A/N: Thank you for the wonderful reviews.
* we'll be getting bits of their childhood in small flashbacks
* regarding Henry - glad that you've asked :)
Very quick update, one of the chapters I wrote way back and just had to make sure it works correctly with the rest. If you spot any unclarities or something very wrong about the language, pls let me know (I'm happy to correct anything that will make the reading a better experience!). Also, if you want to share your suppositions about where the girls actually are from, add a word or two :)
In trouble
Emma leaned back on the couch with a groan. The high heels had been enough of a torture, but the whole official gown - pure hell. Especially in the hot weather of late spring.
"I sometimes lost hope we'd actually get through this" Elena slid down next to her. "With everyone repeating over and over again how brave and daring we were, orphans aiming for college! Incredible! "Are you sure you can manage, dears!" and so on. Like they never actually believed we're intelligent enough to be there. Or that we should just go and flip burgers, just because we're from a group home."
Elsa strode in, her heels in one hand, robe cleanly folded on the other.
"We proved them wrong" she pointed out with a grin. "And now we can finally stop worrying about all these stupid people and their so-called advice. I want to do something monumental to mark the day."
"Just go and take a cold shower" Emma snorted. "It's too hot for us, which means you should be sitting in shade and mainlining granita, not standing there, looking freaking perfect."
"It's the question of enough practice in being absolutely professional, no matter one's personal needs. Keep it all together, head high, and don't let them see you sweat. Lawyers are like sharks, they smell fear. I have to always maintain proper poise and be dressed just so. That much I learned on my internship."
Someone pounded on the door.
"Pizza, THAT fast?" Emma looked at the wall clock. "I just ordered it like 15 minutes ago."
Elena rose and opened the door just as another barrage of knocks started.
"Come on, you're distur..."
Two police officers seized her arms and a pair of handcuffs clicked over her wrists.
"Emma Swan, you're under arrest..."
"Excuse me?"
The policemen looked up at the other two sisters standing in the corridor.
"What?"
"Why are you arresting Elena?"
"I think they actually wanted to arrest me. Still, no idea why."
"Identification" one of the policemen finally barked the order, not releasing his hold on Elena's arm.
Both sisters shrugged and started fishing out their documents out of respective voluminous handbags. Elsa grabbed a handful of objects from hers and dug for her wallet, but Emma simply dumped the contents of her purse on the table and was looking through them, in the process dislodging the holster stuck between everything that had been stuffed in the bag.
"GUN!"
The whole thing ended up in a police station.
"So, you're saying you are sisters?"
Elsa sighed patiently.
"Yes. All three."
"So why do you two have your IDs and one doesn't?"
Elsa bit her tongue, trying not to say something along the lines of "the stupidest question of the year".
"Because your officers did not allow us to grab her bag and that is where her driving licence, her library card, her school ID and her passport are."
The captain blinked.
"So you're saying it's my people fault your so-called sister is an illegal?"
All she could do is close her eyes and breathe evenly. Even with the law school under her belt she felt somewhat unsure about the police procedures and paragraphs involved.
"What exactly were you doing in that apartment?"
Emma shook her head.
"Pardon me, what?"
"I'm asking what were you doing in that apartment"
"Living...?"
"Who let you in?"
Emma's brain screeched to a stop. And restarted on new thought path. She sighed. She straightened herself.
"Are you implying we were there illegally?"
"I'm the one asking the questions."
"Are you aware that the lease is actually mine? The officers came there looking for me specifically - although I still have no idea why - so they weren't there due to a disturbance or other random reason, they were there for me. The apartment was paid by me, personally. My name is on the building list. Our names are under the doorbell. Why are you behaving as if we've broken into it?"
"Did you?"
"Documents, please."
"I don't have any on me."
"Any type of documentation will do. European passports are OK, too."
"I have an US passport" Elena ground her teeth. "Just. Not. On. ME."
"You're making this harder on yourself. If you just hand over any ID you have, it will be much easier for all of us."
"Officer" she finally spat out. "I have no documents and nowhere to hide them. I'm wearing bloody leggings and a t-shirt, where would I be hiding my IDs, tell me?"
"Did you lose them in the sea?"
"Excuse me?"
"You should have reported that to Immigration, now I'll have to contact them..."
"My bloody driver licence is at home! The two you've sent to our flat didn't allow us to bring anything more than we had on ourselves!"
"I see an unwarranted level of aggression here..."
The Immigration officers actually managed to stay quite serious when interviewing a thoroughly pissed off Elena Swan who provided her SSN, let herself be fingerprinted and checked against the drivers' database. Even so, they did have some words for the station captain regarding the idiocy of calling Immigration on a US national without allowing said national to actually provide the documents he was demanding.
Elena was finally released, although nobody even tried to express any kind of remorse regarding her treatment
"The first thing I do when we get home I google how to sue the police..." she mumbled, sitting on one of the plastic chairs.
Elsa plopped gracelessly next to her.
"No worries, I already got all needed paperwork. Anyway, they are still holding Emma for some idiotic questioning. They think she was stealing watches. In Phoenix."
Elena's eyes bulged.
The Homicide detective who actually owned the case tore the station captain to shreds with her tongue lashing. It turned out the stolen watches were only a tiny piece of a big investigation that included three corpses, five stolen cars and a break-in.
"He... he left them in my car?" Emma asked, her hands shaking.
"Well, it would seem so" the detective's raspy voice was somewhat comforting. "If what you're saying is true, he set you up. And, I'm guessing, most probably tipped the police."
"IF? Are you implying I'm lying? I've never been to bloody Arizona! We have no time to, to, gallivant around the country!" Emma's voice broke as she hiccuped.
"Listen, kid. The guy is bad news anyway. He's wanted in at least six states. Once the labs are done with the box, we'll have the confirmation that you never touched the contents, we'll be done and you'll only be called to witness once we have him in custody and arraigned."
Emma nodded and swallowed convulsively.
"I never opened any box, we were just packing them in my trunk when he was moving."
"He wasn't."
Emma's eyes snapped open.
"He was moving his storage - his cache. He actually lives in a car."
"How...?"
"He's been doing this for ages. He steals a car nobody is using for some time - during vacation - and lives in it for a few months."
"But he always said he doesn't have a car. He used public transport..." Emma trailed off. "Ah. He didn't want us to see the mess inside?"
"Probably. Or just didn't want you to be able to identify his current car."
"God, I was so stupid..." she combed her hair with trembling fingers. "At least I can be quite sure there are no fingerprints of mine on these watches. I'll bet there are some on the box - I was straightening his stuff when we were packing it. Augh..."
"OK, kid, now, listen. I'm letting you go, just don't leave Boston. You and your sisters may be asked to witness either at court or give more detailed description to us - this time at my station, of course."
Emma nodded and smiled uncertainly.
"I hope we won't be needed" she sighed finally. "We were kind of planning to have some vacation."
The pizza delivery guy was not amused.
The court date came and they testified, assisted by "their" detective's younger brother (also a cop) with transport and all arrangements.
The whole team from support centre had their moments in front of the court, giving more strength to Emma's statements and adding new details about the secret life of Neal Cassidy, each providing some new, slimy facet of his character.
Neal had not been apprehended in time, but as one of his partners in crime was, the proceedings went smoothly, making almost sure he would not remain a free man if the police ever managed to get their hands on him.
Emma threw up almost everyday until the court session and they hoped her nervous attacks will stop after that, but her symptoms did not lessen.
Peeing on a stick gave them the confirmation of what Elsa was already suspecting.
"Fuck you, Neal" Emma growled, looking at the little plus.
"Well..." Elena shrugged. "Looks like someone already did."
"Oh, shut up."