Summary: After years apart Emma Swan turns up on her foster brother's doorstep broken, alone, and unknowingly pregnant. With the help of August and his roommate Liam she begins to heal, but tragedy will strike again. No curse AU Emma/Liam friendship, eventual CaptainSwan.

Author Notes: This is just another AU that has been rattling around my brain for the past few weeks. I have the basic plotline of this planned out, and I would love your input on what I have written so far.

When The Past Comes Knocking

Today was just not his day. His alarm didn't go off this morning so he awoke late for a meeting with his publisher, then his motorcycle didn't want to start. When he finally made it to the office (after three separate bus rides and almost getting plowed over by a taxi cab) he found out that the meeting was canceled.

August sighed as he pulled the door to his apartment shut behind him and threw his wallet and keys on the small table next to the door. He made his way to the fridge and grabbed a beer before heading to the sofa and throwing his feet up on the unstable coffee table. Just as August was about to switch on the television somebody knocked on the door quietly. It couldn't be his roommate, Liam, even if he had forgotten his key he wouldn't knock, pounding was much more his style. Maybe it was his best friend David, but he had already told David he wasn't in the mood to hit up any bar this evening. August groaned as he got off the sofa and made his way over to the door.

"Seriously David, I told you…"August started as he swung the door open to reveal a young woman he hadn't laid eyes on in years, not since he left his last foster home. She was staring down at her shoes, embarrassed. Her blond tresses were uncombed, her clothing was worn and ill fitting, and bruises covered what little skin he could see. "Emma"?

"Could I come in?" She mumbled, not looking up from her feet.

"Sure." August replied as he ushered her into his apartment. He grabbed the back pack from her hand and hung it on the back of the door. He turned back to his foster sister and looked her over once again. Her skin was dirty and pale, and she looked as if she had been wearing the same clothes for days. "What the hell happened to you?"

She shook her head, indicating that she didn't want to talk about it, but that wouldn't stop him. "How about I make you a hot coco?"

Emma sat at the counter while August busied himself by prepping two mugs of hot chocolate. She kept her eyes on the granite in front of her and tried to keep the tears at bay.

"Ems, you know you can tell me anything, right?" He asked as he warmed the milk.

"I know." She replied in a quiet voice.

"Then please, just tell me what happened." He begged as he turned to look at the blonde. Her shoulders slumped and the tears fell freely from her eyes. August dropped the mug to the counter and ran to gather his sister in his arms. He held pulled her to his chest and tried his best to comfort her.

Sobs wracked her body as she tried to gather the courage and the words to tell him what happened. All she could muster up was a simple but heartbreaking "He hit me."

August held in his anger and he rubbed her back. "Who? Who hit you?"

"Neal."