Two Worlds, One Heart

Chapter 3

Emma stared at her parents in shock, feeling her heart slowly sinking in her chest. Seeing the look on her daughter's face, Mary Margaret reached for her hand. Out of instinct, Emma pulled away, staring down at the table. 'A twin? How is this possible? I can't believe they never told me.' The blonde's mind raced.

"Emma." David said quietly. Emma finally looked up, hiding her shaking hands underneath the table. "How could- how could you not tell me?" Emma asked. Lily brought over their drinks and the sheriff took a big drink of her cocoa, ignoring the way it burned her throat. "We're sorry sweetie we just never thought we needed to tell you. We were finally becoming a family again." Mary Margaret answered.

"I have a sister! Why would you think to keep that from me? I grew up all by myself with no parents and no other family. I finally start to trust you and now that bridge is broken again. Who knows what else you aren't telling me! For all I know, Aladdin could be my brother or Rapunzel could be my cousin!"

Regina chuckled quietly under her breath at her angry friend's comment. As soon as the younger woman turned to glare at her, the mayor averted her eyes and took a sip of water, pretending to be interested in the newspaper on the table.

Emma stood up quickly, grabbing her car keys. She couldn't be around her parents right now. "Emma, please just give us a chance to explain." David pleaded. Emma shook her head. "I just need to be alone right now." She said. Lily handed her grilled cheese to go and Emma headed to the library.

When she arrived at the library she used her key to get in. Belle was rarely in here anymore. The heartbroken woman spent most of her time in Gold's shop for hours at a time. Emma grabbed a stack of newspapers and books and got to work. She thought about throwing her sandwich out but decided against it, taking a bite. She shouldn't let her bad mood ruin her delicious lunch.

After nearly an hour of looking for her mysterious twin and finding nothing, the blonde took a break and flipped through an automotive magazine. "Any luck?" Regina asked behind her. Emma threw the magazine on the table and rested her head on her hand. "No. I can't find anything. Not even a social media profile." The sheriff answered glumly. "I may be able to help." Regina said, holding out two bottles. Emma's heart warmed as she recognized her favorite soda. "Is that a root beer?" She asked.

"Two. You got me hooked on them, Swan." Regina smiled and sat down across from her, handing her one. "So what's your big plan?" Emma asked, snapping the cap off and taking a drink. "You're not going to like this, but it involves your parents." The brunette answered. Emma frowned and set her drink down. "They lied to me again, Regina. Just when I was thinking I could trust them again. I don't have anyone else besides them and they chose to keep part of my life a secret."

Emma's eyes filled with tears, and she quickly wiped them away. "Parents lie to their children for a reason, Emma. More often than not, they're trying to protect them from something they believe would hurt their child. It's not right but you can't hold it against them forever." Regina said. "She was just a baby. We were innocent children. They didn't have to send us away. The least they could have done is let me know somehow." Emma said. "Maybe they didn't know what else to do. It's not an easy decision, but you need to do what's best for your children."

Emma nodded, trying to understand her parents reasoning behind this. "Also Emma, you're not alone. You have me. I know things have been tough with what happened with Henry, but I'm still here for you." The older woman pulled a tearful Emma into a hug. Surprised, Emma slowly hugged her back. When she felt like she didn't need to cry anymore, she pulled away. "So, Madame Mayor, what is this plan of yours?"

A few minutes later, Emma sat next to Regina with her parents across from them. Regina held a dreamcatcher in her hands. "We can use this to see your parent's memories and possibly get a clue as to where this woman is." Regina explained. "Are you sure you want to do this?" David asked Mary Margaret and Emma. Both women nodded and Regina held up the dreamcatcher. With a shimmer of light, Emma watched in fascination as the memories were brought to life.

*32 years before the curse*

David and Snow started towards the magical wardrobe as Regina's men broke into the castle down on the first floor. As they crossed their bedroom, Snow doubled over in pain as her water broke. "David!" She gasped, clutching her stomach. The prince turned from the door and rushed to her side. "We're almost there. You can make it." He said. Snow shook her head. "It's too late. The baby's coming now." Doc said, leading Snow to her bed. David kissed her forehead gently as she lay down.

"I'll hold them off for as long as I can. I'll be right back." He said, grabbing his sword. Snow could do nothing else but nod. She couldn't believe their baby had to be coming now. It was already past her due date, couldn't she have waited just a little longer? But there was nothing to be done now. The princess focused on her husband and the new memories they were going to make with their new arrival.

David defeated the first group of soldiers and by the time he ran back to check on his wife she was holding their baby. A grin broke across his face despite the serious situation they were in. As he went over to see their new little princess, Snow met his eyes, her face glowing with happiness. "Emma. You're so beautiful." David murmured softly. "She looks just like you." Snow said.

"I think she looks more like her mother. The most perfect girls in the world." David said. A low rumble outside their window cut the joyous occasion short. Dark purple smoke curled and twisted its way over to the castle. Snow looked at their sleeping child, tears in her eyes. "David you have to take the baby to the wardrobe. It's the only way we can be sure she will be safe." Snow said. David solemnly nodded and took his daughter into his arms, kissing his wife before making his way to give their child her best chance.

Guards attacked him in the hallway, and he fought them off as best as he could, shielding Emma from harm. Soon, all of the guards lay incapacitated on the ground while David got injured on the shoulder. He quickly put the baby in the portal, kissing her forehead. "Come back to us." He said before shutting the doors.

Meanwhile, Snow started to feel pain in her stomach again. "Another baby is coming." Doc said. "Another baby? Twins?" Snow cried, gasping in pain. A few minutes later, Snow held another baby girl in her arms, only this one had brown hair. "David! We had twins!" She called, cuddling her daughter close. A dark thought came over her. The wardrobe would only hold one, and the curse was already here. They were only able to save one child.

Geppetto suddenly appeared and ran over to Snow. "I can take her to the wardrobe. She can make it. But she has to go now." He said. "David already sent Emma away." The princess said tearfully. "My Pinnochio has gone too. This child can make it as well." Snow nodded, kissing her daughter on the forehead. "Goodbye, Allison." She said softly. "Allison. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl." Geppetto said, carefully carrying the baby to the wardrobe, leaving Snow to grieve for her daughters.

Geppetto bent down next to a dying David and showed him his second daughter. "Twins." David breathed, gently touching his daughter's hand. "Allison your wife has chosen to name her. I will send her to where your other child has gone. My Pinnochio will look after both children." The old man informed him. David nodded and took off his shirt for the baby to have as a blanket. Geppetto wrote down the name with his quill on the baby's arm and sent her away. As the curse takes over, the memories go black.

*Present*

Emma immediately hugged her parents tight as the magic faded. They didn't have a choice in the matter of keeping their daughters, they sent them away to give them their best chance, like she did with Henry. "We are so sorry, Emma." Mary Margaret said, tears streaming down her face. Emma shook her head, her own tears threatening to fall. "You did what you thought was best. I love you for that."

Regina laid her hand on Emma's arm, smiling gently. "Now we can focus on finding your sister and have our whole family back home." She said. "Already on that!" A light voice said excitedly, coming into the library. "Tinkerbell? Aren't you supposed to be helping Whales at the hospital?" Mary Margaret asked. "I sent August to find your daughter. He felt bad about leaving Emma as a child, and when he overheard you talking at the diner, he asked for my help. They should be here in a couple days." The fairy answered. Mary Margaret jumped up and hugged the blonde tight. "Thank you!" She said to her. "Don't be too happy yet." Ruby interrupted them, breathlessly running in the door. "What's going on?" Emma asked, seeing the girl's arm was bleeding. "It's Zelena. She found her way back to Storybrooke."