Chapter Text
****Introduction****
"Dead? What do you mean , dead?"
Emma demanded , disbelief written all over her face. During the entire car ride , she had dreaded finding her old friend. She wanted to find any excuse under the sun not to go out and track her down , now she regretted every bit of it and wished she had never left Lily ; in the first place , all those years ago.
Lily was stubborn and resilient , Lily was strong and determined , she was spiteful , and she was Emma's best friend in the whole world , and she could not be dead.
She just couldn't be.
"I mean , I got a complaint of smells comin' from her room a few years ago. Busted the door down , when I didn't get an answer and I found her laying on the couch with a needle in her arm. Over-dosed , we get a lot of that around here."
Regina who stood behind Emma sneered in disgust , at the state of the building that passed for an apartment complex. She could believe that , she expected nothing less. Hell , she didn't even do drugs - never had and this place made her want to do them , just to overdose to get out of here.
The former Evil Queen wasn't sure which was worse , that awful death trap Emma was so proud to drive around all day or when she looked up and saw the apartments they would be searching for Maleficent's daughter. But she sucked it up and carried on , it would all be worth it ; when she was reunited with Robin and was able to inform him that he had left with her (half) sister , Zelena and not his thought to be brought back wife , Marian.
"It had to be someone else , Lily wouldn't have done...that. Lily did a lot of things , she was a lot of things. But she wouldn't have done drugs , I know her better than that. You're mistaking her with someone else."
Emma said , in denial. Would Lily have done drugs? Of course , she would have. Emma knew of several times her old friend stole pills off her adoptive parents and would pop them , like candy. But she did WANT to believe it?
Did she want to believe for a single second that the friend she turned her back on , when they needed each other most grew up to get worse and k!lled herself in a dirty apartment ; where people only realized she was even dead was because they SMELLED her?
Did she want to think that the one person in the world that needed her to be their Savior more than anybody else and DESERVED her to be there , that she wrote them off and they died because of a lack of help she refused to offer? Absolutely not!
Lily was smart , despite what her choices said contrary to that. She was supposed to figure something out , like Emma did. She was supposed to find a way to get by and do better , she was supposed to grow up and grow old. She wasn't supposed to die alone , with a fucking needle in her arm!!!
"You hadn't seen her recently and I can't imagine she was ever all that different , people that come here don't not do drugs. The woman was a junkie and a whore , nobody gave a damn about her and she knew it. If you ask me , it's amazing she didn't do it sooner."
The scum bag slum lord snorted and Emma saw red , she lunged forward and wrapped her hands around his fat throat and squeezed. Regina's eyes widened , she cursed and pulled Emma back.
"Miss Swan! Miss Swan!"
Instead of stopping , Emma only squeezed tighter. The man gasped , his face turning purple.
"EMMA! STOP IT , IT'S NOT WORTH IT. K!LL!NG HIM WON'T BRING LILY BACK."
Regina yelled , trying desperately to pull the Savior off of the man.
"Emma , this is not a path you want to go down , the road to coming back isn't easy."
The older woman said , a little more softly and quietly. This was for Emma's ears and Emma only , not that pathetic little man.
Emma's face was set into a hard expression , anger written clear as day across her features. Except her eyes , her eyes were shining with unshed tears.
"Maybe I don't want to come back. This is something I need to do. Lily's...gone , Mal-"
Emma grit out , her voice cutting off with a sob caught in her throat.
"You will never forgive yourself , you will not be able to live with doing something like this. Let him go. I cannot imagine the pain you are feeling over Lily , I know she was your friend and you cared for her. But as I said , this isn't going to do any good there. And as for Maleficent...she will be fine."
Regina put a gentle hand on Emma's shoulder , Emma relaxed her grip on his throat just the tiniest bit for him to take in a quick breath of air.
"She sent me to find her daughter and bring her home , I failed , Gina."
Emma whispered , brokenly.
"I failed them both."
"Yeah , you did. Now , let me go , you crazy bitch!"
This time , Regina punched the man in the face and busted both his lip and nose. Emma looked at her funny , she shrugged.
"My heart is already black , I have nothing to lose. Now , come on. We have got to find Robin and warn him."
Regina held out a hand , Emma let go of the man very reluctantly and took the offered hand.
"If he says one more word , I'm cutting him and leaving him to lay in a room and stink for a few days ; before anyone can find him...."
Emma whispered to Regina , very seriously. Regina hummed , looking back over her shoulder.
"Somehow , I don't think anyone would miss him very much. If you do end up doing that , be quick about it. Robin's life is at stake."
"Robin. Robin. Robin."
Emma grumbled , not seeing the big fascination with the guy. He was decent-looking enough , she guessed. He just didn't really...stand out all that much to her and she wasn't exactly happy , when he up and left Regina.
If he wasn't over his wife , he never should have gotten involved with Regina. But that was an opinion she kept to herself , she brought Marian or who they thought to be her back and it was her fault he left Regina behind and heart-broken.
She promised Maleficent to bring her daughter back and she failed , majorly. Two people she owed a debt she felt she could never pay back , she really didn't see where she had any grounds to be running her mouth and voicing opinions she was sure nobody wanted to hear.
Emma was best off if she just got in the car , started it and spent the drive to New York and finding Robin trying to think over ways to tell Maleficent the news and somehow make up for it.
She could talk shit about Robin and how horrible she thought of the whole 'Outlaw Queen' fiasco , in a few years ; when Regina found a new love interest. She was sure Regina would find someone else , she always did. And when that "lucky" fella died or ran away , she would find someone else and repeat the process. It was the natural order , after all.
"Are we sure it is Zelena?"
Emma did ask , as they started driving and looking over the map.
"Yes , it has to be. She put a spell on him."
Regina said , firmly. Emma sighed , shrugging.
"Alright , off to see the Wizard we go!"
Emma turned the radio on and it started playing the "Wizard of Oz" theme , off the little cassette tape she found buried in the Pawn Shop that she swore up and down had literally everything. Regina glared at her , not finding this near as amusing as she did.
Oh , well , Regina rarely found everything as amusing as Emma did.