Disclaimer: I don't own SGU or Once Upon A Time and I'm making no money on this story.

True Love's Proof

Chapter One

Dialing a Stargate is not an exact science, no matter how much everyone wants to believe it is. The calculations can be accurate, destination can be determined but nature is a wild card, in and of itself. Solar flares, a wrinkle in the fabric of space and time or, in one Dr. Nicolas Rush's case, pure and simple luck, can take the calculations and twist them.

All the information that he had gathered told him when he passed through the gate, he should have stepped through into a desert. Arid, dry and almost void of life was the planet that they had decided to search for food and supplies. He had voiced his opinion on the waste of time this planet was going to be but he was overridden. He had only agreed to go so he could bear witness to Young's misfortune of finding nothing valuable.

There was no desert when he stepped through the other side of the gate though. In fact, there was no gate at all. He found himself standing in the middle of the a forest, at night and in a damp cold that quickly permeated the thin layers of clothes he had opted for since surface temperatures were coming back in the low hundreds. It couldn't have been more than 40 degrees where he found himself.

"Scott? Greer?" He took a deep breath. "Young?"

His shouts went unanswered and were absorbed by the evergreens. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the pine and damp earth. Earth...could it even be possible? And if he was on Earth, where was everyone else? He pulled out his compass and headed in the Northern direction. It was only a half mile until he found a road. To the east, the forest became darker but to the west, he could see a soft glow of a town or compound and he started to head towards that.

The sound of a car reaches his ears and he starts to head towards the treeline, the constant running from drones starting to develop into an instinct. But when he turns towards the sound, he sees it's a police car and slows his dash for cover but keeps his hand on his gun hidden in the fatigue pocket. The car stopped beside him and the window rolled down.

"Mr. Gold?" The person driving is a woman with long blonde hair and red leather jacket.

"Afraid not," he shakes his head. "I'm Dr. Nicholas Rush."

She frowns slightly and narrows her eyes. "Uh-huh. Doctor of what?"

"Ancient Technologies."

"Makes about as much sense as anything else around here." She smiles wryly. "I'm Sheriff Emma Swan. You need a ride someplace?"

"The nearest town, if you don't mind."

"Hop in."

He hears the trunk of the car pop open and he dumps his pack into it before settling in the passenger seat. He glances around at the cab and notices that the equipment looks woefully out of date. Of course, he's been staring at Destiny's technology for so long that something as simple as a radio was elementary at this point.

"So where are you from, Dr. Rush?"

She says his name like she doesn't believe it's really his. He wonders how much he should tell her. If he should tell her the truth. He finally decides for a bland version of the situation. "Originally, Scotland though I lived in California for awhile."

"So what brings you to Storybrooke, Maine?"

Maine. It was Earth. He was fortunate she came along or else he would have frozen out there. "Fate, I suppose. How long have you been Sheriff?"

"Not that long. I'm relatively new to town too. Where can I drop you?"

He's been watching the storefronts pass by and realizes this is nothing more than a quaint New England town. "Don't suppose there's a hotel around here."

"There's Granny's Bed and Breakfast."

"That's fine." Even though there was never any need, he still carried his wallet with him. It was a habit he was thankful he didn't break. He had some money, though not much. Hopefully it would be enough to keep a roof over his head until he figured out how to get back to Destiny.

"Don't let the outside fool you," Emma said, "the rooms are very nice."

He really didn't think he looked like someone who was particularly picky with his borrowed fatigues, shaggy hair and almost full beard. "All I need is a roof, Sheriff."

"How long are you planning to stay?"

"Do you always interrogate newcomers?"

A smile quirked the corner of her mouth. "Only ones that I think look a little shifty and appear to drop out of the sky."

"Fair enough. I'm not sure how long I'll be staying."

"Fate?"

Or Destiny. "Something like that."

She stopped the car in front of the Bed and Breakfast, which true to her word, looked quite run down though he still didn't care. "Thank you for the ride, Sheriff."

"This town, Dr. Rush, it's not exactly...normal."

"What do you mean?" Maybe he wasn't on Earth, like he had thought. Maybe he was only a few planets over on another colonized world from the descendants. There could be another Maine on a new planet.

"It's going to take some explaining to do, more than I can go into right now. Go to Granny's Diner tomorrow morning for breakfast and I'll send someone there to fill in the details."

Rush nodded. "Alright then."

Emma opened the trunk for him and collected his pack. By the time he reached the front door, she had pulled away from the curb and he wondered what exactly made this town "not normal." The door open and he stepped through with the sound of a little bell announcing his arrival. He heard someone shuffling around in the back and soon a woman with white hair and a stern look about her appeared. She gave him a slightly disdainful look and crossed her arms.

"Rumplestiltskin."

The fairytale character? Perhaps Emma was warning him about Granny herself not being normal. Though she seemed to be well in control of her faculties. "Afraid not. Dr. Nicholas Rush. I need a room for a few nights."

She looked completely unfazed by his denial of being a fairytale character. "She's not here, you know."

"Who?"

"Belle."

"Ah. Very well. I still need a room and would prefer it if Belle or anyone else for that matter would not be in it."

Granny still looked unconvinced but handed him a key anyway. "$85 a night."

He had close to eight hundred in his wallet. It would buy him a week at least. "Thank you."

"Up the stairs, second door on the right. Bathroom's in the middle of the hallway."

He climbed the stairs with a new purpose. A shower, he could actually take a real shower with water, soap and towels. He used the key to open the door and found Emma to be correct on her assessment of the rooms. It felt like walking into someone's guest room, almost extravagant compared to his cold, metal quarters on Destiny. He dropped the pack onto the wicker settee and pulled out the extra clothes he shoved in there, which was just a pair of jeans and a long sleeved thermal shirt.

The bathroom was fairly large with an antique claw foot tub and shower. Towels and soap were already in there and despite being stranded god knows where or for whatever reason, he couldn't help but smile in relief. A five minute shower progressed into thirty minutes of just standing under a steady stream of hot water.

He ran calculations through his mind, listed everything that could have gone wrong and worked up how many places he could have been transported to now. But until he knew where he was in the universe and what kind of technology they had here in Storybrooke, Maine, his plan on how to get back to the Destiny was nonexistent. He needed all the pieces of the equation to solve the thing but hopeful by talking to Emma's friend tomorrow, he would be able to get a better handle on the situation.

When the hot water ran out, he finally dried himself off and got dressed. He would have to buy some clothes and a coat tomorrow but he was going to have to watch how much money he spent. Maybe he could work on some improvements around Granny's in exchange for the room. But as he stumbled back to the room, the idea of not having anyone screaming at him for whatever crisis had cropped up or having the ship breaking down around him, he realized just how tired he was. Collapsing on top of the handmade quilt on the bed, sleep quickly claimed him but not before he determined to find out who this Mr. Gold and Rumplestiltskin were that people kept mistaking him for.

When he finally comes to, the bedside clock tells him it's 9:23. Nick couldn't remember the last time he had slept so soundly but being so fully rested left him feeling drowsy now. He doesn't know when Emma's friend is going to show up at the diner so he quickly made himself as presentable as possible before heading downstairs. He used the fatigue jacket as a coat until he can purchase one and finds the wind is biting in Storybrooke. The diner is practically across the street from the Bed and Breakfast and when he entered the establishment, he sees Granny behind the counter. She still gives him a hard look.

"Breakfast is included in your rate," she told him and then finally softened slightly. "Your breakfast buddy is waiting for you."

He turned to see a boy, no older than ten, sitting in a booth. A large leather bound book sitting on the table. The kid waved and smiled at him.

"Are you Dr. Rush?" He thrusted his hand out. "I'm Henry, Emma's son."

Nick took the kid's hand, more because he's struck with an intense feeling of missing Eli than out of politeness. This child has the same exuberance, innocence even, that he associated with Eli when the twenty-five year old first crossed paths with Nick. Out of everyone on the crew, he would miss Eli the most, but the boy had come very far and would keep things patched together until Nick found his way back, he was certain of it.

Henry gave him a scrutinizing look. "You do kind of look like Mr. Gold. Or Rumplestiltskin, now."

"I'm going to need a pot of coffee for this, aren't I?"

"It would help," Henry responds seriously.

When Nick slid into the booth, a young woman with long, dark hair set a coffee mug in front of him. "What can I get you?"

"Coffee's fine, thanks."

"You look like you could use a hot meal," the woman said, somehow keeping pity out of her tone. "Eggs? Pancakes? French toast?"

"Eggs, then."

"We make a killer Western Omelet here."

Nick nodded. "Alright then."

Henry opened his book with a smile. "That was Red Riding Hood and that," he pointed to the gray-haired lady, "is her Grandmother."

"So where's the Big Bad Wolf?" Nick took a swallow of the coffee and has to suppress a groan at the taste. A shower and now this: real coffee and a hot meal. He was determined to enjoy this while it lasted.

"Red is the wolf. Her red cloak keeps her from transforming when there's a full moon."

"I don't remember reading that in the fairytale."

"Well, it's all in here," Henry pushed the book in Nick's direction. "This is what my mom was talking about when she said that this town isn't exactly normal. Everyone here is a fairy tale character."

"Except for me."

"Yeah. Where did you come from?"

Nick kept his silence and sipped coffee while flipping idly through the book.

"Oh come on," Henry says. "I just tell you everyone here is a fairy tale character and you think I won't believe where you came from? What, is like from the future?"

"No, I'm not from the future."

Red Riding Hood, for that is who Henry told him she was, put a plate of food in front of him. His stomach growled loudly and Red smiled.

"I'll take that as a thank you," she said before moving off to another table.

Henry let Nick get a few mouthfuls of food in before he started his questions again. "Okay, so not the future. The past?"

Nick shook his head and shoved more food into his mouth. Red was right, they do make a mean Western omelet here.

"Another time dimension?"

"You have quite an imagination."

"I've got it," Henry grinned from ear to ear. "You're from outer space."

And Nick choked on his mouthful of food.

"That's it! I'm right! You are from outer space!"

Nick took a swallow of coffee and cleared his throat. "I'm from Scotland, kid."

"You weren't in Scotland and then suddenly found yourself here in Storybrooke. So what was it? Some kind of transport accident? You were beaming somewhere and ended up here?"

Nick had to give it to the kid, he either had a very active imagination or a deep understanding of physics. Henry lived in a town with fairy tale characters so Nick chalked it up to imagination. "Tell you what, you tell me about how these characters ended up in Maine and I'll tell you where I came from."

He had listened to Henry talk about an Evil Queen casting a curse that took all the people from the fairy tales and placed them here, in Storybrooke. Little details stood out to Nick, such as no one being able to leave but people could pass through and how time stood still for twenty-eight years before Emma, the curse breaker, arrived. He was almost certain as to what had happened but he needed more information about this supposed curse. Henry had sent him in the direction of a pawnshop.

Mr. Gold's pawnshop, to be exact.

Nick opened the door to the sound of another bell ringing overhead. He wondered if every building in Storybrooke had bells over their doors. The shop itself was cluttered with a variety of things that look fascinating if he hadn't been a misplaced person in this town trying to find his way back home. There was a tap of a cane coming from the back of the store and Nick waited for the curtain to be pushed aside so he can see who everyone was mistaking him for.

And he has to admit, the similarities are undeniable. Their facial structure was almost identical though Nick's nose was slightly more off center due to a couple fist fights he found himself involved in on Destiny. But the man in front of him was ten times more refined than Nick ever had been. He was dressed in a tailored suit, clean shaven and even his hair was styled as opposed to Nick's jeans, t-shirt, and beard. They were polar opposites who happened to share a face.

"Who the hell are you?"

Nick laughed, the question would have come from him if he hadn't been warned beforehand of the doppelganger. "Dr. Nicholas Rush. Mr. Gold, I presume."

Gold positioned himself behind one of the glass display cases and leaned on the counter. "Who sent you here?"

"A ten year old boy named, Henry. He said you might be able to figure out how I came to be here and how I can get back home."

"And where exactly is home?"

At this point, after listening to Henry for the last hour and a half, the truth sounded less far fetched. "A spacecraft called Destiny. It's billions of light years across the galaxy."

The hostility seemed to fade for a moment, genuine curiosity peeking through. "Space travel? Really?"

Nick started to explain Stargates and how they worked. The subject matter of wormholes and space travel seemed a particular interest to Gold and soon the two men found themselves sitting in the back of the shop, drinking tea and discussing the possibilities that Nick had already considered.

Storybrooke was a bubble created by a magical curse that blocked out time and hung suspended in space. The first break of the curse, the allowing of time to start moving again, made the bubble weaker but strong enough to keep it cordoned off from reality. There was no place for Nick to go until the curse completely broke and even then, it wasn't something guaranteed that he would be returned to Destiny.

"There is one other person in Storybrooke that might be of help to you," Gold said. "His name is Jefferson and he's made a career out of world jumping. If the curse break doesn't send you back to your ship, Jefferson might be the one who can help."

Nick nodded and considered Henry's warning about Gold. "What's your price?"

Gold smiled and held up his hands. "I don't know yet. Let's just say you'll owe me a favor."

Nick didn't like owing anyone anything. He had worked too hard in his life, pushed, shoved, sacrificed and demanded respect from others. But he wasn't in a position to demand too much right now. "Alright. A favor it is then."

They shook on it before Nick headed out into the town to buy some essentials. By the time he had picked up some clothes, was able to get his glasses fixed and grabbed food from the diner to eat back in his room, he was ready for more sleep. But Granny greeted him when he stepped through the door and handed him a piece of paper.

"Rumplestiltskin called for you."

He reached for the paper but she held it back for a moment.

"Be careful of that man. He's not to be trusted."

"Duly noted. Thank you." He took the message from Granny and headed up to his room. Dumping everything on the bed and carrying the food over to the phone, he dialed the number that was written down. Gold picked up on the second ring.

"Are you in need of a job, Dr. Rush?"

"Is this going to cost me another favor?" He couldn't bring himself to call the man Rumplestiltskin. It was still a little hard to comprehend being stranded in a town with fairy tale characters.

"Actually, the job would be the favor. There is an opening at the high school for a physics teacher."

High school students, Nick suppressed a groan. He barely managed college students and their idiocy. "And how is this a favor for you?"

"I need you to keep tabs on a fellow teacher and report back to me."

"That's all?"

"That's all."

Sounded harmless enough and he did need a job until the curse broke. "Okay, I'll do it. What's the teacher's name?"

"She's the Literature teacher, Belle French."