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***Introduction***Rocky Mills leaned up against the window , pulling the sleeves of her jacket down over her hands and wrapping her arms around herself. Next to her sat her twin brother , Henry with that damned story book their teacher gave him a little less than a year ago spread open in his lap.He had stolen that very teacher's credit card and bought a bus ticket , for the both of them. Henry started reading that book and after that , he had worked up the idea in his mind that everybody in their town was a fairy tale character ; so their adoptive mother and the woman who had raised them for the last ten years , Regina Mills put him in therapy to help with these issues.Shortly into his therapy , Henry found out through a 'slip up' from his Therapist that Regina and his sister both felt like was on purpose that the two of them had been adopted. He came straight home and told Rocky , who had been his best friend back then.While Rocky wished she never found out about being adopted and refused to even talk about it , Henry became as obsessed with it as he was with that stupid book of his. Ever since he found that out , he started distancing from both his mother and his sister. He started looking up different sites , where he could find a way to contact their biological mother.Their adoption had been closed , so there was supposed to be no access to any information about her. Henry never did tell his sister how exactly he found their birth mother , but Rocky highly suspected it was either help from their teacher , Ms. Blanchard or from his Therapist. Maybe even both , who knew?Ms. Blanchard had always had this thing where she needed to be close to Henry and she had always tried to be nice to Rocky , too. Henry took to her as early on as just being a few weeks old , Rocky was another story. Rocky LOATHED the woman , she could not stand to be anywhere near her outside of the eight hour school day she had no choice but to see her.With that little bond formed , Ms. Blanchard always treated Henry more special than any other kid in her class.Henry got the best seat , he got the hall pass whenever he asked , he got to play for a few minutes longer at recess , and he got to stay back after class and read his book while everyone else went out to the bus stop and waited for their ride to get them and take them home. Rocky wondered if it was during those times that Henry got her to help him , it wouldn't surprise her.As for the Therapist , Dr. Hopper was more of a buddy type than a doctor. As long as you walk out of his office with a smile , he doesn't care if he actually helped you or not.The main thing was Dr. Hopper was the fun guy , he would more or less tell you exactly what you wanted to hear and carry on with his day. Rocky wouldn't have put it past him to help Henry ,he always tried to pressure Rocky into talking about her feelings about the adoption and her birth mother during their sessions.Anyways , it didn't matter. Whoever helped him find that information , he went and found a way to get on a bus and go out and find her on his own. Henry found out their biological mother's name was Emma and that was the name of the baby in his book -which was admittedly very weird-and he was Hell bent on tracking her down , so she could come back home with them and break some curse he was convinced their adoptive mother had cast on everybody.Rocky didn't want to find this woman , she did not want to get on the bus , she didn't want to ever see that stupid book again in her life. But with that said , Rocky also did not want her brother taking off to Boston by himself on a bus full of strangers and nobody to look out for him.Henry was a really sweet and innocent kid , he didn't see the bad in people right away. Rocky , however , was the daughter of Regina Mills through and through and she wasn't as ignorant to the evils of their world as her brother.Rocky had pepper spray clipped to her bag , ready to use at any given moment. Plus , she wasn't above calling their mother ; if trouble came up. Henry would never call Regina , for anything. Not these days , since he had made up in his mind that she was the Evil Queen.Regina went out of her way to adopt both of them , to keep the siblings together. She was a single mother and Mayor of their town and had been in that position with no one to run against her or attempt to vote her out of it , for over twenty years. She balanced work and home life , healthily as possible.Anytime the kids needed anything , Regina ensured they had it. Honestly , Regina spoiled both of them. Regina put her children on some kind of pedestal and she dared anybody to say one negative word about them , even when they had their bad days and none of them really got along all that well.Regina bent over backwards , to make Henry happy. Rocky was closer to her and she loved her girl , but it t was clear to anybody with a decent set of eyes that Henry was her pick of the two. Regina had after all , set out to adopt and specifically asked for a son. But according to him , she was a monster and the Evil Queen.Rocky wanted to punch her brother , sometimes. And if she didn't think her mother would have a cow , she would! Like right now , she really wanted to punch him in the face.There was a man sitting behind them and his breath REEKED , he smelled like he hadn't bathed or brushed his teeth or anything else in weeks or possibly more and she had to ride in front of that for a four hour bus ride. Henry started up a conversation with the man when they first got seated , so he was trying to talk to them some here and there throughout the ride. Henry was reading , so the guy turned his attention to Rocky.If that guy poked her shoulder one more time , she was going to just suck it up and face the consequences later. That dirty hand was going to touch her NEW and nice jacket one more time and Henry was going to meet HIS biological mother , sporting a eye as black as he said Regina's heart was!
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***Chapter 1***"Are you ready , Rocky?"My brother asked me , once we reached the door that separated us from the woman that gave us up. Logically , I knew the door was no bigger than any other door. But standing here in front of it , I feel as tiny as a flea. That "giant" door , it is going to show the woman that looked at me one time and chose to give me away. I feel sick. I don't want to do this. I want my mom , my REAL mom.I didn't even realize I started backing up , until I hit the wall. In all fairness ,neither did Henry. Henry's sole focus was that door and judging by the smile on his face , he was just barely containing his excitement. I closed my eyes , doing the breathing exercises that Mama went over with me.While I was calming myself down from the beginnings of a panic attack , I faintly heard the door open and a blonde woman with green eyes stepped out.So , this is her? I looked her up and down , from the -frankly- ugly pink dress she wore to the freckles that dotted her skin here and there the same way mine did. I'm not impressed. This is what Henry went through all that time and effort to find? This is what I left my home and my mother for? That's sad.And he's going in the apartment , I groaned and just managed to run in before the door shut. Apparently , blondie didn't notice me standing back here or she did and she was still gonna shut me out. Once again , I am unimpressed."Who are you?"Blondie asked , I crossed my arms over my chest and raised my chin."I'm Rocky , Henry's sister.""Two of you...great.""You forgot you gave birth to two babies? Interesting. I'm curious , were you that drugged out or are you simply that stupid?"I batted my lashes and flashed her that false smile my real mother had taught me , the smile I reserve for the likes of Mary Margaret and now ; Emma Swan."I didn't forget , kid , trust me. Recovery from your big head was no walk in the park , you don't forget that. I was just surprised you both came.""My head had to be big enough to carry the brains to make up , for the ones you lack."I fired back , she rolled her eyes."Whatever."Emma Swan seems as pleased to see me as I am to see her , well , at least we have one thing in common. Mutual disdain. Henry looks like an idiot , smiling over there completely oblivious to the tension in the room.My eyes flicked to the sad little cupcake sitting on the counter with a candle sticking out of it , I turned to face Emma."Celebrating a birthday , I take it?""Yeah , mine."I looked around to see if there was anyone else here , but it looked pretty deserted in this apartment. Bare of decorations , devoid of people. Pitiful."No friends?""No , just me."Emma said , awkwardly."Maybe if you didn't give your damn kids up , you would have someone to celebrate a birthday with!""ROCKY! SHUT UP!"Did Henry really expect this meeting to go any other way?
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****Chapter 2****"Kid , I get it , you hate me. I'm not your biggest fan either , okay? You don't want to be here with me , I don't really want you here with me.We agree on all of that stuff , so how about we agree that you grab your brother and I take you both back home to your real mom?"Emma tried to reason with Rocky , while Henry rummaged through her fridge. He frowned , digging around the few things she had in there boredly."Hen , get out of her fridge , she doesn't have anything in there. She's sitting here in the dark with one lonely birthday candle , did you think she was going to have a feast fit for a King in there?! We have food at home , come on!"Rocky grabbed Henry by the back of his uniform shirt and pulled him away from the fridge , he glared over his shoulder at her."That's not our home . She might have food for all the Kings in the world , but that won't make up for all the other things she lacks , Rocky!""You're right. She loves us more than anything in the world and does everything she possibly can for us , gives us the world in a handbasket , she is so terrible. How were we ever so unfortunate to be cursed this way?"Rocky sighed , dramatically. Henry rolled his eyes , shoving her off him."She's evil ,""So am I , but you know I love you!"Rocky joked , but Henry said nothing. She frowned , stepping away from him."Come on , Emma wants away from us almost as badly as I want away from her. We need to go , she had things she was doing and I know mamá has missed us by now.""She doesn't want to get away from us , right , Emma?"Henry looked so pitiful , Emma decided to go about this gently as possible while still getting her point across."Your mom or mama or whatever is probably looking for you two and she's probably worried sick , let's get you two back home to her. I have some celebrating to do tonight and a lot going on tomorrow , you two need to go home."__________________________________________________________________"This thing is a death trap!"Rocky cried , dramatically. Emma had an old , ugly yellow Volkswagen beetle or more commonly known as a "Bug" and she planned to take the twins home in it.The second Rocky climbed into the backseat , she decided this was not her thing at all and she wanted out. She would almost rather take her chances on the dirty bus , than in this thing."Rocky , not everybody is going to have a Mercedes Benz! Some people have normal cars and that doesn't automatically make them death traps , stop whining!"Henry snapped , Rocky sneered up at him."This isn't a normal car , Hen , it doesn't even have seat belts. And there is a stiff blanket back here , it smells like it hasn't been washed in years!"Rocky gagged , scooting as far away from that blanket as possible."Yeah , don't touch that thing. Actually , you know what? Climb up here between me and Henry ,"Emma blushed and moved some stuff out of the middle space between her and Henry , making room for Rocky to come up there."That's illegal...""Yeah , so is stealing someone's credit card and buying bus tickets to go to a strange woman's house you dug around the internet to find ; without telling your parents you were doing it.And it is highly illegal for me , a stranger who is not your guardian to have you in my care at all. It is completely illegal for you to be sitting in this car at all , it is illegal for me to cross the state lines with you two. In other words , get up here and get over it."Emma listed off every thing wrong with this situation and much as Rocky hated to admit it , she would say Emma made several good points. With a sigh , Rocky climbed up into the front between her biological mother and her twin brother."When we get home , I'm telling mamá you hit me , Hen.""Why?""So , she will punish you even longer. After this arrangement ,"Rocky motioned to the three of them squished together."You'll deserve it. And she won't punish you any longer than necessary , if you don't do something bad -like hitting her princess."Rocky mocked , sticking her tongue out at her brother. Henry glared at her , sticking his tongue back out at her."Shut up , Rocky , she won't do anything to you at all. And you deserve it , for that mouth more than anything else!""You deserve to be punished for that face!""You deserve to be punished for your face!""Woah , woah! You both have the same face , knock it off , you two!"Emma was beginning to get a headache and call her a Seer , because she had could definitely see a migraine forming in the near future."You should be punished for your birth!""You should be punished for your birth!""I'm being punished enough for all of us , because I didn't have access to birth control! Shut up , both of you!"Emma would have started speeding , if she weren't already breaking so many laws and pushing her luck as is. For some strange reason , she did not have the desire to get arrested. She didn't think it would look too good for her to get caught "kidnapping" two children she gave up for adoption , ten years ago.People that did things to kids or that people at least believed did things to kids did not have a pleasant time in prison , Emma had no desire whatsoever to be thrown in there with those people.Emma was an orphan and passed around the Foster System , like all the parents were playing a game of "Hot Potato". Emma had been abused and put in bad situation after bad situation --her pregnancy being one of those situations , by the way--she had already been to Juvy , and she just really did not want to add actual prison to the list."What's birth control?""Ask your mom!"Emma told Rocky , with a grin. Since her mom was so great and was the only person Rocky wanted to see or have anything to do with , let her real mom handle that one!