Cursed Hearts

Severance, Part Two

"Emma, what exactly happened out there?"

The blonde automatically tensed- her mother hadn't stopped asking her that question ever since she returned. She had become a ticking time bomb, unsure of how much more prodding she could take. Of course her family just had her and Regina's best interest at heart, but it was sure testing her sanity.

"I already told you everything," Emma replied, trying to remain level headed, "Regina was in a really bad state- when I go back, I'll definitely have to be more convincing."

It was early in the morning, and Emma was definitely not in the mood to fight with her mom. The coffee was brewing, morning light still creeping up the apartment windows.

"Emma- I've seen her like that before," Snow carefully began, "I know how to convince her. That castle was my home."

Her conviction was obvious. Yet, the main reason why Emma was holding back was because of what she had seen in that small room with Cora and Leopold. Snow didn't deserve to know about that side of her father. As insistent as she was about taking her place, Emma wasn't too sure how good her memory was about her life back then.

"I know," Emma said softly, leaning up against the kitchen counter, "I just... want to protect you. I've already experienced the trauma of it all, it makes sense for me to go back."

Snow knew her daughter was holding back; it was infuriating. She wished there was a way to read her mind so she could truly understand the trauma the blonde spoke of.

"It should be the other way around- I should be protecting you."

Avoidance was definitely her thing, especially in the more recent years. Pretending like something never happened had gotten her through the day countless times, and that morning was no different. Tending to pouring herself a cup of coffee, Emma forced the memories of Regina with a distant look in her eyes out of her mind.

"I've seen far worse things in my lifetime," Snow continued, stepping closer to force her to engage, "we have to do all we can to save her."

Emma sighed heavily, knowing how stubborn she was. "Good luck getting David to agree with that. Whoever the lucky winner is should go this afternoon- Tink and I got the spell ready to go late last night."

As if on queue, Charming entered the kitchen, still looking half asleep. "Don't tell me you're still thinking about going," he began, giving her a concerned look, "it's too da-"

"But you're okay with our daughter going?" Snow abruptly cut him off, her voice sharp, "everyone seems to forget that I'm capable of doing these things. I know it's been a decade, but I'm still me."

Both Emma and David were at a loss of words for a second, surprised by her outburst. Deep down, the blonde knew her mother had a point. Every minute spent arguing was a minute Regina spent locked away somewhere unimaginably awful.

"Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea," she finally admitted, turning to face David. "She's right about knowing that castle better than anyone."

Charming furrowed his brow, his attitude about the whole ordeal impenetrable. Walking over toward his wife, he gave her a stern look as he took her hands in his. "If something happens while you're there, you'll be trapped there too- I wouldn't know what to do with myself if that happened."

She gave him a reassuring smile in return. "Remember all the trouble we used to get into after we first met? This is a walk in the park compared to all of that. Through thick and thin, we always find each other."

Emma had to keep herself from rolling her eyes- it had been a few years since she had heard her mother say their famous saying. Her words seemed to be working on David, who gave a reluctant sigh after a second or two of thinking things over. Everything she said was true, they had been through much worse.