Today was Friday and Lily was excited and anxious at the same time. She was going to meet her mother for the first time and she was finally going to get an answer on the biggest question in her life.
Why did she gave me up? When lily was younger she sometimes wondered who this person was, how would she look like, how would she act?
But today Lily was so happy, all those questions were going to be answered.
During breakfast Lily and Emma talked and shared some experiences they had when they were in the foster system. They even found out that they had lived close together for one year just a five minute walk and they had never met. Strange how something's work out, makes you wonder if there is something bigger, something that controls our actions.
Emma and Lily were sitting on the coach of the main hall playing a game on the PlayStation when miss Mills taped Lily on the shoulder.
"Lily are you ready? Your mother has arrived and is waiting for you in the visitors hall." Emma could see the pink colour on Lily's cheeks vanishing.
"Hey it's okay." Emma rubs soothing circle's on Lily's back. "You're just going to meet her ask questions and I and miss Mills will be there to intervene when necessary."
Lily breaths deep in and out while trying to keep her nerves under control. When her heartbeat slowed down she got up and followed miss Mills to the visitors hall.
Her hands were feeling numb. 16 years, it has been 16 years when she last saw and hold her baby girl.
When she first started to look for her baby she had been 25 and her baby girl was 9. She had finally figured things out in her life but I was harder than she had thought to find her. Records had been sealed and there was no way to contact the parents who had adopted her. It took her seven years to find her, she had been so mad when she found out that she was never adopted. Her parents had lied to her when she had told her that they had found a lovely family to take care of her girl. But no, her baby girl had been alone and travelled from foster home to foster home until she ended up in this place for robbery and theft. She had fixed everything in her life and the last thing she needed to fix was this, she wanted her back, her Lily.
Miss Mills opened to door to the visitors hall and Lily looked at the only person sitting at a table looking her straight in the eye. She was a beautiful blond woman and she was looking at Lily with so much warmth. Emma took Lily's hand and guided her to the table were the woman was sitting as soon as they were within a metre of each other the woman jumped up and held Lily in a tight embrace.
It was awkward at first but after a minute Lily melted in the embrace. Taking everything she could see, feel, smell in. She didn't know why but this woman felt so familiar to her.
"I have been looking for you for so long." The woman whispers in her ear. Emma takes a seat beside Lily and miss Mills takes a seat a couple of tables away, to give them their privacy.
"You are so beautiful. I remember your eyes, we have to same eyes." The woman says while some tears are escaping her eyes.
"We do?" Lily asks in a whisper.
"You do." Emma says rubbing Lily's shoulder.
"I know you have many questions and I'm here to answered them. Ask we whatever you want."
Lily breaths in and fight back the tears that are treating to spill.
"What is your name?"
"Maleficent Dragon."
"Were do you live?"
"Downtown London. I have a two bedroom apartment. It's a lovely neighbourhood." Maleficent says reaching out for Lily's hand. Lily takes the hand and squeezes.
"Why did you gave me up?" As soon as Lily had taken her hand Maleficent had known that this was going to be the next question.
"Well let's start by saying that there hasn't been a day that went by without me thinking about you. Thinking what you are doing, if you were happy." She looks at Emma for a second. "If you had friends. I was sixteen when I had you, I had falling in love with a boy who said he loved me but when he found out I was pregnant he left. I told my parents and they were furious they wanted me to have an abortion but I refused. I wanted to raise you myself but they told me they weren't going to support me that I will have to live on the streets. I didn't want that life for you." Maleficent cups Lily's cheek.
"You deserved so much more. An adoption agency was contacted and my parents told me they had found a family for you. You would have had a mother and father. It's all I wanted for you so I gave you up. But when I was 25 I saved up money, had a new home, a job. I wanted to find you but the adoption agency had sealed the records. So I dinged a little deeper and found out that there was no adoption, no lovely family. My parents had given you to the system and I was heartbroken. I took me a while to find you again but now I have and I'm ready to be your mother, If you let me."
Lily hadn't been able to prevent to tears form streaming down her cheeks and even Emma was losing her cool and found herself becoming very emotional.
"Do… do… you really…..want to be my mother." Lily asks through her sobs.
Maleficent gets up and kneels down next to Lily so she was on eye level, looking into Lily's eyes.
"I do! I'm never going to let you go again. You are my daughter and I am your mother. I want to protect you and care for you." Lily throws herself into her mother arms and they sobbed together.
Miss Mills gets up and steps closer. "Lily is getting out next week. She will need a home." The counsellor says looking at Maleficent.
Maleficent looks up and smiles. "Lily, do you want to come live with me when you get out?" Lily didn't say anything, she just kept holding on to her mother and nodded heavily with her head.
"I will go and tell Mrs. Lucas, we need to get some papers ready." Miss Mills is smiling a radiant smile when she leaves the room.
Emma, Lily and miss Mills returned shortly after as soon as they enter the rest of the group of friends come up to them extremely interested in what happened with Lily and her mom.
"How did it go?"
"Was she nice?"
"you have to tell us everything."
All that Lily can do is smile and starts chatting away while everyone listen.
Emma steps away. She can't bear to look at Lily's smiling face anymore. She was jealous! Crazy jealous, her mother came back for her. No one had ever come back for Emma, no one ever wanted her. She walks discreet towards the toilets, she could feel her emotions running wild and if she didn't leave everyone would see her cry.
There was nobody in the toilet and Emma opens the last one locking the door behind her. She tries to fight the tears but she can't and she so tired of doing so. She let herself be weak even if it just was for a moment. She puts her head in her hands and quietly sobs.
Regina saw Emma leave. She wondered what the blond was up to and follows her towards the toilets. When she entered the toilet she wanted to make herself present and call for Emma but she changed her mind when she heard someone in the last stall. Someone was silently crying and the only person who that could be was Emma.
Regina knocks on the door and hears a gasp.
"GO AWAY!" Emma yells.
It would be easier for Regina if she just left. But Regina can't no matter how they had started out, she and the blond had become close.
"Emma?" Regina whispers.
"Get out!"
"Please Emma let me help you." Regina tries again, this time she has to take a step back because Emma throws the door open causing it to almost hit Regina in the face.
"Can't you hear me! I said get out, why won't you leave me alone!"
Regina doesn't know what to do. The blond was Cleary very angry and saying something might do more damage than good. Regina decides to do the bold thing. She grabs Emma's shoulders pulling her against her in a tight embrace.
"I'm not leaving!" She tells Emma.
Emma struggles against the grip trying to get away but Regina keeps repeating the same thing over and over again.
"I'm not leaving! I'm not leaving you! I'm not leaving, I'm not leaving you."
Emma lets out a cry and her legs give away. They were both on the ground now and Regina smiles because she can feel Emma returning the embrace. Emma is crying and Regina rubs southing circles on her back.
"It's okay Emma, your still strong. People can show weakness, it's what makes us human."
So Emma cries like she had never cried before. She buries her head in the crook of Regina's neck. This feels good. She thinks.
Emma would have never admit it but she felt safe in miss Mills arms. The woman was strong but gentle, she smelt like apples and vanilla. Probably her shampoo Emma thought. A strong feeling, a warm feeling was erupting inside of her. Something she couldn't describe, something she had been denying herself for a long time. She retracted from the embrace and looks into the counsellor's eyes. She was looking at her with so much warmth and love Emma couldn't help herself, she leans forward and kisses the beautiful brunette on the lips.
It was so soft, Emma let her tongue swipe over miss Mills bottom lip trying to deepen the kiss but a gentle hand against her chest breaks them apart.
Regina let her head rest against Emma's trying to come back to reality so she could react to this kiss in a professional way.
"Emma…" She breaths and she hates how low her voice sounds.
"We can't do this." She cups Emma cheek and looks up into the blond eyes. She was relieved to see that Emma wasn't using her. Emma's features were soft and warm.
Emma pulls at Regina's neck wanting to continue this perfect moment.
"Please, I'm not trying to hurt you. I just want…I ….I want someone to want me."
Regina can hear the despair in the young girls voice, she closes her eyes and let Emma pull her back into a perfect kiss.
Emma was lying in bed thinking about everything that happened. She had shared a kiss with miss Mills and miss Mills had kissed her back. She was playing everything back in her head, the comforting embrace, the smell, the pleading and miss Mills answering her plea.
And now it was weekend, two whole days in which she couldn't see or hear her.
Emma sits up straight and gets out of bed, she walks to her discarded clothes and grabs the piece of paper which held the phone number of miss Mills. She could call her this weekend, just to hear her voice. No, what was she thinking? She probably sounds like a crazy obsessed girl. She can survive for two days without her. She had been surviving without her for all these years. Emma got back in bed and closed her eyes trying to get some sleep. It wasn't until she stopped thinking and cleared her head that her breathing was slowing down and that sleep could find her.
The next day Emma could sleep in. Her kitchen duty was over but Emma was thinking of asking Mrs. Lucas if she could keep making breakfast. She had to admit she loved cooking even if it was something as simple as making pancakes for breakfast.
Emma was already eating when Think and Mulan joined her.
"Good morning Emma!" They both cheered.
"Hey good morning. Did you guys sleep well?" Mulan fills her plate and sits down next to Emma.
"I slept really good. The best I have slept in ages."
"It's good to hear that." Emma says, she is glad for her friend who was looking better each day after their private conversation. Tink went to sit across from Emma and has her plate filled with scrambled eggs.
"Have you seen Belle, Emma?" Tink asks.
"No why? Did something happen?"
"Counsellor Booth came to get her very early this morning. She is probably still in Mrs. Lucas office." That didn't sound good. Emma looks around just in case she spotted Belle but everywhere she looked she couldn't see the shy brunette. After breakfast they went to the main hall and decided to play a game of monopoly Disney. Lily had joined them and they all choose their favourite pieces to play with.
When they were mid game and Emma was just sent to prison Belle walks back into the main hall. Her eyes were red and poufy like she had been crying for hours. The moment Belle locks eyes with Emma she came running towards her. Emma gets up and opens her arms just in time to catch Belle. Belle is quivering and sobbing. Emma rubs her back and guides her away from all the questing eyes that were following them.
"Play without me, I will come and get you guys after she has calmed down." She tells the other girls who were getting up to come with them.
Emma didn't let go of Belle when she guides' her to Belle's room. They sit down on the bed and Emma keeps rubbing her back trying to give some comfort, trying to calm her down. After what feels like a hour Belle finally gets her breathing under control and is able to get some words out between her sobs.
"He's getting released!"
Emma breaks their embrace for a second and looks at Belle with wide eyes. "What!"
Belle nods actively and lets out a cry. "He's getting out before me because of an error. Someone has made a mistake and his lawyer used it to get him out!" Emma pullq Belle back in. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Belle father was a horrible man and Emma couldn't rap her head around the justice system in this country. First they put Belle in here because she tried to defend herself against the sick man and now they are releasing him before her.
The sound of a key being turned to unlock a door was the most beautiful but also dreadful sound she has ever heard. Beautiful because it meant she could leave her room and walk freely in the house. Not outside the house of course, he wouldn't allow it.
The most dreadful sound because she was locked up with only him and his wandering hands, his gaze that follows her across every room and is stinking breath she couldn't escape when he came close to her.
"My sweet girl, why don't you come down and make me some lunch." His voice gave her shivers but she obey his every wish.
She walks down stairs and starts preparing lunch. Grabbing a loaf of bread some lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. He watched her every move, licking his lips and breathing more heavily. When she was done making the sandwich, he came closer and put his hands on her hips pushing his body against hers making sure she couldn't escape.
"Please! Don't!" She pleaded. He pushes her back and slaps her across the face.
"You don't tell me what I can and can't do. I'm your father and you will obey me!"
Something in her snapped, everything before her eyes went dark and she couldn't make out a sound. The next thing she saw when the dark spots before her eyes disappeared was her father on the ground, holding his stomach and yelling at her.
Belle looked at her hand, white knuckles holding a bloody knife. Her gaze wasn't fixed at anything she was just staring straight in front of her. She walked to the front door and opened it. She stepped outside and went to sit on the porch. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. She stayed there until a neighbour called the police about a weird girl sitting on a porch with blood on her clothes and on a knife.
When the police asked the neighbours if the family had any history of violence. They all told them one particular thing.
"They didn't even know a child was living there."
An hour had passed, Emma and Belle were lying on to bed together Emma was holding Belle. She had fallen asleep on Emma's chest and Emma was playing with Belle's hair and watching her chest go up and down in a slow and comfortable rhythm. The silence and calm made it easy for her to think. She thought about her time in this place. She could have gotten out two years ago but this place had become something like home to her. Maybe it was time for her to grow up. She will be eighteen in just a few months, if she didn't improve her behaviour she will have to transfer to a different institution for adults but if she didn't get in trouble she will get to leave this place and be free maybe finish school. She was smart, she could do it and maybe just maybe she could become a lawyer, a lawyer who could help girls like her and Belle getting some justice.
There was soft knock on the door and Emma looks up and sees Mulan, Tink and Lily walking in holding something behind their backs. Belle stirred and opened her eyes. She saw her friends standing in the doorway and couldn't help but smile.
"What are you guys doing here?" She asks sitting up right. Lily steps forward and goes to sit on the other side of Belle draping her arm around her shoulders.
"We were worried about you and thought we could bring you something that would cheer you up." Tink and Mulan stepped forward as well revealing big brown chocolate cake with chocolate frosting on top.
"We asked miss Ruby if we could make you something but neither of us can really cook so we asked miss Ruby if she could go and buy us a cake, we all pitch in the money so we could get you a really big one." Tink cheered happily.
"You do like chocolate, right?" Mulan asks a bit insecure.
They put the cake on Belle's lap and reveal five forks. They all watch Belle taking a big bite of the cake.
Belle moaned. "This is the best thing I have ever eaten and you guys are the best friends a girl could wish for."
The rest of the day was filth with them eating the cake, chatting, laughing and enjoying each other's company.
Emma was the first one to break the silence. "Promise me something!" They all looked at her.
"Promise me that wherever we are, whenever, we will always be there for each other." Belle took Emma hand.
"I promise." Tink, Mulan and Lily did the same and made the same promise.
"We are not a family by blood but that is what makes it even better because we were able to choose our family."
They all agreed to Emma's wise words.