Finding You ( A sequel to A thief who stole her heart)

1. Denial

Emma felt as if her body was on auto pilot. She managed to lie down in the backseat of her beetle the whole duration of the drive home. In real time, they had traveled a short distance. However, for Emma time went by like late afternoon traffic; it barely moved. When her mother, Mary Margaret, parked the car outside of their apartment, Emma only blinked. Her father, David, came to the passenger side to carry a still-unconscious Regina inside.

"Emma?" Mary Margaret called out softly. Emma turned her head upwards to look at her, but said nothing.

"Can you move, do you need help?" She asked her. Emma shook her head. Mary Margaret let out a soft, worried sigh as she stepped back and waited for Emma to exit the car.

After a few more seconds passed by, Emma forced herself up from the backseat and out of the car. Once she was on her own two feet, the world around her began to sway. She placed a hand over her spinning head and Mary Margaret quickly reached out to steady her.

"Emma!" She screamed worriedly.

"I'm f—fine." Emma mumbled. With Mary Margaret's assistance, Emma made her way inside.

David stood nearby Regina and watched as his wife and daughter came inside. He noticed that Emma seemed to look wearier with each passing second and it filled him with worry. He had no idea what to say in order to comfort her. It was moments like this that he felt like a failure as a parent. He looked into Mary Margaret's eyes and could see that his emotions mirrored hers. Like the optimist she was though, she tried her best to hide it, seeing that motivated him to do the same.

"Emma," David called out to her gently. She looked up at him with glossy eyes, tears threatening to pour out any minute.

Emma fixed her mouth to say that she was okay, but she couldn't speak. All that came out was a choked out sob. Mary Margaret furrowed her brows and placed her arms around her daughter. David pulled the two of them in his arms and allowed Emma to cry and let everything out.

It was a different sight to see her so vulnerable, but they felt touched that she was seeking their comfort. No one spoke. The only noise was Emma's weeping.

Emma allowed herself to be pulled into her parent's warm embrace. She wanted to be strong so badly; she wanted to put on her best poker face, but she couldn't. She felt as though a dam that had been holding everything in had just been broken inside her. All of the anger from Neal leaving, the confusion that he caused when they were reunited, the love that she so desperately tried to suppress, the fear of letting him get too close, and now the fear that he might be gone out of her life forever. It all came rushing out in hot tears.

Emma hugged Mary Margaret tighter as her mind replayed what had happened a few moments ago. Neal letting go of her hand and telling her that he loved Henry and her all before falling through the portal and being ripped out of their lives.

A loud knock sounded behind the trio and Emma felt her stomach drop. What now? She thought. Couldn't I mourn for 5 minutes without having to deal with some other crisis in this town? Why couldn't I ever get a break? Emma said to herself.

"Wait here," David said as he went to the door. Mary Margaret nodded as she still had her arms around Emma. Emma decided to let him handle whoever it was and remain in her mother's arms. She just didn't have the energy to help anyone right now.

"Gold, what do you want?" David asked.

"Where is he?" Mr. Gold barked angrily. Gold walked into the apartment without waiting for an invitation. David let out of frustrated sigh and shut the door behind him.

"Who?" David inquired.

"Don't play with me, Sheppard, where is my son?" Mr. Gold hissed. Emma squeezed her eyes at the mention of Neal. It was too soon, far too soon.

"Gold..." Mary Margaret started. She felt briefly intimidated by his presence, but she was going to protect her daughter as best she could.

"Snow White," He returned as he made his way closer to mother and daughter.

"What is going on here? What is wrong with them?" He began to ask as he took note of a grieving Emma and a motionless Regina.

"Miss Swan, where is he?" He directed his question to Emma.

"Let's talk outside. Man to man," David suggested. He knew Gold wouldn't take his son's death lightly, but he wouldn't have him harming Emma in any way.

"I have nothing to say to you." Gold spat. "I want to talk to her." He said.

"Well you can't," Mary Margaret said firmly.

"I watched you all. After you left my shop, I watched you. I saw everything up until Tamara confronted Miss Swan. For some reason everything vanished after that. What happened, where is my son? I will not ask again." Mr. Gold demanded.

Suddenly Mary Margaret's arms were no longer around Emma. Emma opened her eyes and saw her mother, who was frozen in horror and gasping for air. She looked to her left and saw her father in a similar state.

Panic seized her and for a moment she didn't know what to do.

"What are you doing?!" She yelled at Mr. Gold.

"Getting answers," Gold answered coldly.

"Stop it," she told him. She could feel her heart beat increase rapidly as she watched her parents being choked.

He said nothing and only continued his magical assault on them.

Too overcome with emotion, Emma felt as if she had no choice but to fight magic with magic. She threw her hands up and hurled a huge white ball his way. He fell backwards to the ground and Emma quickly cast a protection spell around her parents. They dropped to the ground taking in large breaths of air.

"Emma," David choked out.

"You shouldn't have done that," Mary Margaret warned.

"I had to." She said in a small voice. Gold was scrambling to his feet and Emma raised her arms to prepare to defend her family again. As he was about to break her invisible shield, a burst of red, hot magic flew in between them.

"Would someone mind telling me what in the hell is going on?" Regina demanded. They all turned to see her standing with fire balls hovering over her opened palms.

Emma breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to engage in a full out war with Mr. Gold, especially not now, and was ever grateful for Regina's interruption.

Mary Margaret was the first to speak. She briefly went over Regina's rescue but was careful to leave out any details pertaining to Neal.

"Well I guess you expect me to thank you," She said sarcastically when Mary Margaret finished.

"It was the right thing to do." David spoke matter-of-factly.

"Well it doesn't make up for you killing my mother." She spat at Mary Margaret.

"We saved your life, Regina. It wouldn't kill you to show a little gratitude." Mary Margaret argued.

"Enough of this! Where is Baelfire?" Mr. Gold's voice boomed.

"He's dead." Emma looked him dead in the eyes and spoke the words. She felt as if she should be the one to tell him although she refused to believe it herself. As she spoke, she felt as though the rest of her heart shattered.

Mr. Gold said nothing. He whisked himself away and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"I--," Regina stumbled, "I'm sorry." She was at a loss for words and felt completely out of place. She decided it was best she left too and soon disappeared in her own magical cloud.

Emma sank to her knees and covered her face in her hands.

"Emma," Her parents both called out and rushed to her side. Once again, they wrapped their arms around her and whispered words of solace. Emma continued to cry into her hands and wished desperately that somehow, some way, Neal would walk through the door and tell her everything would be fine.