The Heart Knows No Bounds

Chapter 2. Forever?

Marion turned her car into a small road and a glaring sign welcoming them to Storybrooke and Emma felt that familiar squeeze in her stomach of anxiety, she was scared. Marion noticed the sudden change in the small girl and knew that she was on edge, this child had already been through more in her short life than most adults had.

Emma balled her hands into fists and took a deep breath through her pursed lips as Marion stopped the car outside a white marbled and gabled house with a swing looped over a branch of an apple tree in the front yard. It looked like a castle in one of Emma's fairy tales, but it still looked homely.

Marion opened the trunk of the car and removed Emma's new rucksack with all her worldly belongings zipped up safely inside. Marion had purchased this rucksack especially for Emma as she had previously had only a black garbage bag and a threadbare tote that was almost in pieces; Marion had said that all little girls deserved a proper bag to call her own and Emma had selected a purple and silver one with turquoise straps- one of the first choices that she had ever made independently in her life. Emma pulled it on to her shoulders and winced again she must have touched her wound with her new bag.

Unconsciously she reached for Marion's hand and they walked up the winding path towards the front door and her thumb found its way into her mouth. Marion gave her a small smile and rang the doorbell; which opened almost immediately to reveal a dark-haired woman, a blonde-haired woman and a little girl only a bit taller than Emma. They were all wearing matching smiles and the dark-haired woman knelt down to Emma's level, instinctively, the child shrunk away but the woman simply moved backwards a little.

"Hello dear, You must be Emma"

the little girl gave a shy nod

"Well, I'm Regina, this is my wife Mal" she linked hands with the blonde lady

"and this is our daughter Lilly" She rested her hand gently on the shoulder of the little girl

Marion glanced at Emma before answering

"this is indeed Miss Emma Swan, and I believe that she's coming to live with you"

Lilly nodded furiously at that and gave a gap-tooth grin

Regina and Mal stepped backwards and welcomed the pair into their home. Lilly took Emma's hand and the little girl gave a timid smile. She already liked the look of this family but there was always a nasty surprise.

Marion cleared her throat and asked if she could speak with Mal and Regina about Emma. Emma looked alarmed until Lilly suggested that they go to the attic playroom and Emma nodded.

Trigger warning of rape and abuse.

Marion was ushered into a pristine office with comfy sofa's and a coffee table with a white vase of rosebuds. A fresh cup of Apple tea was brewed and served for Marion before the social worker sighed lightly and opened her bag to reveal a thick file with the words EMMA SWAN printed across it and a picture of the child taken by a previous foster carer. Marion opened the file and began to tell the Mills women all about Emma. Abandoned at hours old, farmed into the system, one failed adoption and twenty previous homes already

Regina asked if Emma had been hurt in any way in any of her previous homes and Marion nodded. Emma was abused and starved in over half her previous homes. Her last foster father had raped the little girl only six weeks previously and had beaten and slashed her with a knife. Marion explained that Emma had also been cut by glass in her group home and had a long, jagged cut nearly all the way down her back with several smaller cuts on her arms and legs. She was also covered in scrapes, scratches and bruises. Marion then reached into her bag and brought out a paper prescription bag with some boxes of pills, a tube of unopened cream and some fresh bandages.

"Also, Emma seems to have regressed slightly. In her previous home she wet her bed on a regular basis so if that happens here, I suggest you don't make too much fuss of it. She also sucks her thumb a lot which has only started recently. She also apparently suffers from nightmares and night terrors in which she re-enacts some of the abuse. Oh, she also has almost no clothes. Her previous home didn't really want to buy her anything that fits her."

Regina swallowed hard but there was a lump in her throat; this child had been tortured. Mal looked at her and Regina saw tears clouding her eyes. They were determined to help this little girl and give her all the love that she not only deserved but had apparently been starved of for six years.

As if on cue, a light knock came to the office door and Lilly and Emma came in.

Mal got up and went over to the girls and lightly tapped Emma's shoulder; and the smaller blonde looked up at her. "Emma honey, we were waiting for you to arrive so we could make dinner. Is there anything that you don't like?"

"Broccoli" Emma whispered in a hoarse little voice "And green beans"

Mal chuckled and ruffled Lilly's brown hair and reassured Emma that Lilly didn't eat broccoli or green beans either. She was about to ask what the little girl would like for her dinner when Regina stood up and smoothed her skirt down and suggested that they all go and see Emma's bedroom so she could unpack her things. Emma smiled and nodded and when Regina offered her hand to the girl, Emma took it without hesitation. They climbed the staircase to the second floor with Lilly skipping ahead and pointing out all the rooms. When they got to Emma's, there was a placard on the door with Emma Swan written on it and several clumsy love hearts- obviously drawn by Lilly.

When Regina opened the door, Emma gasped. There was a black and silver double bed against one wall, a hand-carved wardrobe and chest of drawers against another. A bookshelf packed with storybooks beside the bed and a small desk next to the large window. Emma looked up at the ceiling and squealed with delight when she saw the star constellations painted above her head. There was also a tv screen mounted to the wall opposite the bed.

Marion walked with Emma downstairs and gathered up her things, as she was getting ready to leave, she knelt down beside Emma with a little card in her hand. She explained that this was her phone number and if Emma needed her, she was more than welcome to phone her. Marion gave Emma a tight hug, ruffled her blonde hair and left with a cheery goodbye.

Emma suddenly felt scared. These people had been nice to her when Marion was there but now, they were sure to turn nasty. Emma looked around fearfully until Mal crouched in front of her.

"What's the matter sweets? Are you lost?"

"No. I... I just want to know where you want me to sleep. I know that the room you showed Marion isn't really mine so where do you want me to go?"

"Why do you think that the room we showed Marion isn't really yours Emma?" Mal asked

"I'm Sorry! One of last homes showed my social worker a room while she was there and said it was mine but when she left, I had to sleep on a mattress in the attic"

"it's okay sweets. That bedroom is yours, and yours forever. If you don't like anything, then we can change it for you- just say the word." Mal smiled before guiding the child upstairs to her bedroom and helping her take off her thick coat and rucksack. Mal opened the rucksack and tipped the contents out onto Emma's bed and was shocked that all the bag contained was a pair of washed-out boy's pyjamas, a tatty old photo album, a single storybook and a large white and purple knitted blanket with Emma stitched on to the side.