CHAPTER TWELVE; FAMILY BUSINESS
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TERESA WAS TIRED OF RUNNING. She had been running for some time now, having been confused in the woods and not knowing how to get out and back to Storybrooke. However, after a little while, she had found the road and was now making her — she hoped — back to the town.
Finally, she made it into town and stopped running. Her hunched over, hands on her knees. Her lungs were burning and she was sweaty. She released a sigh of relief when she spotted Grumpy. She quikcly jogged over to him.
"Hey!"
Grumpy turned around and his eyes widened when he seen Teresa. "You're alive?!"
Teresa rolled her eyes. "Where can I find Snow?"
"Check the station, I heard from David that Emma wanted to see a couple people there."
Teresa furrowed her eyebrows. "The station? What — where's that?"
Grumpy pointed to the building on the corner. "Right over there, with the yellow car parked in front of it."
Teresa took off running, shouting over her shoulder, "Thanks!"
When Teresa reached what Grumpy called the station, she walked in. She could hear a voice from within the build and reconized it as David.
"Does it really matter how she got to Emma? I mean, shouldn't we be more concerned about why?"
Teresa walked down the hall and turned left, coming into a large room that contained not only David, but Snow, Emma, Henry, Regina, Hook, Elsa, Belle and Gold as well.
Teresa kept quiet, learning against the wall to see how long it took them to realize she was present.
"Obviously, she needed her for something. But what?" Regina gave a saecastic smile. "Well, that's our next problem."
"Well, we know she's hiding somewhere in the north woods. We combed every inch of her shop. We tore apart her house. She must have cleared everything out days before," David said.
"Which means she must be hiding something," Hook stated.
"But where?"
"What about her ice-cream truck?" Henry asked, stepping forward beside his Grandpa Gold.
Emma's eyebrows shot up. "Whoa, Snow Queen has an ice-cream truck?"
Henry grinned. "Yeah, Sheriff Graham got me ice cream once or twice from her truck."
David jumped off the desk he was sitting on, "Then we split up into groups. We search the town, the woods. Hook, Regina, Emma, you take the west. Gold, you're with me for the east."
"I think we all know I work best alone. Well, no time to argue that. Belle, how are you at tracking?"
"Uh, actually, I-I think I'll be more helpful at the library. Maybe I can dig something up on the Snow Queen."
Elsa rose her seat. "I'd like to come with you, Belle, if that's okay. Maybe something about my sister will be there, too. Unless you'd rather not have the company?"
Truth be told, Belle had wanted to work alone. However, she was well mannered, so she flashed Elsa a smile. "No, n-not at all. I would love some."
Henry stepped forward, looking at David. "I'll go with you, grandpa."
David glanced at Emma and Regina before turning back to Henry. Before he could respond, Regina cut him off. "Absolutely not!"
"I'm fifteen, mom, I'm not a kid anymore. I can help."
David smiled and placed his hand on his grandson's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll keep him out of harms way."
Regina sighed. She wasn't stupid, she knew her baby was growing up, she just didn't expect him to grow up so fast. She couldn't baby him forever. "Alright, but...please listen to David and stay safe."
"Which search team am I apart of?" Teresa asked, causing all heads to snap towards her.
Snow grinned and jumped from her chair. "Teresa!"
Teresa returned her smile and pushed herself off the wall, meeting Snow halfway. Snow engulfed her in a rather tight hug that made Teresa cringe the slightest. Her shoulder still hurt just a tad.
"Sorry," Snow apologized.
"How the hell did you escape?" Regina asked, shocked.
Teresa scoffed. "Why does everyone think I was dead or can't escape?" Henry smirked.
"And for your information, I — " Teresa paused, wondering if she should tell them about her powers. With a sigh, she continued, "I used my magic."
Emma's eyes widened. "Your magic?"
"You have magic?" Henry asked.
Teresa nodded. "Long story short, my mother gave me this crystal pendant so it would subdue my ice magic and keep me safe, because she didn't want me to be called a monster like she was."
"Hold up, your mother is..."
"The Snow Queen?" Teresa said. "Yes, she is. And her name is Ingrid, by the way."
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"David, Henry, call off the search party. We found the truck near the merry men's camp," Emma said into her walkie talkie. She then turned to Robin. "Thanks for keeping an eye out."
"Gladly," he replied. "You're the first sheriff I don't mind assisting." Robin caught sight of Regina and his heart soared at her beauty. He quickly caught up with her. "Uh, Regina, I was hoping we could talk."
"Um, in case you haven't noticed, I'm about to storm an evil ice-cream truck," Regina replied. Robin sighed, stopping in his tracks.
"You could have just said, maybe later," Emma whispered.
"I know you're trying to make everything better, but staying out of it is your best bet. It's bad enough I'm stuck with you and captain guy-liner making eyes at each other."
"I knew it," Teresa smirked, having sensed their feelings for one another in the Enchanted Forest.
"I don't make eyes," Emma said. Teresa snorted and walked ahead after Regina, whom opened the back of the ice cream truck.
"It appears she beat us to it. She's cleared out the vessel," Hook said, climbing into the back of truck. Emma joined him while Teresa and Regina stayed outside.
"What now?" Regina climbed in. "Should we question the cows she gets her milk from? Maybe search the waffle-cone factory?"
"Hang on. Look." Emma held up the a golden lock. "Who locks their freezer? Was she afraid someone was gonna steal the Rocky road?"
"Stand back," Hook said, gently pushing Emma toward Regina. He raised his hook and in one swift move, broke it.
Emma opened the freezer and pulled out the only thing within it: a file. "Looks like the Dairy Queen's been following me for a long time."
"Ingrid," Teresa corrected, climbing in and standing beside Regina.
"Since before foster care?" Regina asked."
Emma handed Regina a piece of paper with a newspaper clipping. "Since I landed in this world."
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"According to this, she was my foster parent for six months," Emma said as she stepped out of the back of the truck while reading the file.
"Foster parent?" Teresa asked in confusion.
"A foster parent is someone who takes care of a bunch of kids who don't have someone to take care of them," Emma quickly explained.
"Oh," Teresa said. Hurt flashed in her eyes. So she wouldn't take care of me, but she'll take care of other kids? And just like that, the anger Teresa had pent up within her heart returned.
"That's the longest I was ever in one spot, but I don't remember a second of it." Emma sat down on a log wjth a sigh.
"You all right, Swan?" Hook asked im concern.
"I'm fine. It was all a long time ago."
"Mm, perhaps, but wounds that are made when we're young tend to linger."
"How would you know?"
"Believe it or not, I was once a child."
"Yeah, like a million years ago."
"It was more like two-hundred," Hook corrected with a smirk.
Teresa's eyes widened. "You're two-hundred years old?"
"Aye, little lass. I've had my fair share of portal traveling. Neverland slows the aging."
Teresa noticed the look on Emma's face as she flipped through the file. "What is it?"
"It's a painting I did when I was in school."
"That so surprising?"
"It's not the only one. This crazy woman has a whole file of my old art projects and essays. Just like the one I have for Henry. You don't keep stuff like this unless you care about someone."
Teresa clenched her fist in anger, jealousy filling her veins.
"Well, perhaps the Snow Queen wasn't simply using you. Perhaps she'd grown fond of you over time," Hook suggested.
"Looks like the feeling was mutual." Emma held up a handmade greeting card she had made for her and read it out loud, "Thanks for being the family I never had. Love, Emma. I wrote that to her."
"Looks like you two were close once."
"But she still erased my memories. Something must have happened to change all that. There has to be a clue as to why."
"Perhaps there is..." Hook picked up the scroll in the stack of papers. Emma gently took it from him and unrolled it. "...if you can read hieroglyphs."
"This isn't from our world. What the hell was she doing with me?"
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Teresa stood in the station with Emma and Elsa, her mouth open in shock as she stared at Elsa. Her cousin.
"The Snow Queen is your aunt?" Emma asked.
Elsa nodded. "According to this heraldry book I found in the library. Her name is Ingrid, as Teresa told us before. I didn't even know my mother had any sisters. I'm as surprised as you are."
"Well, spend a little more time in this town, love, you'll realize just about everyone's related," Hook said.
"This book traces the lineage in Arendelle for generations. That's Gerda, my mother. And this is Helga and Freya, my other aunts. It appears Freya was Ingrid's twin sister." Teresa glanced at the page, smiling slightly at the pictures of her family.
"Bloody hell. Look at this one..." Hook pointed at Helga. "...she looks just like you, Swan."
"You resemble our Aunt Freya, Teresa," Elsa stated, pointing to the picture of said woman and then looking at Teresa.
"Maybe that's why she was so obsessed with you, why she kept all those relics from your childhood," Hook said.
Emma furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "She came to this world looking for blondes? There's a lot more than just me."
Hook grinned. "Don't I know it." Emma gave him a look, making Teresa smirk.
Elsa reached across the table to the stack of papers and took the scroll. "She wasn't looking for a blonde. She was looking for the savior."
"What?"
"This scroll...the writing is runic. It's a prophecy. It says, the name of the savior is Emma."
"She knew?" Emma asked.
"Before you even did. She knew you were powerful."
"But why?"
"It says it right here...and the savior shall become Ingrid's sister."
"What the hell does that mean?" Teresa asked.
"Well, my mother died, and her other sisters...she's not around anymore. I think Ingrid believes in this prophecy. I think she's looking to replace them."
"Elsa!" Belle said, rushing in.
"Yes?"
"I...I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry, but..."
"What?"
"I-I've been keeping a secret. I know your sister, Anna. She helped me once. But when I had a chance to help her, I let her down. And because I did, she was captured by the Snow Queen."
Elsa's eyes widened. "What? Where did this happen? When?"
"Arendelle...a long, long time ago. And I have no idea where she is now. But, uh, I'm afraid we have a more pressing concern. The Snow Queen has a mirror imbued with terrible magic that can do terrible things."
Teresa's eyes widened. She had seen a large broken mirror in the ice cave but had thought nothing of it at the time. Now she wished she had broken it even more.
"Mirror?" Hook asked. "Easy enough, let's just go smash it."
"It's not that simple. Rumple told me it's part of an awful spell...the spell of shattered sight. If she casts it, its magic will make everyone in Storybrooke turn on one another."
"Bloody hell. The entire town will destroy itself."
"And there'd be no one left," Teresa said. Why would my mother want this for me? For her niece? For, apparently, Emma as well?
"Except us," Emma said, glancing at Teresa and Elsa.
"What makes you think that she'd spare you and Elsa?" Belle asked. "I mean Teresa I get, she's her daughter, but you two?"
"Because of this," Emma pointed to the book, at the four pictures. "She wants it to be just the four of us. Her perfect family."
A/N: Yep, that's right, four sister's instead of three!! I had to include Teresa in it somehow.
Also, just a heads up, the next chapter will have reveal Ingrid's past and whom Teresa's father is, as well as the moment she was born.