The Girl With a Rose on Her Forehead -Once Upon a Time Fanfiction-

Season 1: Episode 9: True North

-Mary's Apartment-

"Do you know them?" Emma asked Mary. The two stood beside each other watching the two little kids setting the table. "They said they go to your school." Emma whispered. "I've seen them, but I had no idea they didn't have parents. I don't think anyone knew about their situation." Mary said as the boy and girl ate together, looking up at the two grown ups every few seconds, looking nervous. Emma opened up a file with the children's last name on it that she got from the Sheriffs office and started to look through. "Ava and Nicholas Zimmer. It says their mother was Dorrie Zimmer...she died few years ago." Emma said. Mary shook her head, not remembering anything about a mother. "What about the father?" Mary asked. "There isn't one, or at least the kid's don't know one." Emma said, sounding more upset as she read. "What does, uh, what does social services say?" Mary asked folding her arms. Emma gave her a guilty look. "you didn't report them?" Mary asked. "I can't report them. If I do I can't help them because they will go into the system." Emma said. "The system that is supposed to help." Mary reminded her. "Yea, says the woman that wasn't in it for sixteen years." Emma said looking over at the kids as they ate. "Do you know what happens in foster care? They get thrown into homes where they are a meal tickets, nothing more. These families get paid for these kids and as soon as their to much work, they get tossed out and it starts all over again." Emma said looking at Mary. "They aren't all like that." Mary said shaking her head. "All the ones that I was in." Emma said. "So what? We're just going to adopt them? Emma we already are trying to get Azalea to open up to us. You know I'm trying to get her to live with us instead of next door. Having two more kids with us isn't going to help that. The apartment only allows so many people to a space." Mary said. "No, I know ee can't take them. But I'm going to look for their father." Emma said. "They don't know him." Mary said. "He may not know they exist." Emma said. "And what make you think that he will want them when he finds out?" Mary asked. "I'm not sure." Emma said shrugging her shoulders. "But I do know that it is hard enough to find a family to take one kid that isn't theirs let alone two. It's their best shot or- "Were going to be separated?" Both the women turned around to see Ava standing behind them with tears in her eyes. "No, that's not going to happen." Emma said. "Please, don't let it." Ava said looking over to her worried brother.

(Azalea Outfit^^^)

-Granny's Diner-

"Thank you so much for helping me darling." Granny said as Azalea stood up and dusted off her skirt. "No problem, you bough these flowers from my shop, might as well help keep them alive and well." She said helping Granny stand up from the ground. Granny had started planting flowers in front of her shop again and while Azalea was walking home Granny had called her to help with planting. She offered Azalea a quick free meal for the help but she told her that she had to be home soon. Azalea left Granny's and walked back to the apartment, dropping her stuff off in her own home before going next door to Mary's and Emma's where the two orphans were sitting in Mary's kitchen. "Your back!" Ava said getting up and greeting the teen. "Yea, I was thinking about making some cookies. Would you like to help?" Both of the kids said yes so Azelea got the ingredients out and the three started baking. Normally Azelea wasn't this outgoing with people, but she had a soft spot for children."How do you live on your own? Aren't you in foster care?" Ava asked as she stirred the batter. "I'm not apart of the foster system, but I am an orphan. I'm not sure how I avoided getting pulled into the foster system. I've just always been in my apartment beside Mary's. For as long as I can remember all the legal stuff has just been taken care of." Azalea said with a shrug, trying to remember any time she had to fill out any paperwork or anything related to her living on her own and being an orphan as a teenager. "The oven is ready." Nicholas called from across the kitchen. Ava carefully got the cookies on a pan and put it in the oven. "Now all we do is wait." Azalea said with a grin. "Maybe there is a way for us to live on our own like you do." Ava said as the cookie baked. "I hope not, I know how bad the foster system can be, but it is hard to grow up so fast and be on your own. I wouldn't wish that on anyone." Azalea said giving the girl a sad smile. About twenty minutes later the three were enjoying cookies when Emma ran down the steps with something in her hands. "I want to show you guys something." She said looking to the two children. Emma held a blanket up to the kids. "What's that?" Nicholas asked. "It's my baby blanket. I have held onto it my while life. It's the only thing I have from my parents...I spent a lot of time with kids in your situation. And all of them...all if us, we held onto stuff. I want to find your father. Is there anything of his that you held onto?" Emma asked them. Azalea looked at the white blanket in Emma's hands with her name sewed in purple thread on the side. Something seemed familiar about it but she couldn't put her finger on it. "I might have something." Ava said. "But if we give it to you, do you promise that we will stay together?" her brother asked Emma. Emma nodded, before Ava pulled something out of her pocket. She handed it to Emma and she looked at it. "A compass?" Emma asked. "Our mom kept it, she said it was our dads." Ava explained. "Thank you." Emma said. "Did you find them?" Ava asked her. "Who?" Emma asked. "Your parents?" Emma looked down, "Not yet. But I'm going to find yours." She said looking at both of them. Azalea dusted cookie crumbs off her fingers before touching Emma's baby blanket. She had never seen it before in her life, but she felt so nostalgic looking at it. The feeling of Deje vu washing over her.