The next morning, Mal checked on Emma and smiled as she saw her sleeping. After taking a shower, she went down and started breakfast. She didn't know exactly what Emma liked, so she planned on eggs, bacon, and pancakes.

Emma sat in bed looking out the window to the back yard and forest behind it. She thought about the last twenty four hours and couldn't help but smile. She was so tired of having her guard up, blocking her heart, blocking hope. The blonde wished beyond anything else that this would work out. She would do whatever it took to stay here, but under no circumstances would she take advantage of this situation. After using the bathroom, she slipped the slippers that were by her bed on, and went to the steps. After three, she sighed and sat.

"Mal? I…can you please help me? I'm so sorry I just can't do it on my own. It hurts."

Mal came out of the kitchen and looked up the steps. "Oh honey, don't apologize. Maybe you do need the pills today." She said, helping Emma to stand and then slowly walked with her down the steps. "Maybe you should stay down in the study until you're better."

"I can if you want, but I feel safer closer to you." Emma said, trying to hide the fear in her eyes. "I'll be okay."

Maleficent guided Emma to the living room chair so she would be comfortable, and knelt. "I'm glad I make you feel safe, so if you want to be upstairs, that's where you'll be. We'll get through this. Thank you for calling me for help and not trying to keep doing it on your own. Now, I have scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, toast, fruit and pancakes. Don't get used to it, I had a good morning. You can eat out here for now because I know it's more comfortable and I happen to have some T.V. trays." She said, setting one up.

Emma laughed softly as her stomach rumbled. "I would love it all."

Mal fixed their plates as Emma insisted on pouring their drinks. The two then sat down and had a nice breakfast where Emma took some ibuprofen. "Emma? Do you think maybe you'd want to do a little bit of shopping this morning and then we can just be lazy the rest of the day?"

"That sounds good. But let me help you clean up."

"Nonsense. I clean as I cook so all there is are our dishes and those can be left in the sink for now."

"If you're sure." Emma said and took a breath. "I…do you think you can bring something down here for me to wear?"

"Yes. I'll be right back down." As Mal went to get the clothes, the phone rang. "Can you see who that is?" She called

Emma looked. "It's Regina."

"Can you answer and tell her I'll be right there?"

"Sure." Emma swiped the phone. "Hey, it's Emma. Mal will be right down."

"Oh, hey. I didn't know you'd be awake yet. How are you feeling?"

"Like I fell off a motorcycle." Emma chuckled and then winced as the pain in her ribs hit her. "Too soon to laugh. How are you?"

"Oh I'm good. I was just calling Mal to see if I could come pick up a jacket I left there."

"I'm sure she wouldn't care if you just showed up; she doesn't seem like the kind where you, of all people, would need an appointment."

Regina smiled, biting her lip. "I suppose I wanted to make sure I wasn't interrupting anything with you." She said softly.

"Oh, well that's sweet, but please don't worry about me. We're going to do a little shopping as long as I can stand it, and then just be lazy today. It's so cool that she wants to actually hang out with me. Most foster parents just want you to stay out of their sight." She saw Mal coming down. "Oh, here's Mal." She handed her the phone and took the clothes. "Thank you."

"No problem. We'll get clothes that fit today; at least a few until you're feeling better. Call me if you need help." When Emma nodded and went to go to the downstairs bathroom, Mal smiled and picked up the phone. "Hey Gina. How's my girl?" Mal listened and smiled. "Come on over in two hours and have a lazy day with us. Bring Zelena."

"I would, but we've got some plans today. She wants a sister's day so we're going hiking. That's why I needed my jacket, but if you could maybe leave it on the swing on the front porch?"

"Yes of course." Mal said, getting it out of the closet. "Have fun and be safe."

Emma smiled at Mal's nickname for Regina. Maybe one day, she'd be Mal's girl. She looked in the mirror and her smile faded. "Who are you trying to kid? No one would claim you." She had no idea if it was her voice or the voices of past foster care providers, but she hated it either way. She got dressed, glad again for a button up shirt, and came out. "I um…I don't have a brush, does the braid still look okay?"

Maleficent smiled. "It does, but I can brush it for you if you want."

"I think I'll leave it. Is um…is it still just us today?" Emma asked, hoping she wasn't coming off as rude.

"Yes." Mal said with a smile. "Is that okay?"

"It's perfect."

About an hour and a half later, the two came back in; Emma walked slower than when they left. She paused as she took her shoes off and instead of putting them in her backpack, she left them on the shoe rack. Maleficent thought maybe it was because she was sore. "Hun, do you want me to pick them up so you don't have to bend over?"

"Um…no." Emma said, taking a breath. "I'm…I'm trying this whole trust thing out, so they can stay there."

Mal smiled at that. "Let me put the clothes away for you upstairs, you stay down here, get comfy in the study, and play around with your new phone until I'm back. I'll bring in something for lunch and some tylenol, unless you want a pain pill. It's completely okay if you do."

"I think I'll save them for at night, but I do think I may sleep down here tonight. Just the thought of going up those stairs hurts. Besides, it is comfortable in there."

Mal smiled softly. "I can stay down here if it makes you feel better. The sofa isn't too bad in the living room."

Emma swallowed a lump in her throat. "The fact that you even offered means so much to me, but I won't let you do that. Does the study lock?"

"It does; but Emma, I really don't mind."

"I know and that makes me very happy, but you need a good night's sleep too."

"We'll discuss it later." Mal said with a chuckle and took out some pajamas and other clothes. "I'll leave these down here for when you want to change."

"If it's okay, I'll change now." Emma did so and that afternoon was spent watching mindless tv that had them laughing and talking and Emma never felt more at home.

Over the next week, Emma was slowly healing. She only took a pain pill at night and was trying to get off that as well. She and Mal also spent a lot of time just talking and Emma found herself crying as she told Mal different parts of her life. "I still remember my mom…well my adopted mom." She said sadly as she and Mal sat out on the deck one evening. "I don't remember a lot because I was four when she died, but I remember feeling safe and loved until she got sick. My father tried, but he was having a hard time dealing with her sickness. I was sent away to a neighbor a lot in those final months, but I did get to say goodbye. I had no idea what my life would be like after that."

Maleficent sipped her hot chocolate and squeezed Emma's hand. "I'm so sorry you had to go through all that, Flower. Can I ask, and you don't have to answer, but how have you been living the last three years?"

Emma sipped her own cocoa but before she could answer, both Regina and Zelena came walking up the drive. The blonde gave Regina a smile but stayed quiet as they greeted Mal.

"Emma, this is my other niece Zelena. Zelena, meet Emma."

Emma smiled and gave a nod. "Hi. I've heard a lot about you."

"And I you." She said, smiling. She sat by Mal leaving the only seat for Regina, the one by Emma. "How are you healing?"

"Getting better every day. I'm going to try to sleep in my room without taking pain pills tonight. I've been in the study because it's been hard."

Regina sat down. "I'm sorry if we were interrupting. We were going for a walk and saw you both out here."

"Not at all." Mal said with a smile. "Let me go get you two some hot chocolate." She took Emma's cup to refill it.

"Thank you." Emma said and smiled as she went in. She then looked at Zelena. "So you're raising your sister now? That's awesome. You're lucky to have each other."

"Oh, Mal already raised her, I'm just…"

"You're stepping in, Zee. It is awesome and I know I'm blessed to have her." Regina said softly. "Her and Mal."

Zelena smiled softly. "Will you be going to school next month?"

Emma took a breath and nodded. "I'm supposed to. I'm scared to though. My education has never been good and I've been out of school for three years. I'm fifteen and they'll probably put me in third grade."

Mal came back out. "Emma, you know that's not true. We talked to Mrs. Nolan today and she told you they wouldn't do that."

"I know. But the other option is I'm basically by myself with a tutor all day just trying to catch up. That's not very social and honestly, I can do that on my own online."

"And that may be what she has you do at first." Mal said. "She said you'll be taking a test just to see where you're at and go from there. Emma, you'll have a say."

"Will I? I know that's what she said, but is that true?"

"Yes. I know you're not used to it Emma, but everyone here is telling you the truth. Ingrid, Mrs. Nolan, Me. We're not lying to you."

Emma looked down, taking her mug. "I'm trying to get used to it."

Zelena couldn't help herself. "Was it really terrible in the system?"

Emma let out a breath. Telling Mal her life was one thing, but telling this virtual stranger was another. "It wasn't fun. None of my social workers cared, unlike Ingrid. But that makes it hard for me to trust Ingrid."

"I'm sure she understands that." Regina said softly. "Hey, I do tutoring; maybe I can help you."

Emma smiled a bit. "Really? You'd do that?"

"Yes, of course. I'd be happy to. If you do come to school or when, I should say, I'll show you around and you can sit with me and my friends at lunch. You won't feel left out or anything. I mean, you'll still be new, but I'll do my best to make it easy on you."

"That means a lot. Thank you so much."

They sat and chatted for a bit before the girls left to go home and Emma and Mal went inside. Even though Emma was physically getting better, she and Mal both enjoyed it when Mal would brush and braid Emma's hair after she showered at night.

As Mal was humming softly, Emma spoke. "It was hell." She said, "The last three years. I slept in parks, door steps, alley ways, and school yards. Wherever I could. In the summer, I tried to stay by the river where it was cooler and in the winter, I would stay at homeless camps because they had fire pits. I got beat up so many times - even when I had nothing. I mean, sometimes it was for my shoes, for my jacket that I got from charity, for money I'd get from panhandling, but sometimes it was because I had nothing, or I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Mal finished the braid and wrapped her arms around Emma from behind. "No wonder you don't sleep fully. You're a very strong person, Emma. Not many adults could handle what you did. But can I ask why? You could have gone to social services."

Emma shook her head. "The streets were better. Mal, I was an unwanted child. See, when you don't have family fighting for you to get you back or whatever, they don't care. They save the good homes for those whose family would cause trouble, and the rest of us went to whomever would take us. They'd drop me off and never come back. Months later, some new social worker would show up or call and just look around. At least on the streets, I could leave if I needed to. I wasn't locked in rooms, tied to beds, chained to radiators, neglected or starved. I mean, I went hungry, but it was my doing, not someone else's." She sighed. "It probably doesn't make sense, but it does to me."

Mal thought for a bit as she held Emma. "I think I get it. You had control in a world where you never had it before. I can't imagine what it's like going from house to house and never knowing if you'll stay there."

"It's terrible. Every time you have to figure out what they want you to be and act like they want you to. You have to learn rules and routines and most of the time, you learned by being punished for something you didn't know was wrong."

"I hate what you've been through, but I'm so glad your journey has brought you to me." She said, kissing Emma's temple. "Pill tonight?"

"I'm glad too." Emma said, leaning against the touch. "I wish I'd have found you sooner, though it wouldn't have worked out because you'd still have Regina and Zelena." She then shook her head. "No, just ibuprofen I think."

Mal got it for her and smiled. "Okay, so the mini fridge is stocked, your glass of water by your bed. Is there anything else?"

Emma smiled. "No. Thank you Mal. I love this time before bed."

"I do too. Sleep well, sweetheart." Mal said, kissing Emma's forehead.

Emma wrapped her arms around Mal and held her close. "Thank you. You too." She smiled softly as she watched her go. She then slid out of bed and quietly locked the door before making sure the windows were secure as well. That night was the first night Emma fully let herself fall asleep feeling safe.

The clock ticked as Emma sat at a desk in the classroom answering questions on a test. She'd decided to do that math one first as she knew that was her worst subject. It started easy but quickly got hard and as it wasn't multiple choice, she couldn't just guess.

"Emma, sweetheart, don't stress. If you don't know the answer, move to the next one. It's completely okay to have blank answers." Mrs. Nolan said softly.

"Okay." Emma said quietly and tried again to focus. The woman was nice, but Emma hated tests and it was even harder when she was the only one in the room. Today would be math, science, and social studies while tomorrow would be reading, writing, and geography. Emma wasn't great at anything, but she figured her reading would probably be her best. Though she did know geography pretty well being she had found an interest in map reading at a young age. She was given an hour for each test, but was told she didn't have to take the whole time if she didn't need it.

Three hours later, she came out and smiled seeing Regina. "Hey. I didn't expect to see you here."

Regina smiled back. "Mal told me you were testing today so I asked if I could come and see if you wanted to go to Granny's with me? My friend Ruby is back from camp and works there."

"Mal said it was okay for me to go? Should I call her and make sure?"

"You can, but she did say it was okay." Regina said.

"I should call, just to make sure. Things are going so well, I don't want to mess it up." Emma took her phone out before Regina could assure her she wasn't, but she figured Emma needed to hear it for herself. "Okay, thanks. See you later." The blonde smiled. "She said it was fine."

The two made their way into town. "How did the tests go?"

Emma sighed and shrugged. "It made me realize how stupid I am."

"Hey, don't say that. You can't know what you haven't been taught. I bet you did better than you think. Besides, isn't that better than being put into a grade where you have no chance?"

"I suppose." Emma said, but remained a bit quiet.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Regina said as she stood outside Granny's.

"You didn't. I just…I don't know what the point is. I mean, do I really stand a chance at being a normal adult after all the crap I've gone through as a child?"

"Yes. It may take time, but yes, you do stand a chance and you deserve that chance. Come on, a milkshake will make you feel better."

The two went in and Regina smiled as Ruby squealed and came over to hug her. "I've missed you, Reggie!"

"I've missed you too, but do not call me that." Regina said with a blush. "This is Emma. She's new to town."

Ruby gave a friendly smile. "Hey. Nice to meet you."

Emma smiled back. "You too."

"No offense, but you can't be seventeen."

"No." Emma chuckled. "I'm fifteen, but Regina still puts up with me."

"She may be fifteen, but she's more mature than we are." Regina said, sitting at the counter. "I promised her a milkshake. How about two large oreo ones?"

"That sounds good." Emma said. "But I can pay for my own. Mal gave me money."

"Hush. I've got it." Regina said with a smile, causing Ruby to raise a brow.

"Mal? Are you related?"

Emma shook her head and looked down. "I'm her new foster placement."

"Really? That's cool. Mal is amazing; you're going to love it with her. When my parents died, my Granny took me in. I know I'm lucky to have her."

"You are." Emma said with a smile, glad it didn't seem to be an issue.

"Ruby, I know you're just back from camp, but we're busy. Regina and Emma can entertain themselves." Granny said kindly and smiled at the two. "It's good to see you both again."

Emma smiled, she had come here a few times with Mal and liked Granny. "You too."

After milkshakes were had, plans for the weekend made, and a few more nudges from Granny for Ruby to get back to work, the two left and headed back to Mal's place.

"Regina, you know you don't have to hang out with me because you feel sorry for me." Emma said quietly. "I mean, I appreciate it, but you don't have to."

"Hey, I hang out with you because I like you. You're not like the other kids around here and I love learning things about you."

"Really? Because I love hanging out with you too. You make me feel like a normal kid."

"You are a normal kid, Ems. You know, if you wanted to say you were Mal's niece, I'm sure she wouldn't care. I saw how you got a bit…embarrassed about being a foster kid."

"It's not that I'm embarrassed, it's that usually once you say that, you never see that person again. But I've seen Dr. Hopper a few times and I do need to put my past experiences behind me. It is hard, but I'm trying."

"I'm proud of you. I see him too. I have since my parents died. He's kinda nerdy but he cares and he's good."

Regina said good bye and Emma and Mal had a quiet night. The next day, Emma took the remaining tests and again was happy to see Regina waiting for her. "Come on, Mal asked me to bring you home." She said with a smile.

"I can walk home on my own." Emma said, but not in a bad way. "But it's nice to have someone to talk to." She smiled as they got to Mal's door. "Are you coming in?"

"Is that okay?"

"Yes, of course it is."

The two came in and Emma was surprised to see Mal, Ingrid, and Zelena inside with party decorations. "Happy One Month, Emma!" They called out.

"What? What is this?" Emma asked, blushing.

"You've been with me a month and I wanted to celebrate. I won't do this every month, but I wanted to make this first one special." Mal said, hugging the teen.

Emma hugged her back, holding her as she hid her face in her chest so the others wouldn't see her tears. Ingrid smiled, her own tears forming as she saw just how amazing this placement was.

"Thank you, Mal." Emma said quietly.

They had cake and all chatted before Ingrid and the girls left Mal and Emma alone. Mal sat by Emma on the sofa when there was a knock at the door.

Mary Nolan smiled as the door opened. "I hope I'm not interrupting. I just wanted to talk to you two face to face."

Emma instantly felt a stone drop in her stomach. Of course her test results would ruin the day. The three sat out on the front porch and Mary smiled. "Emma, you're right where you should be for science and social studies and only a couple years behind on math. Your reading is actually at college level and your writing is almost there too. Geography is off the charts." She said with a smile. "You're going to be just fine starting your sophomore year, but for math, I think it would benefit you to do that one on one with one of our TA's helping you to get caught up. Emma, I'm amazed at your scores after seeing your education history. You're a very smart young woman and you should be proud."

"I…really? It's only math?" Emma asked, surprised. "So I could graduate when I should?"

"Honestly, I don't see why you wouldn't. Are you okay with doing private math classes for the first term and then we'll meet and evaluate from there?"

Emma looked at Mal. "That sounds fair, doesn't it?"

"It sounds perfect, Emma. You do know though, that if you'd rather do online schooling, Ingrid said that is an option."

"I…" Emma bit her lip. "I want to try it. I kinda want to be around kids my age and try to feel normal for once."

Mal smiled softly. "You are normal, Emma. Normal is different for everyone, but I'm so proud of you."

Mary smiled as well. "Great, well I'll email Mal your supply list and schedule within the next week and we'll see you next month. I'm so excited to see you grow, Emma."

"Thanks." She said and chuckled. "Do you say that to all your students?"

"This is a small town, so we get to know each other really well. Yes, I do say that and mean it with every student."

They said their goodbyes and Emma and Mal went back to the sofa. "I guess I'm not as stupid as I thought I was."

"Well I never thought you were, so I'm glad you're seeing that you're not. Next week we'll go get some new school clothes. I miss doing that with Regina and Zelena." She chuckled.

"Maybe Regina would want to come with? Zelena too, even if she's doing her college courses online. I don't want them to feel replaced."

"Oh sweetheart, they don't. Don't you worry about that because even if they did, that would be my fault, not yours. But when you want it just you and me, I want you to tell me.""She kissed Emma's temple. "Don't forget, we have your check up tomorrow."

"Right. I should get to bed. I'm pretty tired after all that testing."

The next day, Emma was given the all clear from her injuries and though her ribs would be sore just a bit longer, they were healing very nicely. "Now, that doesn't mean you go get on a motorbike and have another accident." The nurse said with a bit of a smile.

"Don't worry, I won't be doing that again." Emma said back, though part of her wanted to defend her reasoning for doing it, she realized it didn't really matter.

The blonde had a session with Archie and was a bit clingy afterwards, which Mal was now used to. She didn't mind one bit as she held Emma and they watched TV.

"Mal? In the past, this would be when I'd start doing things without really thinking just to see if my foster family would keep me. I don't want to do that with you, but if I do, I'm sorry ahead of time."

"Honey, I expect it. Even Regina and Zelena went through that throughout their time with me. You've never had anyone fight for you, but I will. If you need to test me, I completely understand, but you're stuck with me, kid."

Emma snuggled in with Mal. "I'm glad to be stuck with you. Thank you so much, Mal. I…I love you."

Mal smiled softly, feeling tears in her eyes as she kissed Emma's head. "I love you too, Emma. Just as if you were my own."