˖ ⋆ ݁ . ˚⊹ ᗢ ⊹˚ . ݁ ⋆ ˖
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˖ ⋆ ݁ . ˚⊹ ᗢ ⊹˚ . ݁ ⋆ ˖
⊹₊‧˚𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾⋆࿐ྂ
"You're my what?" —EMMA APPEARED BEWILDERED AND SURPRISED, her eyebrows furrowed as she clutched a stack of documents, including the newspaper clipping from 28 years ago that read, "7 YEAR OLD BOY FINDS BABIES ON SIDE OF ROAD." The very same article Emma possessed.
Both sat on a bench near the playground, watching Henry play after they returned from the ice cream shop. They enjoyed their ice cream while chatting, feeling the cool breeze tousle their hair.
"I understand that it may be challenging to comprehend or being shocking but—"
"Hell yeah it is." As she got to her feet, clutching the papers tightly, she seemed a little annoyed. "Look lady, I have no idea how you managed to track me down or what your true intentions are, but let me make one thing crystal clear. You're a stalker. And a bad one at it."
"Seriously? A stalker?" Her frown was evident on her face, but there was also a hint of amusement in her expression.
Emma handed the documents back to Eva, "If you were really that other baby from 28 years ago, why haven't we crossed paths in the foster care system or anything like that? Maybe, even if you were being honest, we might not actually be twin sisters. We could've just been two unrelated babies discovered at the same Diner. Ever considered that possibility?"
She swiftly retrieved a piece of paper from her bag and scribbled a note, "Trust me, I have insider knowledge. We weren't just two random babies." Grinning to herself, she wrote her address on the paper and handed it to Emma, "If you want to learn more about the truth, meet me at my house at 07:00 this evening."
Emma scoffs, "And why the hell should I trust you?"
Eva let out a sigh as she rose from the bench, collecting her things in front of Emma with a serene smile, "Because I hold all the answers you've been searching for your entire life."
Emma remains silent, her gaze fixed on Eva with a serious expression.
Eva responds with a calm smile, "I hope you choose wisely and join me tonight. See you soon, Emma." Eventually, Eva walks away, leaving Emma standing alone, feeling both confused and irritated, as she reflects on everything that has transpired.
˚₊‧𓆩꒰ა ꨄ︎ ໒꒱𓆪 ‧₊˚
"Was that a laugh for mama? Can you do it one more time, please?" Eva smiled joyfully as she spoke in a sweet baby voice to her little one, who was happily playing with the mobile above him in his baby rocker.
Charlie was making adorable babbling sounds, attempting to interact with his mother, when out of nowhere, the doorbell chimes.
She got up from the ground with a sigh, pondering, "Hmm I wonder who that could be?" Eva rolled her eyes in realization as she felt her hair was a bit chaotic, "И мои волосы сейчас выглядят как дерьмо. (And my hair looks like shit at the moment.)"
After unstrapping her son from the baby rocker, she carried him in her arms and headed towards the door to answer it. To her surprise, it was Emma standing there when she opened the door. With a gentle yet slightly shy smile, she greeted her, "Oh, I didn't expect you to actually come."
"Yeah well Henry can be a persuasive kid..."
"Smart boy." She smiles softly. "Oh please do come in. " Eva signals her to come into the house with a gesture, and she hesitantly but warmly agrees.
As they enter the grand house, with a dazzling chandelier in the main entrance, they make their way towards the living room, which conveniently connects to the kitchen.
Eva gazed at Emma and playfully sighs, "Sorry for the mess, but it appears I have a son who has a tendency for scattering his toys all over the place." She responds with a touch of sarcasm as Charlie resumes his babbling.
Emma chuckles quietly, "No problem at all. I had no idea you were a parent. I feel much better now that I know you're not a lunatic." She added sarcastically.
"Oh come on, don't be ridiculous." She mocks and sarcastically rolled her eyes, "But yeah I recently did become a parent. I actually adopted him from the orphanage right here in Storybrooke."
"Oh, you adopted him? That's actually really sweet of you. Now I feel bad for accusing you of being a stalker earlier when you clearly had other intentions of coming to Storybrooke."
"No worries, all good." After a short pause, Eva grins at Emma and passes Charlie to her, "Just hold him for a moment, I'll be back in a second. I just need to grab something from the attic."
Emma's eyes widened as she looked down at the baby in her arms, attempting to say something to Eva, "Wait but—" however, she had already gone upstairs, leaving Emma and Charlie by themselves.
Eva then returned downstairs, carrying a large golden flowery box with her name embroidered on it. She places the box on the oak table in the dining room and gazed at Emma with a peaceful yet excited smile, "All the answers you've been searching for are in this box. Feel free to take a look."
Emma hesitates for a moment, but eventually decides to approach the box. Eva gently takes Charlie from her and puts him back in his rocker on the floor.
She then turns her attention to Emma, who was admiring the beautifully embroidered box, ready to open it. "My mother was the one who crafted and designed the box, in case you were curious." She offered a gentle smile to her.
"Your mother? Well she really has a great taste for fancy stuff." Emma remarked as she carefully opened the box. Inside, she found a familiar baby blanket. This white, woolen knitted blanket boasted a delightful purple pattern and a neatly tied purple ribbon in one corner.
However, there was one striking difference— instead of her own name, "Emma," the blanket was embroidered with the name "Eva." The discovery left her in shock, as it confirmed that Eva had been telling the truth all along. She now held undeniable evidence of their shared connection.
"I'm guessing with the way you're staring at the blanket you're realizing I've been truthful all along."
Finally, after all these years of searching, she released a tired sigh, feeling the weight and relief lift off her shoulders that she found something at least, "Yeah."
Eva rummaged through the box as well, eventually uncovering a stack of papers. With a sigh, she spoke, "These are the official adoption documents when I got adopted. And I also have the one's of the couple who adopted you first."
She furrowed her brows in confusion while speaking calmly, "Wait, adopted me first? You know about them? What the hell does that imply?"
"We were actually at the adoption agency together, but unfortunately, we ended up getting separated. Originally, my parents had plans to adopt three children — you, me and that 7 year old boy."
She sighed as she rubbed her forehead and continued with the story, "However, things took a different turn when that boy ran away with some other foster children, leaving just the two of us behind. We were about 7 weeks old. Then a couple, who had been waiting longer than my parents, got the opportunity to adopt and decided to do so immediately."
Eva cleared her throat again after her short pause, "They chose you and left me behind at the orphanage, which wasn't what my parents had intended. It was a heartbreaking situation for them, but there wasn't much they could do. They flew to Boston, sorted out all the necessary paperwork, and eventually brought me back home to Russia as their own child."
Emma remained silent, simply gazing at Eva. Unsure of what to say or how to react. Finally, she mustered up the courage to speak in her gentle tone, "I was wanted?"
She gave a small nod while flashing a bittersweet smile.
"All these years, I thought I was unwanted and unloved, but here I am learning that there were people who did want me at least. I would've had a better life I guess."
Eva closed the box and put the stuff back in, remarking, "Yeah well things can be quite misleading nowadays and people aren't what they seem to be." Her tone carried a hint of seriousness and monotony.
Her puzzled look was evident on her face, "Eva, what does that even mean?"
She chose to dismiss it with a smile, "Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."
A phone notification is heard coming from Emma's jacket pocket as she pulled it out to check the message. "Looks like I need to head out. My friend Mary Margaret is wondering where I am."
"Our mo—" Eva suddenly became aware of what she had almost blurted out, causing her eyes to widen for a moment. However, she quickly dismissed it and moved on, "Isn't she the one works at the elementary school?"
"Yeah, she does. And she's Henry's teacher as well. And my roommate." She chuckles lightly.
"Well you better get home soon so she doesn't get too worried. I'll walk you to the door."
The two ladies stroll down the hallway towards the main entrance until they arrive at the door. Emma gazed at her sister one more time, flashing a gentle smile, "I appreciate your honesty. And for sharing information with me. You didn't have to, but you did it anyway."
"Well what can I say. I've always wanted a sister."
She gives a gentle smile, "Let's grab some coffee at Granny's tomorrow. Meet me at Mary Margaret's place and I'll text you the address."
"Dude, I don't have your number." She looked visibly confused.
Emma passed her a note with her number on it. "And now you do. See you tomorrow..." she said with a soft chuckle before walking away.