I don't own any of the characters on Once, I only use their stories in my own works of fantasy. I don't know if I want to continue this story, but I will try to write one chapter per week. Please rate/review, I love hearing your responses. First part is mostly CaptainSwan, though when I came up with it I wanted it to be Rumbelle, so its mostly going to be Rumbelle in later chapters. It will have an interesting twist to it in the end, so keep reading.

Milah Moments in Storybrooke

Milah awoke and opened her eyes. They scanned the makings of a small barn. She was on the stone floor, and the coldness of it was easily felt. She smelt the straw used by past animals; old and stale now. She could hear the soft wind brush lightly past her and she recognized the beginnings of fall. Her eyes saw the trees lining the outside of the barn. They were almost bare, and the leaves they did have were red, orange, and yellow. She used all her senses like the greatest adventurer in all the realms, and the man she loved, taught her to.
Getting up, she peered into the early morning scene before her. Everything so still and quiet. Her bones ached from the journey, and her muscles were sore. Still, she must walk to find civilization. She didn't remember a lot; her last memory of kissing the man she loved goodbye as she went on a short walk. They had just arrived at port, and while the crew was unloading goods for trade, she went on a walk through a patch of unfamiliar woods. She desperately needed her man right now when she was so confused and tired. She hoped he might be in the nearest town that had a harbor. She didn't even know where she was, or if she was. For all she knew, she could be dead. Even though he had taught her well, she still thought his hook would be handy (no pun intended) in whatever dangers they were to face in this strange land.
-PAGE BREAK- Sometime later, Milah reached the outskirts of a small town. Weary from the travel put on her already weak muscles, she saw a woodworking shop and immediately sank onto a handmade bench outside. "No,no,no", a man's voice erupted from inside. Startled, Milah sat up to find wet yellow paint on her pants.
"I left the bench outside to dry," said an Italian man coming out of the shop. He was quite old and had thinning white hair. Even though he was smiling slightly, it didn't reach his eyes, and they gave a sort of constant unhappiness feeling as if he had just recently lost someone. The many wrinkles on his skin showed years of pain, but also joy.
"My pants are ruined," she exclaimed!
The man squinted, "I haven't seen you around here."
"Oh, I just came here...through a portal I think."
"We get a lot of new people popping up around here." The man said it as though this was an everyday occurrence. Having magic around was actually not a wonderful experience, as her ex-husband had already showed her. She felt this strange land did, and she immediately wanted to keep to herself." We also get several memory loses around here, you still have yours though, right?"
"um, some yeah. I mean, I don't remember my first birthday, if that's what you're asking." She tried to laugh, but it came out forced and not natural. She didn't not want to feel vulnerable in these new realm, another lesson Hook had taught her.

He chuckled lightly at her joke, "I just forgot I haven't introduced myself yet, I'm Marco."

"I'm Milah," she answered right as another man came out of the shop. This man was way younger than the older man, but still had a look about his eyes that made it seem like he had seen too much. She wondered if everyone in this town had been through some great trauma. The younger man had curly red hair, and in another woman's eyes, may be considered cute.

"Sorry I couldn't help but overhear your conversation," he spoke in a low tone that felt oddly to personal.

"Oh, that's alright," She said brightly, but in her head was thinking that the less people that knew her story the better. "Anyway, I have to go; I'm looking for someone." She didn't want to trust them with that information, but she didn't know what else to say so she could leave without seeming rude.

"The best place to go when looking for someone in these town is the sheriff and her parents. People disappear a lot in this town, and the Charmings always manage to find them. In fact, the Charmings motto is 'I will always find you'"

Milah knew that the old man was just trying to make a joke with this stranger, but he didn't know just how uncomfortable he was really making her. She didn't know if she should trust this sheriff, but she knew she had to find Hook.

"Milah, before you go, I'm Dr. Hopper," said the young red haired man. "If you have any problems with the person you're looking for, or just need to talk, come see me," he said while giving her his card. She took it to be polite, but she knew she could never talk to anyone here about her complicated life. Well, at least she was glad to know the reason his short dialogue seemed personal was not an interest in her, but an interest in people's lives in general.

"The sheriff's name is Emma Swan," Marco was saying. "She has blond hair, and is usually seen wearing a red leather jacket."

"Thanks so much for your help. I will come to see you if I need to Dr." Milah didn't want to a stranger's help, but she knew it was her best hope if she wanted to find her captain.

-Page break-

Minutes later, Milah walked right into the heart of town. Looking around at all the bustle of the small town, she worried if she could ever find Hook. Suddenly, she saw a red blur in the mess. Focusing in, she realized it was in fact a red leather jacket. Following the woman with long blond hair wearing it, she began to quicken her pace. The woman saw someone and she went faster too. Milah had to run to try and catch up. "Emma, Emma Swan," she cried breathlessly. The woman in the jacket didn't hear, and was only focused on her goal: a clock tower with a brick building underneath. She reached it and turned the corner. Milah slammed her hand against the wall of the building to stop herself. Panting, she peered around the corner. She saw the woman she knew as him passionately kissing a man, and she knew they weren't paying her any attention. The couple was so caught up in their love for each other, they couldn't even see her standing right there. She began to leave and give them privacy, but the man's hand slipped around the woman's waist on one side. On the other side, an unmistakable hook came to rest on her hip!