Chapter Text
When Ray realized Emma was missing, he knew it was his fault. He had failed the one thing he had promised to do, failed to protect the one person he swore to protect. He was by her side 24/7. He should’ve known, should’ve known she was lying. Yet here he was, the half of him labeled “Emma” now a gaping void of nothing.
Though he’d never admit it to anyone, he knew nothing would ever be able to fill it back up. Emma essentially overflowed it.
When they had found her again, a tiny flame lit up inside him, a little spark of hope. And when they found out that Emma had lost her memories, it was like an entire ocean was used to douse that fire.
It was ironic because Emma had been the one to deny his fire, twice. And this time it didn’t help.
An amount of time passes (Ray could never really keep track) and their family finally, finally sits down to tell Emma what happened, filling in the fourteen year gap in her memories.
They had unanimously decided that Ray should be the one who should lead the story. One because he was basically the one that started it, and two because he was by her side the most.
And so, he did, starting with the house, his plan for a decoy fire, meeting Sonju and Musica, meeting Yuugo and the rest of the Goldy Pond crew, and so on. Other family members would fill in when his memory faltered.
He was nearing the end when the rest of the family had noticed something was wrong, somehow. He was telling the whole story but somehow at the same time he just wasn’t. Then they realized.
He had failed to mention any sort of feeling. He had also denied the fact that he had done some major things (besides his escape plan from Gracefield). Any major victory they had, he’d blame on Norman. He was basically putting the spotlight on Norman. And even Norman became uncomfortable.
***
Minutes after everyone had dispersed, Don and Gilda pulled Ray aside. Gilda started the interrogation.
“Ray, what the hell?!” she hissed. Ray recoiled at the aggression.
“What?” he growled, matching her tone.
“Why’d you do that?!” Don filled in.
Ray gave both of them a dumbfounded look.
“Why’d I do what?”
They both exchanged a look before practically yelling in his face.
“Why did you leave out your feelings? Why did you basically leave yourself out of the story after the Gracefield escape?! You guys loved each other! Why did you leave that part out?!” they said in unison.
Ray grimaced.
“I did it because there’s no way it’s happening again. Think about it. She only fell in love with me because I happened to be the one to escape with her. I’m sure that if Norman had been the one to stay by her side, she would’ve fallen in love with him. Hell, if we had both somehow managed to escape with her, she still would’ve chosen him. And now, look, Destiny has presented us with an opportunity to right that wrong. Emma is now a clean slate. Whatever feelings she had for me back then are gone.”
They both looked at him incredulously.
“Ray that’s stupid. You can’t throw away your feelings like that.” Gilda said.
“Gilda’s right, Ray. She fell in love with you for a reason. Even when we reunited with Norman, she still chose you.”
Ray grit his teeth. He pointed out the door.
“Oh yeah? Then explain that.”
Looking out the slightly opened door to Don and Gilda’s room, they could see Norman and Emma happily enjoying the show that was on the TV. The scene was perfect, sunlight filtering through the window and casting an almost heavenly glow on their hair.
“See? They are the happily-ever-after. They’re practically angels, you can see the way the sunlight frames them.” He had a pained expression on his face.
He left the room without saying another word, Leaving Gilda and Don to their thoughts.
***
A few weeks pass and Emma is still feeling empty. After a few days of self reflection she figures that it’s probably because she hasn’t talked with one person yet. That boy Ray, the one who told her about her past, the one that found her.
But everytime she tried to talk to him, he pushed her away, told her that he had something to do, or that some of the younger kids were looking for her.
So she spent most of her time with Norman, the only other person from Gracefield that was the same age as her. They went out for dinner, watched movies, and visited potential schools. But something was still missing.
She still felt empty.
She decided that maybe she should talk about it with Don and Gilda because she had been told that they were her confidants growing up. She knocked on their door, and Don answered, Gilda sitting on their bed. She had a book open in her lap, a few others lying next to her. She raised a hand in greeting.
“Hi Emma! What’s up?” she tilted her head.
Don stepped aside to let Emma in and followed her to the bed, where Gilda patted the empty space beside her. Don followed.
“Well, I just feel like I’ve been missing something. Or someone. In my dreams of the past, there’s always someone by my side, always someone there to keep me grounded. At first I thought it was Norman, but after spending time with him I found that he wasn’t the person I was looking for. But now I’m lost and don’t know where to go. I figured you guys might be able to help me?” Emma shrugged, twiddling her thumbs. Her eyes were focused on the floor. Don and Gilda exchanged a look over her head. Eventually Don nodded and Gilda tapped Emma’s shoulder.
“Well, I’m glad you came to us, ‘cause I think we have your solution. Don and I kept diaries full of the things that happened. Ray didn’t tell the full story that day, but these notebooks will. Don and I will leave you here while you read them. We have an errand to take care of.”
Gilda gently set a notebook into Emma’s lap and left the room with Don. They silently agreed that they needed to find Ray.
But when they entered Ray’s room, it was empty. The window was open, a slight breeze rustling the curtains. There was a note on his desk. In rushed handwriting that was still clearly Ray’s, it read:
Out. Need time to think. Be back by midnight.
Short and simple. Not revealing any more than necessary. Just like Ray. You could never tell what he was thinking, never tell what he was feeling. He was an enigma.
With a shared sigh the both of them returned to their room, feeling deflated. They knew that finding Ray was a lost cause - if he didn’t want to be found, he wouldn't be.
When they opened the door to their room, they were met with a surprising sight. Emma seemed to be four diaries into their personal account of the past, the other three stacked neatly on top of one another next to her.
But Emma was crying.
Not sobbing, or breathing heavily. But silent, hushed cries. She didn’t make a sound, the only evidence that she was upset were the tears streaming down each side of her face. Her mouth was covered by her other hand, but anyone could tell it was wide open. The couple rushed to her side immediately, demanding she tell them what was wrong.
“I-It’s just,” a hiccup, “why…?”
She took a moment to wipe some tears off her face.
“Why did he leave all of this out? He accomplished a lot, he tried so hard, he went through so much, alone. How could he leave all of this out? How could he leave his feelings out?”
She turned to Gilda, whose eyes were still filled with concern.
“Why is he so selfless? Does he not care about his own feelings?”
Gilda sighed.
“It’s been like this from the beginning, Emma. He’s always been like that. He’s always the one there for you, always knows what you’re thinking, what you’re feeling, but never reveals what he’s feeling and thinking.”
Gilda took Emma’s hand in hers.
“And I think that’s why you came to love him, Emma. And not because you felt bad. He always put others first, always put his own feelings and safety in the backseat. Everybody else’s well being was on his mind so often we always wondered whether or not his own was in there too. Though I think the fact that you felt bad for him played a little part in it. He went through so much alone, and you vowed that you’d give him the happiness he deserved.”
Gilda was on the verge of crying now. Don stepped in.
“But now look at him. He’s doing the same thing again, putting his feelings in the backseat. Since the beginning, he’s always thought that Norman would be a better partner for you, despite being your actual partner. And now that you’ve lost your memories - no offense by the way, it’s not your fault - well, he thinks that it’s Destiny’s way of telling him that it’s Norman’s time to take over. Don’t get me wrong, Norman is an amazing person, but he isn’t Ray. Nothing could ever top the bond you two had.”
At this point everyone was crying, albeit Don’s tears falling less than Emma and Gilda’s. Emma picked up the last diary and flipped through the pages, not having the energy to read through them, until a single page caught her attention. She flipped back and sure enough, a single, red ribbon sat on one of the pages. And when she touched it, something strange happened.
A flood of memories enveloped her mind, clouding her vision and dulling her senses. Suddenly she was back in the bunker - Ray was angrily trying to braid her hair while she kept laughing, unable to hold still. The image blurred and then she was in a hospital bed, Ray holding her hand tightly as the rest of her family greeted her with wide smiles. Then she was standing face to face with Ray, his arm outstretched, as if making a promise. What seemed like a lifetime flashed before her eyes before she was shot back out into the present.
She violently grabbed Don and Gilda close to her and started sobbing.
“I r-remember!!!” she managed between sobs. Don and Gilda looked at her with wide eyes before spotting the ribbon that she had dropped. They started sobbing too when they realized it was her first gift from Ray, bought from a demon village.
Apparently Destiny had changed its mind.