A Little Thing Called Fate: Chapter 4

A Once Upon a Time Fanfic

“Lily, what are you doing here?”

Lily pushes past her into the apartment, and Emma lets her because she’s in too much of a shock-induced haze to come up with any better options. “I’m here because you’re going to help me find my mom.”

“I–what?”

“I know who my mom is,” Lily says quickly–too quickly, like she’s afraid she won’t be able to get all the words out before Emma kicks her out. “And I know where she is, I just–I can’t find it, so I need your help.”

The pounding in her ears is the only thing that convinces Emma that this is not just a dream, but it’s making it even harder to think. “Lily, I–I have a job and a life, I can’t just uproot and–”

“You think I want to be coming to you for help? I don’t, but I’ve heard you’re good at finding people, and I know your family is in the town too, so I need you to help me find Storybrooke!”

“But I–wait.” Is the room spinning, or just her head? “Storybrooke? How do you know Storybrooke?”

Lily crosses her arms tight over her chest and lifts an eyebrow. “How do you know Storybrooke? You told me you didn’t know who your parents were.”

“I–I didn’t. Not until last year. But how do you . . .” she trails off and shakes her head, shutting the door behind her. “I think I need to sit down.” She sags into one of the kitchen chairs, and Lily reluctantly joins her. “How do you know your parents are in Storybrooke?”

Lily sighs, still coiled tight in a defensive posture Emma is all too familiar with, and it hits her suddenly–she’s not that girl anymore. The memories Regina gave her may have been fake, but she has eleven years in her head of not being quite so alone, of chipping away at her walls in the dead of the night because Henry needed a mother who could be open with him and not run at the first sight of danger.

She’s had months–real months–of learning to let Killian inside those walls too, of learning what it means to have someone to lean on. And while she’s not sure how she feels about Lily suddenly dropping back into her life, it breaks her heart to see her old friend hasn’t had the love and trust in her life to do the same.

“After we saw each other last time, I got on a bus,” Lily explains. “And this guy, he started telling me about my mom, about Storybrooke, about everything. After that, I started looking everywhere for the town, but no matter what I do, I just can’t find it.”

“Magical barriers.” She still sounds dazed, and she can’t help but wonder–again–how is this her life?

“What?”

Emma rubs her temples. “There are–were–magical barriers keeping people from getting in or out of the town. That’s why you couldn’t find it.”

There’s no response, and after a tense moment of waiting, she looks up to find Lily staring at her, fear in her eyes. “What do you mean, ‘were’?”

She really doesn’t want to have this conversation. Losing her parents all over again still feels too new, too raw, but she at least had the chance to get to know them. Lily didn’t even get that. “I’m so sorry, Lily, but Storybrooke is gone. There was another curse, and the only way to save everyone was for them to go back to their world.”

“No.” Lily stands up, shaking her head. “No, I’ve been looking for . . .” her voice cracks, “so long. She can’t just be gone."

Emma pushes her chair back and starts to stand up. “Lily . . .”

“No.” Lily’s voice is firmer now, but tears stand out in her eyes. “She’s out there, and you’re going to help me find a way back to her because you and your parents owe me." She pulls a stack of papers out of her bag and slams them onto the counter as she storms out.

“Wait, Lily!” Emma scrambles out of her chair and grabs her purse. It takes a minute to get the door locked behind her, and by the time she heads down the stairs, Lily is already several floors below her. “Lily, please!”

She catches up as they both leave the building, grabbing Lily’s arm and stopping her. “Listening, I–I think we really need to talk. Let me buy you a drink and we can talk, okay?” Lily doesn’t meet her eyes, but her jaw tightens and she gives a slight nod.

It’s not her first choice of bar, but she doesn’t really trust Lily not to bolt again if she takes to long finding a place. They find the quietest corner and order their drinks, and Emma sends a quick text to Henry and Killian, letting them know she had to leave again, but she’ll be home soon.

“You’re right,” Emma says eventually, when the silence has stretched on too long. “I shouldn’t have pushed you away the way I did, and I’ve regretted it for years.”

Lily leans forward on her elbows. “If you regret it, then help me find my mom.”

“I want to,” Emma assures her. “Believe me, if there were any way to get everyone back to Storybrooke, I’d take it, but this is the land without magic, and I just don’t know how.”

Lily laughs, a bitter sound without humor. “Of course. Cause that’s just how my life works, isn’t it? I get so close to being happy, and then everything just falls apart. I just–I just wanted one person, you know? One person who would love me and wouldn’t push me away.”

“I know,” Emma says softly. “Listen, if there’s one thing I’ve learned the past couple years, it’s that love always wins, so I don’t know how or when, but I believe that eventually you and your mom will find each other. You just have to believe it too.”

“How?” Lily swings her hand around, gesturing as if to the entire world around them. “You know how much life sucks, so how can you just believe that?”

“Because I’ve had too many impossible things become possible as soon as I started believing in them.” She rests her hand on Lily’s. “And if there’s anything I can do to help you get your happy ending, I will.”

Lily watches her for a long time, as though sifting through her words for lies. She’s done the same thing enough to recognize the look, and she takes a sip of her drink, waiting until Lily decides if she’ll trust her or not.

“Okay,” Lily says finally.

“Good.” Emma finishes her drink, then tugs on Lily’s hand. “Come on. Finish that, then we have somewhere to be.”

Lily frowns. “Where are we going?”

“Home.”

She pays the tab, then takes Lily back to her building. They take the elevator this time because she is not going up all those stairs, and Lily laughs when she insists. They get back to the apartment, and she doesn’t pull out her keys, just knocks on the door, and Lily frowns.

“Wait, but–”

Henry swings the door wide open, interrupting. “Finally. I thought you were going to miss all the pizza.”

“The lad’s joking,” Killian calls. “There’s plenty left.”

Lily freezes, but Emma catches her elbow and drags her into the apartment. “Is there still enough for one more?”

Killian’s eyebrows fly up, but he smiles. “I didn’t realize we were having guests, or I would have saved some, but I believe we still have plenty.”

“Yeah, mom, since when do we have people over for dinner?” Henry asks.

“This is Lily Page,” she says as though that explains things. To their credit, Killian and Henry both smile like it does. “She’s an old friend.” She gestures to her son and boyfriend. “This is Henry, my son, and Killian.”

“Oh, wow.” Lily glances around the room with wide eyes. “I didn’t realize you were married.”

“I’m not–”

“We’re not–”

Emma and Killian cut off abruptly, glancing at each other.

“Oh, sorry.”

“No, it’s fine,” Emma says quickly. “Let me get you a plate.” She slides past Killian and grabs two from the cabinet. They both grab a couple slices, then follow Henry, who’s already settled into the living room.

As though having company is normal for them, Henry doesn’t even let them get a bite in before launching into a thorough description of his visit to the aquarium with Killian, who watches with a broad grin, clearly pleased with the reception of his gift. Lily listens in stunned silence, as though this informal family dinner is the fantasy come to life.

Eventually, Henry goes to his room to finish up his homework, and the adults sit in awkward silence, until Lily breaks it with, “So you’ve got a kid.”

Emma stands up. “If we’re doing this, I think we need another drink.”

“And what is it, exactly, that we’re doing?” Lily asks warily.

“Catching up.”

She grabs the bottle of the rum Killian likes and three glasses, and turns around to see Lily hanging off the back of the couch to watch her. She lifts the bottle. “This alright with you?” Lily shrugs, but accepts the glass.

“Not to divert the reunion,” Killian says when she hands him his glass, “but I was under the impression you didn’t have any old friends.”

Emma shrugs. “Besides Lily, I didn’t.”

“Did you meet in an old–home?” He stumbles over the last word, still confused by the foster care system.

“Yeah,” Lily lies, just as smoothly as always. “A long time ago, we–”

“Nope,” Emma interrupts, pouring the rum into each of their glasses. “Tell him the real story.”

Lily raises an eyebrow, as if to say, “really?”, but when Emma just grins at her, she shrugs and says, “We met when we were teenagers, both stealing food from the same grocery store. We ended up helping each other out.”

Killian smirks and raises an eyebrow, and Emma can’t help but grin back as he raises his glass in a sort of toast. “I told you. Pirate.”

“You clearly got out of that life, though,” Lily mutters, gesturing around the apartment. “I’m surprised I haven’t seen a chore wheel around here.”

Emma rolls her eyes and sinks back onto the couch beside Lily. “Seriously? What part of my life says “picket fence” and “two and a half kids”? I had Henry in prison at seventeen, I track criminals down for a living, and my boyfriend–” she cuts herself off, glancing at Henry’s closed door before lowering her voice. “Killian’s from the same place as our parents. There’s nothing “normal” about this family.”

“Our parents?” Killian sits up straighter. “Your parents are from Misthaven, love?”

Lily blinks several times, seemingly taking a minute to process all of Emma’s revelations. “I . . . I don’t know what that is.”

“You may know it as the Enchanted Forest,” he explains.

“Oh, then yeah.” Lily shifts uncomfortably under their gazes. “At least, until my mom went to Storybrooke.”

Killian whistles and shakes his head, sinking back into his chair. “I know you don’t much like fate, Swan, but . . .”

Emma grimaces. She’s been trying not to think too much about all the coincidences–or the idea that they might not be. “Yeah, I know.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, who is your mother?”

Lily’s eyes narrow slightly as she takes another sip, but she must decide they’re genuinely asking, because she says, “Maleficent.”

Emma frowns and rubs her finger around the top of her glass. “Maleficent. That’s the one who cursed Sleeping Beauty, right?”

“Aurora?” Killian’s eyebrows draw together. “I wonder what she did to upset your mother so much. She seemed rather annoyingly sweet, actually.”

Emma turns to give him an incredulous look. “You pulled out her heart.”

“Temporarily,” he reminds her, as though that makes it better. “And it wasn’t personal.”

Emma shakes her head, but turns back to Lily, who looks torn between amusement and disgust. “She’s some kind of witch, isn’t she?”

“Um . . . fairy, I think, technically.”

“I’m pretty sure I would have noticed her at the convent, and I never saw any other fairies.” Emma turns to Killian. “What about you? Did you ever meet her?”

“I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure, but most of my time in town was spent in the hospital.”

“She can also turn into a dragon,” Lily volunteers. “If that helps.”

And Emma’s blood runs cold as she realizes that does help, because she did meet a dragon once.

And killed it.

Ever in tune with her thoughts, Killian asks, “Swan? Is something wrong?”

She swallows, then licks her lips, delaying the inevitable as long as she can, because how is she supposed to tell Lily she thinks her mom might be dead–dead, because of her?

“I think–I think I did meet her once. Regina had her locked up in the tunnels under the library as some sort of punishment for something, and I–” The rest of the words stick in her throat, and her fists bunch in her jeans.

“That was your mother?” Killian asks, incredulously. “That angry spirit-thing?”

Emma’s head jerks around so hard she hears her neck pop. “You–you met her?” Is it possible she didn’t actually kill Maleficent?

He gives her a dry look. “The queen thought I’d make good dragon bait, apparently. So yes, I met her, briefly.”

“So she’s not dead.” Emma’s words come out in a relieved rush too fast for her to remember that maybe she shouldn’t have said that out loud.

“Dead?" She turns to find Lily staring at her in horror. “Why did you think she was dead?”

“I didn’t know, Lily, I swear." She holds up her hands in surrender. “I didn’t know she was even a–a person. I didn’t believe in magic or curses or any of it, and then suddenly Henry was dying, and Gold told me the only way to save him was to fight the dragon–”

“The bloody crocodile,” Killian growls. “I should have known it was him.”

“And you killed her?” Lily’s voice grows steadily louder with every word, and Emma instinctively looks back at Henry’s room. Hopefully he’s wearing his headphones.

“I–I don’t know,” Emma admits. “Maybe not? Killian said she was still in the caves–”

“Aye,” he says quickly. “She’s not dead–or, not-quite dead, I suppose. And you can’t blame Swan for what happened. It’s Rumplestiltskin’s work, all of it. This is what he does: manipulating desperate people into doing his dirty work for him.”

“Watch me,” Lily bites.

“But the thing about not-quite dead,” he continues as though she never spoke, “is that they can be brought back with magic. And, luckily for you, you have a friend with magic.”

For a moment, all either of them can do is stare at him, then at each other. “You have magic?” Lily asks finally.

“Yes,” Emma says. “And whatever it takes to bring her back, I’ll do it, I promise you. I’m so sorry, Lily. If I’d had any idea she was a person . . . I didn’t know anything about this world, and I never should have listened to Gold.”

Lily watches her for a moment, then turns back to Killian. “How do you know that?”

His gaze drops to the glass in his hand. “I studied healing magic for a time. Extensively."

“Milah?” Emma asks softly.

“Liam, actually.” He swallows, then forces a small smile. “But the point is, as long as the should remains, they can be brought back. There are several spells, though I can no longer recall any of them–I had no use for them myself–but should you have the opportunity to be reunited with your mother, I’m sure any number of people could provide you with them.”

Lily’s hand tightens on her glass, and she swallows. “Really?” The word comes out almost too quietly to hear.

“Aye, lass,” Killian says gently. “You’ll see your mother again.”

Lily blinks rapidly, then downs the rest of her drink. “I’ll be right back.”

Emma slides closer to Killian as Lily disappears into the bathroom, and rests her hand on his leg. “Thank you.”

He sets his drink down so he can take her hand in his. “You don’t have to thank me, love.” He smirks, fingers tightening around hers. “But someday you’re going to tell me the full story of you two teenage criminals.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Oh I am, am I?”

“Well you’ve heard so much of my criminal past. I think it’s only right for you to return the favor.”

She grins and leans over to kiss his cheek just as Lily comes back, carefully avoiding eye contact as she slides back into her chair and pours another drink. “You said you’re from the–fairytale world or whatever–too. So are you a fairytale character too?”

Emma grins. “He’s Captain Hook.”

Lily’s eyes snap up to them. “Seriously?” She gives Killian a once-over as she takes a long sip, then looks back at Emma. “So are all children’s book villains so hot?”

Killian laughs, and Emma rolls her eyes. “He doesn’t need a bigger ego, thanks.”

“So where can I go to get my own fairytale boyfriend, huh?”

Killian smiles, but shrugs as he leans back in his chair. “Sadly, I believe all the princes have been taken.”

Emma snorts. “You still haven’t figured her out yet, have you?”

His smile stays in place, but his eyebrows furrow. “Sorry?”

Lily smirks. “I’d much rather a villain than a Prince Charming.”

“I think I’m going to like you, Page,” he says with a chuckle.

Lily’s face scrunches up. “No.” She sets her drink down and waves a hand as though trying to erase the name. “Don’t call me that. It’s just Lily.”

Killian inclines his head in a bow. “My apologies, Lily.” He glances over at the clock, then sets his cup down. “And as much fun as this is, I think it’s time for me to go to bed. I have to be up bright and early in the morning.”

“Goodnight,” Emma says, holding out a hand as he stands up. He takes her hand and leans over to kiss her.

“Good night, love.” He squeezes her hand, then lets go, turning to Lily. “It was a pleasure, Lily.”

“Yeah, nice to meet you too.”

Lily waits until Killian disappears into the bedroom before standing as well. “He’s right, it’s late, and I should go.”

“Do you live nearby?” Emma asks as she follows Lily to the door.

“No, but I’ve got a hotel.”

She reaches for the door knob, but Emma’s hand reaches it first. “It’s late, and I don’t think you should be driving. Why do you just stay on the couch?” She’s about to say no, Emma can see it, so she continues quickly. “Please. I don’t want you to get into an accident tonight.” She grins. “I’ll even make sure Henry doesn’t wake you up in the morning stomping around the place.”

Lily chuckles. “Okay, fine, I’ll stay.”

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