Emma's Daughter OUAT

Secrets

Emma sat in the dimly lit kitchen, a mug of hot chocolate in her hands. It had been only a few days since she returned from the Enchanted Forest, and she found that she couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw her perfect little face, and heard her soft cries.

The light flipped on, momentarily blinding Emma with the sudden brightness. She looked up to see Mary Margaret standing there, a concerned look on her face. "Emma? Is everything okay?"

Emma sighed. Everything was far from okay. She had been thrust into a world she didn't fully understand. A world where every fairytale she grew up hearing, was real. She had recently found out that her roommate, and the first real friend she had in a long time, was actually her mother. She barely had time to accept that her parents were Snow White and Prince Charming, when she was sucked through a portal, and taken to a place she couldn't have even dreamt of. Now she was back home, and although she was trying to find her place, she just couldn't. But despite all of this, it was far from Emma's biggest problem. The problem was that she had been keeping a secret from everyone, including her own son, and it was eating away at her.

Emma felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up into the worried eyes of her mother. It was still strange to think of Mary Margaret as the woman who brought her into the world, when they were the same age.

"Are you okay?" Mary Margaret repeated her question from earlier. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Emma tightened her fingers around her mug, and fought hard to keep her tears at bay as she thought about the nightmare that kept her from her peaceful slumber. "I'm fine." She lied. She was so used to lying by now, that it was second nature to her. She even thought she was a pretty good lier, that is until Mary Margaret called her out on it.

"No." The raven haired woman said softly. "Something is bothering you." She sat down in the chair next to her daughter, and looked at her expectantly. "I'm your mother, Emma. You can talk to me."

Emma tightened her fingers around the mug until her knuckles turned white. She knew Mary Margaret was trying, but no matter how hard she tried, Emma didn't think she could ever see her as her mother.

Mary Margaret seemed to sense her daughters distress, and sighed. "I know you don't see me as your mom, Emma, and although it hurts, I can't blame you. So if you can't talk to me as a mom, then at least talk to me as a friend. Something is clearly bothering you, and I'd like to help."

Emma bit her lip nervously. Maybe she could lie about what was bothering her. The list was so long, that she could easily come up with one that was easier to share than the truth, but deep down she knew there was no point. The truth was bound to come out sooner or later, it always did. "I've been keeping a secret since I came to Storybrooke, and the more I've gotten to know Henry, the more it's coming back to haunt me." Emma admitted.

Emma glanced up at Mary Margaret, and wasn't surprised to see the shock and curiosity in her eyes. She wanted to know more, and there was no way Emma was getting out of sharing now. The only problem now, was how she was going to tell her the news. She could beat around the bush, and try to break the news gently, or she could rip it off like a bandaid. Emma figured that ripping it off like a bandaid would be quicker and easier in the long run. She took a deep breath, before blurting it out. "I have a daughter." Once the words left Emma's mouth, she knew it was too late to turn back. It was the first time she had ever admitted them out loud, and despite the awkwardness, she couldn't help but feel a bit relieved.

Emma glanced up, expecting to see the look of shock on Mary Margaret's face. What she didn't expect, was to see David standing in the entryway, a look of shock that mirrored his wife's perfectly.

David and Mary Margaret were silent for a while, opening and closing their mouths like fish, until finally David spoke. "You what?"

Mary Margaret jumped, having not known that her husband was even awake, let alone in the room with them. She quickly turned her attention back to Emma, a million questions running through her own mind. "Emma, what do you mean you have a daughter?"

Emma bit her lip nervously. She felt like a teenager under their intense gaze, rather than a fully grown adult. "I...I had twins. Henry is a twin."

David sucked in a deep breath, and let it out. "Wow...I, uh, I wasn't expecting that."

Emma felt their eyes on her, and she wanted to do what she did best. She wanted to run. She looked around anxiously as if looking for an exit, but forced herself to stay where she was. No more running.

"You had twins?" Mary Margaret asked. "Emma, how could you keep something like that from us?" She didn't sound angry, just hurt. "We've known each other for almost a year, and you never once mentioned having another child."

Emma felt the tears sting her eyes, and blinked them back. "I know, and I'm sorry. I just...I didn't know how."

Mary Margaret took her daughter's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, and Emma was relieved she wasn't angry. "So." Mary Margaret began. "You have a daughter. Where is she?"

Emma sighed. She knew she owed them an explanation, but that didn't make it any easier. Part of her wished she had never said anything. She didn't even know where to begin. David seemed to sense this, because he gave her a gentle smile. "Why don't you start at the beginning." He suggested, as he came to stand in front of the counter.

Emma nodded. "Well, it was at one of my first appointments when they told me there was not only one, but two heartbeats. At first, I was sure it was a joke. I was just getting used to the fact that I was having a baby at all, but twins, that was a whole other story." Glancing up, Emma saw that her parents were waiting patiently for her to continue, so she did. "Henry was born first. The doctor tried to hand him to me, but I looked away. I knew that if I looked at him, I wouldn't be strong enough to give him up. It was a few minutes after they took Henry that she was born. I couldn't help it this time, and I got a glimpse." The last few words brought tears to Emma's eyes. "She was so perfect, but I knew I couldn't be a mother."

"You gave them up for adoption." Mary Margaret said, urging her daughter to continue.

Emma sighed. "I asked them to keep them together. It was my only request, and I was promised that they would. But when Henry showed up at my door alone, I realized that didn't happen. I tried not to think about it too much, because I only planned on dropping Henry off and then leaving, but I ended up staying. The more I got to know Henry, the more I started to wonder about her."

Emma felt the tears roll down her cheeks, and this time she didn't even try to stop them. "I planned to tell Henry, but the longer I waited the harder it became. I thought that if I told him he would want to find her, and because it was a closed adoption it isn't possible. I thought it was best not to tell him at all."

Emma watched as her parents let the news sink in. "I've spent the last year trying to forget, but I can't because every time I look at Henry I think about her. It doesn't help that I dream about her every time I close my eyes. I want so badly to find her, just to make sure she's okay. I want to know what happened to her."

Mary Margaret squeezed Emma's hand. "Of course you do, that's normal, Emma."

David nodded his agreement. "If you really want to find her, then we will."

Emma shook her head. "It was a closed adoption. There's no way to find her."

David and Mary Margaret shared a look, before turning back to Emma. "That's not entirely true." David said. "Gold is a powerful man, and I'm sure he could find her, if that's what you want."

Emma smiled at the thought. She hadn't even thought about the fact that Gold might possibly have the power to help them. But she also knew that everything came with a price with that man. Then again, she needed to know what happened. She wouldn't be at peace until she did. She already owed him one favor, what was one more?

"If you're serious about wanting to find her, then we're right behind you, Emma." Mary Margaret said. "We support you no matter what."

Emma looked between her parents, and saw nothing but sincerity in their eyes. She had never had anyone have her back before. Maybe having them as her parents wasn't so bad after all. Strange, most definitely, but not bad.