I'm playing around a little with Emma and Lily's canon storyline, because I can lol. And also, this is still Swan Queen endgame, don't worry.

Chapter Nine

It was a little while before Regina heard from Emma again. When she finally did call, it was well after her fifteenth birthday, and Regina was dismayed to hear that she'd been sent back from three different homes in the meantime.

Of course, Regina hadn't met her in person, but from what she could tell from talking to her, Emma seemed sweet and caring and desperate for a family's love. She couldn't imagine Emma being anything but the ideal daughter for any family, and a nagging feeling started eating at her that she'd caused all of this.

What if Emma's never being adopted was a side effect of the curse, since she'd have to find her way to Storybrooke somehow?

The guilt was eating her alive, but what could she do?

Regina turned that over and over in her mind as she listened to Emma talk about this new family and their weekly chore wheel and how they planned to take her camping. She'd never been camping before and she sounded excited.

"There's something else," Emma said, sounding more tentative than she had for the rest of the conversation.

"What's that?"

"Lily's back."

"Lily?" Regina repeated, trying to remember who that was. "Oh! The girl from the cabin? The one where you stayed that night?"

"Yeah. She ran away from home. She says her adoptive parents are horrible to her. I guess getting a family is not always what it's cracked up to be?"

"Perhaps not."

"Yeah, so she came and found me, and we've been hanging out a bit."

"Hanging out?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah like… I dunno, talking, and stuff?" Emma replied, and Regina could have sworn she could hear her blushing through the phone.

"And this is a good thing?" Regina clarified. Last she'd heard of Lily, things hadn't ended well, but it occurred to her that as Emma got older and her chances at adoption continued to dwindle, perhaps teenage puppy love could turn into a real, stable relationship for her in the future, and she wanted to make sure Emma was in a good relationship.

"Yeah, I think so. Lily and I… we talked about everything from before and decided to put it behind us. We're starting fresh. But there is one small problem."

"And what's that?"

"Well, see, Lily has this ex-girlfriend, who's kind of obsessed with her."

"That sounds messy."

"Everything's always messy in my life," Emma acknowledged. "But like, the real problem is, Lily wants to get away from here, and away from Jessica, her ex, and start fresh someplace else. She wants me to go with her."

Regina sighed. "Emma-"

"I know! I know! I'm not old enough to be on my own, but Regina… I don't wanna lose her, either. This family, they're nice and all, but they aren't going to keep me, not forever. I don't have much time left in the system and, I don't know, I just want…"

"Some stability," Regina finished for her. "And a life with someone who chooses you can offer you that."

"Yes! See, you get it!"

"Emma… I do understand where you're coming from. You're young, and in love, and I've been there too. I wasn't much older than you when I got engaged. But Emma, what about school? Where will you live? How will you make money?"

"I'm practically failing school anyway. I can go back and get my GED later. We'll find jobs. Lily and I, we're not dumb kids you know? We're not going anywhere until we have jobs and living arrangements, I promise."

Regina sighed. "You know, Emma… I really can't stop you. I can't force you to choose one path over another but… just promise me, whatever you decide, you'll keep in contact with me."

"I promise." Emma paused, and then took a deep breath. "Uh, Regina? Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, dear."

"What happened with your fiance? You wouldn't tell me before, but I'm older now."

Regina let out another long sigh, leaning back into the couch cushions. "He died, Emma."

"Oh," came the tiny voice on the other end. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. It was a long time ago," Regina said, though it still was very much not alright. "He was only seventeen. I was sixteen, and we were going to run off together and start a brand new life together, away from everything. I was going to run away."

"From your parents?"

"From my mother, yes," Regina said. Inwardly, she told herself to stop talking. She knew exactly who Emma was and yet here she was handing her an arsenal of weapons to use against her when the time came, and yet… somehow, she couldn't seem to stop herself. "My mother was a horrible person. She did terrible things to me, and father, he tried, but he just couldn't stop her. Daniel was the first person I ever felt safe with."

"And then he died, and you were still trapped with you mother," Emma said, her voice heavy with understanding.

"For a while, yes. But I married my husband not long after that."

"But… you were so young. Is that even legal?"

Regina let out a small laugh. "Yes, sadly. But it was a loveless marriage. He was just looking for a step-mother for his little brat, and I was still grieving."

"So why did you get married then?"

"It's complicated. But it doesn't matter now, because it's over and I'm free, from my mother and from him."

"I bet that's a good feeling," Emma acknowledged.

"It is," Regina agreed. "But it's lonely."

"Maybe, uh… maybe someday, when Lily and I have our shit together, maybe I could come see you? I wanna meet you in person. Someday."

Regina's heart skipped a beat. Emma coming to meet her was the worst thing that could happen. She couldn't ever let her step foot in Storybrooke, or she'd break the curse and ruin everything. But she simply said, "maybe."

"Anyway, um, I should probably go. My foster parents will be home soon and I've gotta get my chores done before they get back. I'll call again soon, okay? I promise."

"Alright. Good bye, Emma."

"Bye, Regina."

Regina let out a long sigh as she hung up the phone. Continuing to keep contact with Emma when she knew exactly who she was, was probably the stupidest thing she could possibly do, and yet, she felt a sense of loss whenever their conversations ended.

It was crazy to think that a fifteen year old could possibly understand her, and yet she felt a little less alone when she opened up to Emma. It was nice to have someone listen. It felt good to let some of the hurt out.

But it was also becoming more and more apparent that there wasn't much she could do to stop Emma from breaking the curse. Now that Emma had the idea of coming and visiting in her head, it was only going to be a matter of time before she found a way to do it. Regina supposed she could just not tell her where to find her, but how long could she keep that up before Emma got suspicious?

One way or another, Emma was going to find her way to Storybrooke. Fate had dictated it, and the only thing Regina couldn't be sure of, was when.

Absently, Regina pulled the necklace she wore Daniel's ring on from beneath her blouse, and started playing with it idly as she stared across the room.

"She reminds me of you, Daniel," she said aloud, to Daniel's memory. "Isn't that odd? Why is it that anyone who ever cares about me has to die, or be my undoing? It's not fair."

"I can't believe we're really doing this," Emma said, smiling as she leaned back against the seat in the coach bus, her eyes twinkling as she glanced at Lily.

"It's about time," Lily said, reaching for Emma's hand and squeezing it. "Everything's gonna be so much better for us now."

It had taken three months for Emma to decide it was finally time to go. After her foster family returned her, and she found herself in yet another group home, she decided it was time to give in and follow Lily, for a chance at a better life.

They rode in silence for a little while, before an old man stopped on his way toward the back of the bus, and complimented Lily's moon necklace.

"Thanks," Lily said, casting a confused glance at Emma, who just smiled.

The old man continued. "Have you ever noticed how it complements the birthmark on your wrist?"

This time, Lily narrowed her eyes. "How do you know about that?"

"I know about a lot of things," the man said, "about both of you."

"Who are you?" Emma asked, leaning closer to Lily instinctively.

"Don't be alarmed, Emma," he said. "Lilith. I can see you have many questions, and I have many answers. You two did not meet by accident, and it's also no coincidence that you ended up here on the same bus as me this evening."

"Answers?" Lily asked.

"About who you really are. Both of you. And why you're life has always felt so wrong."

"And who are we?" Emma asked.

"Victims of fate… which I, sadly, was a part of. And neither of you are as responsible for your own misery as you may believe."

"You're crazy," Lily said, shaking her head.

The old man sighed. "The deck as been stacked against you, Lilith, and it's not your fault. Everything you do will be harder, and I owe it to you to let you know why. I owe you the truth."

"Okay, Yoda, enough riddles. What's the truth?"

Finally, the old man took the empty seat next to Emma. "Well, to fully explain, I'll have to tell about events that happened before either of you were born. Let's start with your mothers."

To be continued...