let the world see him sweat. Of course, he let Emma in, let her see him struggle, but that was it. To the rest of the world, he had his life together and he knew what he was doing.

The principal led them into his office, where Emma's stomach dropped when she saw he had two guests: Candice and Melody, Killian's social worker. Both women were dressed professionally, pencil skirts and blazers. Candice let her short blonde hair flow freely while Melody, whom Emma had only met a time or two, put her thick black hair into a bun. Their very presence let Emma know the seriousness of the situation.

"Sit down, please." The principal motioned to them as he sat behind his desk. Emma and Killian did as he said. Candice and Melody still stood off to the side, watching the two of them.

"I got a call from Child protective services this morning. It has been requested that you two-well" He struggled to explain. "I am not at the liberty to go into details, but Miss Housley and Mrs. Waters will be taking you. I'm not exactly familiar with the protocol of all of this, but they will take it from here."

There was a long pause, everyone waiting for someone else to move. Emma could hear the ticking of the clock, its every beat against the second. Eventually Melody Waters, in her singsong voice, said. "Let's get going you two."

The frustration of being pulled from room to room without any knowledge of what was going on grew on Emma. She just wanted answers. Her social workers never came and got her out of school. They always waited for her at home to tell her the inevitable bad news. But it was not supposed to end like that this time. This home was supposed to be different. Mrs. Abernathy would never send her back, would she?

The fear, the feelings of worthlessness and brokenness rose up in her, grabbing at her every thought. Her hearing was fuzzy, only processing every few words of whatever conversations were going on. Her stomach tied in an even tighter not knot. The monotonous walk down the hallway, the one she had done many times before, seemed foreign. With just one look over to Killian, she knew he was feeling the same thing.

The light blinded her when they all stepped outside. She moved closer to Killian, walking with him behind Melody.

"Emma."Candice's voice brought her out of her daze. "My car is over here."

Emma looked up, realizing what she meant. "I want to go with Killian."

"Emma, you know how this works. You have differ-"

"No." Emma grunted. "I'm going with him." She did not dare look at his face. He would tell her to comply. Or worse, he would fight along side of her and they would both get in trouble.

Candice reached towards her and Emma let out a short, high pitched scream, sounding vaguely like the word no, a scream she had been holding in.

"Emma. Now. You will see him soon, I promise." Emma knew better than to believe promises from her, but before she could fight back, she felt Killian's hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Swan. Everything will be alright. We will see each other soon, okay?" He whispered, trying to convince himself as much as her. She just nodded.

"Good." He smiled. "That's my girl."

"Be careful, pirate."

"You too, Swan."

Emma opted for the passenger's seat instead of her normal back seat spot in Candice's car. They rode in silence for the first few minutes, Emma not asking any questions and Candice not addressing her outburst.

"Are you planning on telling me what is going on?" Emma said over the radio.

"I should wait-" Candice stuttered a bit.

"You know, Killian probably got whatever happened out of Melody by now." Emma ignored her, talking as if she were in her own little world. "He's got manners and all, but that goes out the door in times like this."

"So, that means you get to find out too?" Candice smirked, somewhat in a teasing tone.

"Look." Emma said. "You've seen me through a few homes. And I like this one. You know that is rare for me. So if something is happening that is threatening my stay at this home, I have a right to know."

Candice sighed reluctantly, then said. "You're lucky we are almost there."

"Almost where?" Emma questioned.

"You sure you want to know now?" She looked over quickly to see Emma's face. "Because I'm not pulling over if you freak out."

"I'm sure."

Candice shook her head "You two shouldn't even be informed of this until later, but she requested to see you both."

"She?"

"Abernathy." Candice kept her eyes on the road.

"Why did she-?"

"Em, I'm sorry." For the first time in a while, Candice's voice sounded guinine. "She had a heart attack this morning. Around ten. We were notified immediately and asked to take you two into our services."

"You're bringing us to the hospital, aren't you?" Emma did not react to anything. She kept her mind focused on the facts, nothing more, nothing less.

Candice nodded. "She wants to see you two."

Emma bit her lip, trying to control her emotions. "Is she gonna be okay?"

"I don't know, Em. She's an older woman."

With that, the duo sat in silence, waiting for the hospital to come into sight.

Emma could count the times she had been in a hospital on one hand. Two, maybe three times. Four if she counted her birth, but since she most likely was not born in a hospital, otherwise she would not have been abandoned on the side of the road, she stuck with three.

She broke her wrist when she was five. Whether she fell out of a tree or was beaten would be debated between the doctors, Child Protective services and her foster parents. Ultimately it would not matter. Any kid who broke their arm would be too much work to take care of. She got sent back.

When she was ten, her foster parents fed her walnuts, only to find out she was allergic.

And of course, there was the Moores.

But this was different. She cared this time. The other times, she was so broken she didn't care what happened to her. Yes, she had been scared those times, but fear does not equate to caring. But this time all she wanted was for everything to be okay and go back to the way it was a few days ago.

For the first time in six months she realized she had found a home. Of course she only saw that when it was slipping from her grasp. Emma wanted nothing more than to stay with Mrs. Abernathy and Killian, even if that meant she would never get adopted. That did not matter any more. All she cared about was her home. It did not have to be perfect. It was hers and she loved it anyways.

Killian walked into the waiting room with Melody at his side. His face was pale, as if he had seen a ghost, and his hair was a mess. He obviously knew. The two walked over to where Emma and Candice were sitting and Candice and Melody excused themselves to go and talk to one of the nurses.

"She tell you?" Killian whispered when they were smiled a bit, despite everything going on. Even when he was hurting, he still always made sure she was okay.

"Yeah."

"Are you alright?"

Emma sighed. "As much as I can be. You?"

"Same, love."

They sat in a bitter silence for a moment, letting the setting sink in, before Emma spoke up. "I'm sorry."

He turned to look at her, confused. "For what, love?"

"You've been with her for a year. Your seventeen. This should have been your last home."

"Emma, don't-"

She cut him off. "You do realize that no matter what happens they are not letting us stay. Even is she is okay, while she recovers, we will have to go somewhere else. Odds are when that happens we get lost in the system."

Neither of them spoke about their unavoidable separation.

"If that's the case, shouldn't I be saying I am sorry to you. You have another three years in the system, Emma. I wanted you to stay with her."

"So did I."

Only Emma Swan could find out she had a home and lose it all within a day.

You all are gonna hate me. But I have to say, I had this plot twist planned from the very beginning. But I do have a plan! Keep reading to see how it all plays out.

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