A/N: Here is another chapter! Thanks for all the reviews! I love hearing for all of you! Enjoy!

Emma and Ella

Chapter 11: Cave in

"Ella?" Emma called from where she was laying on the mine floor. She had been knocked down and knocked out from the cave in. "Ella? Are you okay?" She had no idea how long she had been out.

When no reply came, she tried to adjust her eyes to see in the dark cave. She could only make out rocks, many rocks. She didn't see a sign of Ella anywhere. She had only been a few feet from her when the cave in started. She couldn't be far.

Emma tried to get up, only to realize that her arm was pinned down under a good size rock. She whimpered in pain as she felt the pain that was coming from her body. She didn't realize she had hurt more than her head until now. She felt like she had been run over by truck or something.

This isn't good. No one knows we are here and I am stuck. Who knows how Ella is doing. I only hope she isn't as stuck as I am. Maybe I can get my arm out of here. Emma thought before trying to pull her arm out from beneath the rock. She grimaced as it just made her arm hurt more. She couldn't get it out. She looked around and realized that she was trapped not only under the rock, but also in the mine. It looked like the entrance was closed off. She started to panic as she realized that there was no way out.

*****OUAT*****

Ugh why does my head hurt? My bed is so hard and I'm so cold, where did my blankets go? What's going on? Ella's eyes popped opened and she looked around a pitch dark place. She tried to get up, but she was stuck where she was. She felt like something was against her chest causing her lungs to feel tight.

What is going on? Where am I? Why can't I move? Ella thought as she struggled against whatever was keeping her down. She groaned in pain as she moved her leg and pain shot up from her knee. The pain was so bad that she passed out from it.

*****OUAT*****

"What? By the mine?" David asked in confusion. Why would she be by the mine? "Thank you, I'll head that way."

David hung up and drove off towards the mines. When he got there, the dust was settling. "No! Emma? Ella?" David called as he started into the mine, but then saw quickly that he'd have to get help to get the girls out. He ran out of the mine and dialed up Sean again.

"There was a cave in and the girls are trapped inside."

"More than one? I thought it was just Emma?" Sean said in confusion.

"Ella was with her too." David told him as he ran a hand through his hair in worry for the girls.

"Oh my goodness. You need help getting them out?" Sean asked.

"Yes. Would you mind gathering up some help and meeting me here?" David asked.

"Of course." Sean said. "We will get there as soon as we can."

David hung up and called Mary Margaret. He left a message for Mary Margaret letting her know about the situation. David hung up and called a couple more people to come and help him get the girls out before heading back into the mine to start moving the rocks to get to the girls.

David worked for a good 30 minutes before breaking through to see there was a break in the rocks. That's when he saw one of the girls. He carefully went over to see it was Emma. "Emma!" David called to her as he knelt down beside her.

"Dad…" Emma breathed in relief and awe that he found her.

"Hey sweetie, I am here." David said as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I am going to get you out of here." David told her softly as he looked her over and found that her arm was stuck under a big rock.

"Don't know…where Ella is…" Emma tried to tell him, but was out of breath and having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

"I'll find her. Now, I am going to pick this rock up and I want you to try to move your arm out from under it, okay?" David asked.

"I'll try." Emma said with a grimace at the thought of moving her arm.

"Good girl." David said softly at his brave girl. "On the count of three, try to pull your arm out okay?"

"Ok." Emma told him.

"One. Two. Three." David picked up the rock. He could tell Emma was trying to pull her arm out, but wasn't quite clearing it from the rock so he had to move it despite its weight. He got it on the other side of her, but clear of her. However, when it landed it started to roll and hit the wall causing the cave to start to rumble.

"Dad?" Emma asked in panic as she heard the noise.

"It's alright." David said quickly before he leaned down and sheltered Emma in case another cave in started. Dust came down around them and only a few rocks fell, but none of them hit them thankfully. "We're okay…" David paused when he heard coughing, but it wasn't coming from Emma or himself. Ella.

"Dad…is that Ella?" Emma asked, but was out of breath from the pain and the fear of another cave in.

"I think so. Just hold on a second and I am going to see if I can get to her. I'll be right back." David told her as he framed her face with one of his hands.

Emma nodded with a wince. She didn't want him to leave her, but she also was worried about Ella.

David smiled softly at her before standing up and starting to where he heard Ella's cough. "Ella?" David said softly before seeing a shoe stick up in a pile of rocks. His heart sunk down in his throat before he quickly made his way over to her. When he saw the boulder that was pinning her to the ground, he grimaced and quickly knelt down to see if she was conscious. "Ella?"

She opened her eyes slowly and coughed a little more, but she looked like it was causing her pain. "Da.." Ella started. David presumed she was trying to say his name, but in fact she almost said Dad, but she started to cough again.

"Shh…I'm here." David told her as he smoothed the hair on her head in a soothing manner.

"Can't…. move…" Ella told him through shaky breaths.

"I'll get you out, but I have to get Emma out and get help to get this off you." David told her.

Ella looked up at him in panic. "Don't leave…please…don't.."

"Shh…sweetie." David said, feeling terrible at having to leave her. He kissed her forehead. "Can you be brave for me, honey?"

Ella nodded through her tears.

"Good girl." David said, but then realized how cold it was in the cave. He took off his coat and covered her with it. "Now, I'll be right back."

Ella's face scrunched up like she was about to cry, but trying to stay strong. David wished he didn't need to leave her alone, but he needed to get Emma out of there and see if help had come to help him get Ella out. He was very worried about her injuries being under the boulder and all the rocks.

He left Ella reluctantly and went back to Emma. "Alright, let's get you out of here." David said as he carefully picked her arm up to set it on her chest to keep it from getting jostled. He then picked her up as carefully as he could, being careful not to jostle her too much. He didn't know what injuries she might have other than her arm.

Emma whined at being moved.

"I'm sorry, honey." David told her softly as he started to head out of the mine.

When he got out, he saw that people were arriving to help. He also saw Mary Margaret and was relieved.

"David! David! Is she alright?" Mary Margaret asked in panic as she saw Emma.

"She will be." David said before setting her down on the ground. "Could you stay with her while I go back in?"

"Did you find Ella? Is she alright?" Mary Margaret asked in panic as she sat beside Emma, lifting her head so it was in her lap.

"I found her, but she is under quite a bit of rocks. I need help to get her out, but she is conscious." David told her slowly. He didn't want to worry her or Emma, but it didn't look good. He was very worried about her. "Can you call 911? We will need an ambulance to take them to the hospital."

"Of course." Mary Margaret answered, but she could tell that David was worried about Ella.

David looked down at Emma and smiled. "I'll be back, sweetie."

David then grabbed the men that came to help and led them into the mine to where Ella was.

Ella had been waiting for him to come back, hoping that there wouldn't be another cave in while he was gone. Whenever the cave made a sound, she was worried that it was going to come down on her again and he wouldn't make it back to her in time.

She was trying to be brave for him, but she was having a hard time. If another cave in happened, she could die or be trapped until she died. They may never find her if it happened. She closed her eyes tightly as she hoped he'd come back soon.

"Ella? Ella, sweetie, I'm back." David said as he knelt down beside her and realized she had been crying. She opened her eyes and looked at David with relief in her eyes. "Let's get you out of here. I brought some help with me." David said as he looked over at Sean, Leroy, Walter, and a two other men from town.

They started to work at getting her uncovered, but left the boulder for last.

"I'll pull her out when you guys lift it up." David said getting ready to pull Ella out from under the boulder as quickly and carefully as he could. "Ok, Ella. This may hurt, but we need to get you out from under there, okay?"

"Ok." Ella said, but looked scared. She was already hurting from all the rocks they moved off her.

David nodded to the men.

"On three. One, two, three." Sean said and on three they left and David pulled Ella out as quickly as he could. Ella groaned in pain and almost passed out again.

"Shh. It's done, now." David said as he held her carefully in his arms as the men set the boulder down.

David carried her out as carefully as he could. When he got there he saw two ambulances. Emma was being loaded up in one of them as Mary Margaret was watching them.

Two paramedics came up to him with a stretcher and he carefully laid Ella on it.

Ella started to panic when she was set down. "Don't leave me…" Ella cried out.

"I'm not leaving, I'm right here." David told her as he took one of her hands gently into his own.

Ella was freaking out at the two paramedics started to strap her onto the stretcher. She didn't want to go to the hospital. She knew that they would poke and prod at her until they figured out what all was wrong with her. She didn't want to go through all that pain. She was hurting enough right now.

"Ella!" Mary Margaret yelled as she ran over to her daughter. "Are you okay, baby?"

"Fine, mommy." Ella muttered out of habit and David shook his head. Out of all the times, she said she was fine she said it right now? She was so far from fine it was almost funny she was saying that she was fine!

"You are not." Mary Margaret said before kissing her forehead before looking at David. "Thank you so much for getting her out."

"No thanks needed." David said sincerely.

"Emma wanted me to ride with her, but…." Mary Margaret said feeling rather torn. She wanted to be there for both girls, but she really needed to be with her daughter.

"It's alright. I'll ride with her, she'll understand." David said and started to let go of Ella's hand, but as he did Ella gasped and tried to grab on to it again.

"Don't go…" Ella tried.

David felt so torn between both Ella and Emma, just like Mary Margaret, but in the end he needed to be with his daughter, just like Mary Margaret needed to be with her daughter.

"Sweetie, David needs to go stay with his daughter. I'm staying with you, baby." Mary Margaret told her daughter gently.

Ella wanted to tell them that she was his daughter too, but that was too many words and she didn't have the energy to get it all out. She also knew that someone needed to be with Emma, but she just wished they could both stay with her. She needed them, but so did Emma.

"I'll come check on you later, Ella." David told her as he touched her check gently before heading off to get into the ambulance Emma was in. He knew that she would be freaking out by now.

"Em?" David said softly as he got up and saw her looking anxiously at the inside of the ambulance. When she looked at him, she settled some.

"Where's Mary Margaret?" Emma asked in confusion. She wanted them both there with her.

"She's with Ella, honey." David told her softly. "But I'm here now."

Emma nodded, but wished that they could both be there with her. She didn't know why, but she felt the need to have both of them. She knew Mary Margaret wasn't her mom and David was only her foster dad, but she felt safer with both of them or at least better with one of them.

"You will see her later. She has to stay with Ella right now." David told her gently seeing the sad look in her eyes. The same look that he saw in Ella's eyes. For some reason, they both wanted both of them, as if they were a family already. It felt like they were in some ways and he hoped one day they would be, but they weren't to that point just yet.

Once both girls were loaded on the ambulances with their parents, the ambulances rushed off towards the hospital.

Hope you liked this chapter! :)