What Once Was Mine

8.

A few days later...

It had been five days and Jamie was extremely worried as he hadn't heard from Rosalie. She hadn't texted him and didn't come to school either. Something must have happened and he was sure her mother had something to do with this.

He was so worried that he decided to go to the sheriff station for help. "Sheriff Swan? I'm Jamie Prince. My girlfriend has been missing for five days now and I'm very worried. She hasn't been in school and she isn't answering her phone." He explained to the blonde and hoped she could help him.

Emma looked at the young man and frowned. That didn't sound so good. They had just solved the Kathryn Nolan case and now another person was missing. "Well, who is your girlfriend? I'm sure we can find her." She said and offered him a seat at her desk.

Jamie was grateful Emma was willing to help. "Her name is Rosalie Gardener. She is Eleanor Gardener's daughter, the owner of the hair salon. She works for Mayor Mills as babysitter but she hasn't shown up in a week and she hasn't been in school either. I'm sure her mother has something to do with this." He explained to the blonde, sighing deeply as he thought about Rosalie. He hoped whatever was going on could be solved Rosalie would be okay.

The sheriff took some notes and frowned as he mentioned Regina. So the mayor was in this too. "What makes you think her mother has anything to do with this?" She questioned as she looked at him.

"Rosalie and I are dating in secret. Her mother doesn't let her interact with boys apart from Henry. She is extremely protective. So protective and strict that Rosalie is scared of her. If Eleanor found out about us, I'm sure Rosalie is in trouble." He explained and showed her a photo of Rosalie. He was so worried and he was sure Eleanor was behind this.

Emma looked at the photo as she listened to him. She felt bad for the girl. By the sound of it, Eleanor wasn't a pleasent person. It reminded her a bit of Regina. "Alright. I'll look into it. Don't worry, I'm sure Rosalie is fine." She told him reassuringly and then watched him leave. She grabbed her keys and drove to the mayor's office first. Maybe Regina knew something.

Jamie sighed and left to go to Granny's. He was worried about Rosalie and hoped she would be alright. He was sure Eleanor had done something to her and he didn't like it.

After a few minutes, Emma arrived at town hall and entered Regina's office. She was sure if her son's baby sitter was in trouble, Regina would know.

The mayor looked at Emma, annoyed, when she just entered her office. "Ms. Swan, what brings you here today?" She asked the sheriff and looked up from the paper work she was currently going through and raised an eyebrow at her.

Emma sat down and showed her the picture Jamie gave her. "This is Rosalie Gardener. Her boyfriend came to me saying that she has been missing for a few days now and he suspects her mother is behind this. Eleanor Gardener is your friend, right? And Rosalie works as your babysitter?" She explained and raised an eyebrow at her too. She hoped she could solve this quickly.

The brunette looked at the photo for a moment and thought whether or not she should be honest with the sheriff or not. She felt bad for Rosalie and was sure whatever Eleanor has done wouldn't be pleasent for the young girl. She regretted showing her the photos of Rosalie and Jamie though she wasn't sure why she felt so bad. She guessed she saw something in Rosalie that reminded her of herself when she was her age and deeply in love with Daniel. But she couldn't think about that now.

"Well, yes she works for me. But I also haven't seen her in a few days. I'm sure she is at home with her mother and her kids right now." She answered and hoped that would be enough information for Emma. She didn't want to admit that she was the reason Eleanor locked Rosalie up.

The blonde looked at the mayor and noticed that she was holding something back. "Do you know if she knows about Jamie and Rosalie? He mentioned they kept it a secret and her mother wouldn't be happy if she found out." She asked and hoped Regina would tell her the truth.

Regina sighed. Eleanor was her friend but she was seriously worried about Rosalie and the twins. If Eleanor was angry there was no saying what she would do. She got up and took out the envelop of photos that Sydney took of Rosalie and Jamie. "I showed her those. Sydney took them. She wanted me to keep an eye on Rosalie because she got suspicious Rosalie would be hiding something." She explained to the blonde.

Sighing, Emma looked at the photos and listened to Regina. For the first time ever she noticed something like regret coming from Regina which was odd. "Do you think she would hurt her daughter?" She questioned and hoped Jamie wouldn't be right that Eleanor hurt her.

"No. Of course not. She loves Rosalie and only wants to protect her. She wouldn't do anything to hurt her." She answered quickly, a little too quickly. She had her pokerface up again since she didn't want to expose Eleanor. It might threathen the curse. Though she worried about Rosalie, she couldn't risk the curse.

Emma nodded though she wasn't entirely convinced. She would look into it more. "Well, thank you for telling me." She said and then left. She decided to take a break and go to the diner for lunch.

When she arrived she noticed Henry sitting in a booth and sat down across from him. "Hey, kiddo." She said with a smile.

"Hey, Emma. What's up?" He asked and smiled at his birth mother.

The blonde looked at the book he was reading in before looking at him again. "I am investigating something. It's about your babysitter Rosalie. Who is she in your book?" She asked him curiously. She still didn't believe but maybe Henry's fantasy would give her some answers.

Henry frowned but then just smiled as he was happy Emma was showing interest in his book. "Uhm, she is Rapunzel." He explained and flipped through the book and showed her a picture of Rapunzel.

She did look really similiar to Rosalie, Emma had to admit. "And what's her story?" She asked curiously.

"Well, she was raised by the witch who kept her locked in the tower and one day a prince found the tower and fell in love with her. But when the witch found out she cut Rapunzel's hair and banished her to a swamp and she blinded the prince." He explained to her and shrugged. He didn't know why that was important.

Emma frowned. Something about this seemed off. "You said she was raised by the witch so isn't she her mother?" She asked him unsure. The way Regina acted when asked about Eleanor and Rosalie made her think that Rosalie might indeed be in danger and maybe Henry's book could help to get some answers.

The little boy shoke his head. "No, she isn't. In the book it says that she got Rapunzel through a deal but it doesn't say how and who her real parents are." He explained and looked at her. "So Rosalie might be adopted?" He questioned.

Emma nodded slowly. "Yes she might. Thank you, Henry." She said and then went to Eleanor's house. She needed to make sure Rosalie was really alright. She wasn't sure what to expect. The blonde walked up to the front door of the three story mansion and rang the doorbell.

Eleanor was in the kitchen while Rosalie was in the living room with the twins as the doorbell rang. "Rosalie? Can you please get the door?" She called out.

"Yes, Mother." The blonde girl answered and went to open the door. She frowned as she saw Emma. Henry had told her all about his birth mother and Rosalie knew she was the sheriff but she was confused as to what Emma could be doing here. "Hello, Sheriff Swan. Can I help you?" She asked her.

Emma looked at the young girl. She looked different than on the photo her boyfriend gave her. Her blonde hair was cropped short and she was pale. Her eyes were full of sadness. They seemed haunted almost, like something terrible had happened and then her Emma's eyes wandered to the girl's cheek. There was a bruise, barely noticable since it was covered by make up but it was there. She needed to find out what was going on.

"I...Well can I come in? I need to talk to your mother." She told the young girl.

Rosalie nodded and stepped aside so Emma could come in. "Mother! It's for you." She called out.

Eleanor frowned. She didn't expect anyone. She took off her apron and quickly cleaned her hands before going to the front door. She looked at sheriff and then at her daughter. "Go to your room, please." The older woman said in a strict tone. Whatever Sheriff Swan wanted from her, it couldn't be good.