Chapter 22

Emma floated in the water for what felt like an eternity, her heart shattered. She had spent the last two years trying to remember a woman who was right in front of her face the entire time. She had spent so long trying to remember who she was and where she came from, and her past was right there, looking back at her. Regina had been telling her she loved her for two years, but she couldn't remember the words. She couldn't remember the love of her life.

Eventually, the current pushed her toward the shore and she forced herself to swim the rest of the way, crawling onto the beach when her legs no longer had the strength to stand. She collapsed onto the sand, still stained from Regina's blood, and cried. She cried so hard her chest hurt. She cried so hard she almost threw up. She cried so hard she lost her voice. The gaping wound in her shoulder burned from the salt water and the sand, and her broken nose throbbed every time she took a breath. But none of that mattered. All that mattered was Regina. And now she was gone forever.

She looked to her right and saw Killian unconscious where she left him, a small puddle of blood collecting under his head. She walked up to him and kicked him in the crotch so hard she was sure she broke a few of her toes. It was all worth it if he woke up with a stabbing pain in the thing he used to hurt her weeks ago. She screamed a few more times until her throat was raw, then she stumbled her way back to their secret cave where she retrieved her bag, ignoring the uneaten food and the dying fire. She pulled out her phone and dialed an unfamiliar number.

"Sheriff's station," a woman's voice answered.

"My name is Emma…Eleanore Swan. And I would like to report an assault," she said, her voice raw and shaking.

"Who assaulted you, Miss Swan?"the woman's voice asked.

"Killian Jones. He attacked me and…he attacked me at the beach," she said, her answers monotoned.

"Where is Mr. Jones right now?"she asked, clearly jotting down her answers.

"He's unconscious a few feet away from me. I hit him in the head with a rock," she said, proud of her action.

"Deputy Gale is on her way, along with an ambulance. Are you safe?"the woman on the other end asked.

"Yes, I'm safe. He's still unconscious. I doubt he'll be awake anytime soon," Emma answered.

"Help is on the way, Miss Swan,"the voice said on the other end. The woman stayed on the line with Emma until help arrived a few minutes later, hanging up when she heard the deputy sheriff's voice through the phone.

"Eleanore, what happened?" Deputy Gale asked, pulling Eleanore away from Killian's unconscious body, leading her to the ambulance waiting in the street while the other EMTs attended to the unconscious man.

"Killian…he attacked me. Got me in the shoulder with that FUCKING giant fishhook he always carries," Emma said, sitting on the gurney that was left out for her. "We fought and he caught me in the nose. That's when I hit him with a rock and he went right down." Deputy Gale wrote some things down on her pad, making a note of the situation.

"If I am not mistaken, you currently have a restraining order against Mr. Jones, is that correct?" Deputy Gale asked.

"Yeah. After he beat me a few weeks ago," Emma explained.

"You didn't press charges then, do you want to press charges this time?" Deputy Gale asked.

"Fuck yeah I'm pressing charges," Emma shouted, her throat raw from screaming. Once Deputy Gale was finished taking her statement, she disappeared back onto the beach to check on the rest of the situation while an EMT assessed Emma's injuries, declaring her nose undoubtedly broken. Emma watched as the EMTs in the other ambulance pulled the gurney containing the still unconscious Killian off the beach and into the other ambulance, both of his wrists handcuffed to the gurney. The EMT working on her hooked her up to a bunch of monitors as a precaution after they loaded her into the second ambulance, following the first one to Storybrooke General Hospital.

Once she arrived, they wheeled her into a curtained area where she waited for a few hours before someone saw her. They ordered another round of X-rays for her face, to make sure nothing other than her nose was broken. When they came back clean, the orthopedic doctor came in to set her nose back into place, which was almost as painful as the initial breaking. The gash in her shoulder was incredibly deep, but luckily the only damage to the underlying muscle was superficial, which meant she wouldn't need surgery to repair it.

After hours of being poked and prodded, the bones in her nose repositioned and secured in a small cast and her skin stitched back together, she was finally free to leave. She wandered out of the curtain area that had contained her for the last several hours when she stopped dead in her tracks. Killian's angry voice echoed off the walls. Enraged once again, she followed his disgusting voice to the private room where they were keeping him, relieved that he was still shackled to the bed.

"Swan, for fucks sake, what are you doing here," he yelled, struggling against his restraints.

"I need to talk to you," she said, an eerie calm in her voice as she entered the room, closing the door behind her.

"I don't have anything to say to you," Killian snapped.

"Don't bullshit me anymore, Killian. I remember everything. I remember who I was before everything happened. I remember what happened. And I remember my name, and it's not Eleanore. So now, you're going to start telling me the truth, or I'll make sure you never get out of jail," Emma said, sternly.

"Fine. What do you want to know?" Killian said, his tough exterior falling.

"Did you actually find me on the beach?" she asked, saving the hard questions for later.

"Yeah, that I actually did."

"Why did you take me in and pretend we were in a relationship, when we weren't? I never met you before that day."

"To be completely honest, that morning a blonde chick swam up to the docks and told me to go to the beach where I would find another blonde chick that was probably unconscious. She promised me riches beyond my wildest dreams if I took you in and kept you away from the beach as much as possible."

"That's it? Money? You tortured me for seven years for money?" Emma snapped.

"Yup," Killian responded, proud of how he treated her.

"You fucking bastard," Emma said, her voice so calm it was terrifying. "Did you ever love me? Or have any feelings for me, other than the source of your big pay out?"

"Not even in the slightest. I mean, don't get me wrong, you're hot. Well, youwerehot before all the punching. And you were a good fuck, but I never felt anything for you. Just the money and sex," Killian said proudly.

"That's all I was to you? A fucking paycheck and a good lay?" Emma growled through clenched teeth, her eyes filling with tears.

"Pretty much," Killian said, shrugging.

"You're disgusting," she said, shaking with rage. "Who was she? Who was this woman who paid you to keep me away?"

"Fuck if I know. She was hot and blonde. And she showed up every month with a sack of gold coins. Started paying me double about a year ago."

Emma growled. "You were getting paid and yet you sucked every penny I worked hard to earn? You really are a fucking bastard."

"Sticks and stones, love," Killian said, sitting back on the gurney, a smug smile on his face.

"Where did the name Eleanore come from?"

"Your boat." Killian shrugged. "I saw the markings on your arm and when they asked me your name, the name Eleanore was the first that came to mind because I was cleaning Eleanore right before I found you."

"You named me after a fucking boat?" Emma yelled, her jaw throbbing from clenching so hard.

"Pretty much. Worked out perfectly, if you asked me."

Emma growled. "I hope you rot in jail."

"Yeah, I probably won't. I can charm the pants off of anyone. It worked on you for seven years." Killian laughed. Emma stared at him with fire in her eyes as silent tears fell down her cheeks. She didn't say another word, just turned around and walked toward the door, no longer having anything left to say to him.

"Hey wait. Listen. I was a bastard to you, I know that," Killian said, his misogynistic exterior fading slightly. "I took your necklace. I took it while you were sleeping to punish you for breaking my rules. It's in the old leather flask I keep in the top drawer of my dresser. I may not care about you, but you shouldn't have to suffer any longer. Go back to the house and make sure you take it," he said to her back, her shirt ripped and bloody from his attack.

"Thanks," Emma said, reaching for the doorknob.

"Hey wait. That other lady. The one you were seeing. What happened to her? Is she okay?"

"No…." Emma said, her voice shaking. "She's gone…" She walked out of the room and away from Killian.


By the time she left the hospital, it was already mid morning, the sun high in the sky as she walked out of the automatic doors into the bright sunlight.

"ELLE!" she heard from her right side. Ruby was running toward her faster than Emma has ever seen her run before. "Elle! What happened? Are you okay?" she asked, crashing into her, squeezing her friend so hard she thought her eyes were going to pop out.

"I'm okay. I have some stitches in my shoulder and my nose is broken so can we be alittlemore gentle?" Emma tried to chuckle.

"Shit, I'm sorry," Ruby said, releasing Emma from her vice grip. "What happened?"

"Killian. He found us at the beach and attacked us. I hit him with a rock and knocked him out." Emma chuckled.

"Where is the bastard now?" Ruby said, looking like she was ready to beat the snot out of Killian.

"He's inside, but once he gets discharged they're taking his ass to jail."

"Good! He deserves to rot in jail," Ruby said, anger in her eyes.

Emma yawned. "Agreed."

"Gina? Where's Gina? Is she okay?"

"That, my friend, is a conversation for a different day. I need to get some sleep, if that's alright," Emma said, desperately changing the subject.

"Elle. What happened to Gina?"

"Not now, Ruby," Emma answered, her voice filled with exhaustion.

"Elle. Is Gina okay?" Ruby asked again, grabbing Emma's hand as she tried to walk away.

"Ruby, not now. I don't have the strength for that right now. Let me get some sleep and I'll explain everything to you tonight. We'll have some drinks and I'll tell you everything. And believe me, I have a TON of stuff to tell you," Emma said. "I promise."

"Fine. I can't tonight though. Tomorrow night I'm free."

"Tomorrow night it is," Emma said, walking toward town.

"Let me give you a ride back at least. Ana said she would cover your shifts for the next couple of days until you get back on your feet. Just rest, okay?" Ruby said, gently draping her arm over Emma's shoulder.

"Thanks, Ruby." Emma smiled as they walked to Ruby's car. Emma fell asleep before Ruby even pulled out of the parking lot. Ruby helped her to her room and made sure she was alright before leaving to start work. Emma took a hot shower, dirt and blood washing away, leaving only the pain of the last twelve hours.

Regina was gone. She was gone and never coming back.

She cried herself to sleep, her dreams filled with beautiful memories of Regina, each one ending with the sight of Emma dropping Regina in the water and her sinking away forever.

She woke a while later to a hard knocking on the door. She nearly jumped out of her skin as she was startled from a deep sleep. When she didn't respond after a few minutes, the knocking continued, this time accompanied by a voice of Ruby Lucas.

"Elle, are you okay?" Ruby asked through the door. Emma crawled out of bed and opened the door to find her best friend standing there, a bag of take-out in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other.

"You're alive," Ruby joked as Emma opened the door to let her in, her eyes squinting against the bright light in the hallway.

"I thought you weren't free tonight?" Emma asked, joining Ruby at the small table in the corner.

"That was last night, dummy," Ruby said, setting a container in front of Emma.

"How long have I been sleeping?" Emma asked, searching for her phone.

"Like thirty-six hours, if you just woke up." Ruby laughed, popping the cork out of the bottle of wine.

"Shit. I guess I was tired." Emma laughed, opening the take-out container to reveal a burger and fries.

"That's the understatement of the century." Ruby laughed, emptying the bottle into two large glasses. "Go big or go home." She handed one of the glasses to Emma.

"Okay, woman. Time to spill. You've slept for a day and a half, time to dish! Tell me what happened," Ruby said. Emma took a very large bite of her burger to buy a little extra time.

"Can I at least eat before we dive into that?" Emma asked, taking another bite.

"Shit, it's bad, isn't it," Ruby said, taking a bite of her own burger.

"Yeah…" Emma said, shoving a handful of fries into her mouth, a memory of the first time Regina tried a french fry flashed in her mind. They ate in silence, Emma trying to eat as slow as possible to avoid the painful conversation that she is about to have. Once every fry had been eaten, and the containers picked clean, Ruby sat back with her wine, waiting for her friend to start talking.

"Okay…" Emma said, sitting back, taking a large sip of her wine. "First off, I have to tell you that…I remember who I am. I remembered last night…or two nights ago, I guess."

"ELLE! That's incredible! You remember it all? Everything?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah. And my first confession is this. My name isn't actually Eleanore. It's Emma," Emma confessed.

"Emma. Yeah, I can see that. Eleanore never felt right. I like Emma way better!" Ruby said, sipping her wine. "Can I call you Em?"

"If you really want to." Emma laughed. "But I think I should probably still go by Eleanore when we're in public. Especially since my restraining order and all charges against Killian are under Eleanore Swan. But you can call me Em between us if you want," Emma explained.

"Deal!" Ruby smiled, waiting for Emma to continue her story.

"Okay, so the next part is going to be a little shocking. But since we've spoken about stuff like this before, I think you'll be ok with the next part. But please, you have to promise not to freak out."

"I promise…or at least promise to try," Ruby said.

"Okay…" Emma took a deep breath and searched for the right words. "I'm not…exactly…Human…" Emma said, her face scrunching from embarrassment.

"Oh yeah. I know that," Ruby said, waiting for the hard part.

"What? How? How do you know that?" Emma asked, shock plastered across her face.

"Because I'm not Human either," Ruby admitted, nonchalantly.

"Preternatural beings can always sense each other. I could tell the moment I met you, although I wasn't quite sure what you were. I knew you aren't like me, but you aren't entirely Human either," Ruby said, sipping her wine with a smirk. "My best guess is Mermaid, since you have a strange love affair with the ocean, and the fact that Gina only ever showed up during the full moon. But then you threw me for a loop when you started seeing her other times too."

"We would meet in a secret place where she could be out in the open in her true form," Emma said, her eyes wide with shock.

"So I'm right? You're a Mermaid?" Ruby asked, her eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree.

"Yeah," Emma said, smiling. It felt great to be able to share this with her best friend.

"I knew it! Wait, what kind of Mermaid? There's different types, right?" Ruby asked, trying to understand her friend better.

"Nenriel," Emma answered.

"I've heard of them. You guys are pretty cool." Ruby smiled.

"Wait! Back the train back up for a second. What are you?" Emma asked.

"Remember when I told you about the Wolves of Storybrooke, the ones that only come out during the full moon?" Ruby asked, watching Emma's face as she started to understand.

"You're a Werewolf?" Emma asked.

"We prefer the term 'Shapeshifter' but yeah. I shift into a Wolf three nights a month." Ruby laughed at Emma's reaction.

"What about that rumor that Vampires were living in the forest?" Emma asked.

"That's very true. I knew them, but only in my Wolf form. They were the sweetest women I had ever met."

"This is surreal," Emma said, chugging her wine. "Why couldn't I sense you then?"

"I think you did and you didn't know what it was. Why do you think we became such good friends so quickly?" Ruby laughed.

"Why didn't you say anything when you realized?"

"Because you never said anything either. I figured there must be a reason you didn't tell me yourself, so I respected it. Then I found out you didn't remember who you were and I figured when you remembered, you would tell me. And look, I was right!" Ruby chuckled, kicking Emma lightly in the shins.

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Emma said, smiling the first genuine smile all day as she kicked Ruby back.

"Okay. You've dodged this topic long enough. What happened to Gina?" Ruby asked, causing the smile to fade from Emma's face.

"Her name is actually Regina," Emma said. She knew giving Ruby that little information wasn't enough, but she hoped it would buy her some time.

"That's not the information I was looking for," Ruby said, seeing right through Emma's ruse.

"Killian…" Emma said, taking a deep breath to calm herself enough to tell Ruby the truth. "He attacked us. Cut me in the shoulder."

"Yeah, that much I know," Ruby said, knowing Emma was repeating information to gain the courage to continue.

"One second, his fish hook was in my shoulder. The next, I was on the ground watching as he was burying that very same hook into Regina's stomach. And then watched his eyes light up as he did it again. That was intended for me. She pushed me out of the way and took it…to save me…" Emma said, her voice catching in her throat as tears filled her eyes.

"Oh my god, Emma," Ruby said, her eyes wide with shock.

"I caught her as she fell to the ground. That's when I smashed him in the head with a rock and he passed out," Emma said, chuckling slightly at her accomplishment. "I told her I loved her and she told me she loved me, and when we kissed, I remembered everything."

"That's amazing!" Ruby whispered, encouraging Emma to continue, knowing there was more to the story.

"I held her so tight, Ruby. I kissed her and I held her and I begged her to stay with me," Emma cried, tears streaming down her face. "But there was nothing I could do."

"Emma…" Ruby said, tears falling from her blue eyes.

"She's gone, Ruby. I swam her out to the middle of the water, I told her I loved her over and over again, and then I let her go. I let go and she fell away from me. She's gone, Ruby! I just got her back and now she's gone again," Emma cried. Ruby lunged at Emma and pulled her into a tight hug, holding her friend as she wept in her arms, her tears staining her shirt.

Ruby stayed with her for the rest of the night, allowing the blonde to curl up next to her as she cried herself to sleep, whimpering occasionally as she relived the moment she let go of Regina over and over again in her sleep.