Dream Catcher Dream Breaker

Chapter 2

Emma sat in her temporary holding cell; luckily, she was alone. Not because it would be any easier to escape, she was searched, they even took her glasses, but because she could have time to think. But when her mind screamed that Neal set her up to take the fall for the watches, she would either punch something with her already soar fists, cry, or her personal favorite, take a nap. Feeling so alone has made her want to just shut down, or that could be the exhaustion. She had no idea what the truth was, and if Neal even knew she was gone. Every time they brought her some food, she asked if she could use the phone, and the answer was not until she got to Phoenix. Emma didn't know how legal that was, but it made sense. They must think I've been working with someone, and maybe I'll tip them off. She decided to close her eyes, better to nap then feel sick to her stomach.

The noise of sliding metal brought her straight out of her sleep. She sat up on the bench and looked toward the door. A police officer lets a new woman enter the cell. She looked like an older woman, her curly black hair turning grey, eyes looking a dull brown. The woman sat across from Emma on a separate bench.

"You look too young to be in here, girl." The woman spoke up after taking Emma in. Emma rolled her eyes and responded, "And you are too old to be in here. Crime happens at all ages, it seems." The woman across from her laughed, "I like you, I'm Jessica. Though my friends call me Jess."

"I'm not your friend Jessica, and you don't need to be one. I'm fine alone, done it most of my life actually." It would have sounded like a string statement if Emma didn't have to yawn from her shortened nap.

"Alright,  no friendship. No talk about what we did to get in here." Jessica said, picking up on Emma's personality. "Just know I'm here if you need me." Jessica didn't see a young criminal; she saw a young woman with a messy past that didn't know how to react.

Emma didn't bother responding; instead, she laid back down on the bench and looked away from Jessica. There was no way she would need this woman. Sadly her next thought was what if Neal was getting also arrested for the same crime. Her thoughts were jumping from place to place until she fell asleep once again to the sound of Jessica humming an oddly familiar tune.

~~~

August and Neal began traveling again early that morning; they would be in Maine by noon, and Neal was nervous. At this point, he realized that there was basically no chance of him being able to stay with Emma. Neal loved her with all his heart, but who was he to keep her from her family, her parents. There was a time Neal, or in this case, Baelfire would have done anything to be with his parents, until his parents didn't find him so important. There was a reason he changed his name. Maybe Neal would be sparing Emma from that pain; technically, Snow White and Prince Charming could have kept Emma under the curse with them. They would have been a family, and Emma could have still broken the curse at 28. They must have had a reason; why can't good people just do bad things? Why couldn't their royal attitudes have been different, evil like the Queen, it would so easy to abandon evil people. As much as he wanted to believe that no curse was ever put on Storybrooke, his experience with his father knew that such a terrible curse was possible. It was the type of thing his father would create and give away, but why would he make it? Why couldn't Neal choose to stay with Emma and leave her in the future?

"Why are you asking me to leave her now, August? You could have let us have 10 happy years together, and she still could break the curse. Why didn't her parents just keep her in Storybrooke with them?" Neal knew August would know something; the guy looked too smug to not know some answers.

"Neal, you really think that you would find it any easier to abandon Emma after your relationship has taken the time to grow? Maybe you guys would get married, have a kid. Then what? I know you couldn't leave her then," August answered back. "It would hurt too much for both of you and Emma. There will be less pain this way. To answer your second question, the Queen must have known that Emma was the key because the day Emma was born, the Queen was coming to kill her. That's why I left to take care of Emma, and because my father wanted me to remain human. So the wardrobe really was the only way."