This was a prompt submitted to me by oncer4life11. It's pretty interesting in my opinion and allowed me to get a little creative. Set whenEmma and Neal were still doing their Bonnie and Clyde act.

Neal swung his backpack over his shoulder, sliding his hand into Emma's as they headed back towards the bug. It had been a good day. They had managed to get enough food for the week and if his calculations were correct, there was going to be a hotel room available for them to shower and relax for a bit the next day. The rain started to pick up, so both flipped their hoods up over their heads. Just as they turned the last corner, something caught Emma's eye. Anyone else probably would've missed it, but as a runaway herself, it stuck out like a sore thumb.

There was a bright pink baby blanket, covering something in the middle of an alleyway. She pulled away from Neal and headed down it, him following closely behind her. Emma knelt down and slowly pulled back the blanket. There she found a little girl, she couldn't have been more than 5. Her brown curls fell at her shoulders and she was shivering in her ripped t-shirt and shorts. Neal instantly removed his sweatshirt, wrapping it around her.

"Hi," Emma said, softly. A part of her knew how to interact with kids given her time in the system. She had tried to protect the little ones as she got older. "My name's Emma Swan, this is Neal. What's your name?"

"F…Faith," she whispered. "Please don't call my social worker."

Emma felt her heart crack in two and Neal noticed the haunted look on her face, the one she only got when she talked about her past. "We won't do anything right now. Do you want to come with us?" He knew they didn't have much to offer her, but they could turn on the heat in the bug and give her some food while they figured out what to do.

Faith looked hesitant, but she kept looking back at Emma. It was as if she noticed the look in her eyes, the one that said they were the same. She slowly nodded and held her arms up to Neal, who lifted her into his own. He could still remember The Lost Boys, the ones who would cry at night for their mothers. He saw the same devastation in Faith.

They made their way back to the bug and gave her a sandwich along with some candy from their stolen goods that day. She gobbled it down so quickly, as if it was going to be stolen from her. Neal turned on the car so the heat could warm them all and slipped in the Yaz tape. Eventually, Faith fell asleep against the backseat, still wearing Neal's sweatshirt as she cuddled her baby blanket to her chest.

"What are we going to do?" Emma whispered. "She's in the system, a home so bad that she ran away."

Neal sighed, telling where she was going. "Em, we don't even have a home for ourselves. We have to steal to get by."

"We could get jobs, go to a different town," she tried to convince her. There weren't many times that Emma came across as naïve and this moment, she knew she was, she just wanted to protect the little girl.

"She's not ours. Eventually, we'd get caught with her. Petty theft is a couple of months in jail. Do you know how much kidnapping is?"

Emma bit her lip, leaning back against the seat. She knew he was right. They couldn't keep her, not without putting all three of them at risk. It wasn't as if they could even become foster parents themselves. They didn't have an apartment or jobs. She deserved better than them.

"So, what do we do?" Emma repeated. "Take her to a police station? Put her back into the system? Someone did that for me when I was a kid and things didn't get better."

"What other choice do we have?"

He moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. She let out a shaky breath, burying her head into his shoulder. Slowly, he rubbed her back. He wanted to keep Faith too, find a way somehow. It just wasn't possible.

"It's going to be okay," he whispered. "She's little, she'll find a home. If not now, at some point. Look at us, we have home with each other now."

Emma nodded. "You're right, I know you are."

They barely slept that night, knowing what they'd have to do the next morning. Using the little cash they had, Neal went to a local café and bought some donuts for them when the sun came up. Emma grabbed one of her shirts from the back and offered it to Faith, tying it a bit so it worked like a dress.

"Thank you," Faith said with a smile. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I was like you once," Emma told her. "I ran away from my foster home and I had no one."

"What happened to your mommy and daddy?"

She gnawed on her lip. "They left me on the side of the road."

"Oh. Mine died. I've been in the system for 2 years."

"It will get better." Emma didn't want to give her false hope, but she wanted it more than anything for her. "I promise."

"You're calling my social worker?"

She shook her head. "We'll drop you off at the police station."

"Why can't I stay with you?"

"Oh Faith…we just…we can't take care of you. We can't even take care of ourselves. You deserve better than this."

Neal opened the door and slid into the back with them, distributing the donuts. Faith silently ate hers, leaning against Neal as she did. It made everything even more heartbreaking. A part of them almost drove straight of town, ready to start a new life, but they couldn't. It wasn't fair to Faith.

After their breakfast, they drove to the police station. Neal gave Faith a big hug before Emma took her hand and walked her to the door. Luckily the little girl understood if she walked her all the way in, she could get in trouble. Emma fished around in her pocket and found a gum wrapper. She scrawled out a number on the back.

"That's my cell, you call me if you need anything, okay?" Emma slid it into her hand. "You're going to be okay, Faith. I promise."

Faith nodded and then threw her arms around her legs. Emma hugged her tighter, kissing the top of her head. She stepped back and watched the little girl enter the station. Letting out a deep breath, she got back in the bug.

Every time her phone rang over the next two months, Emma expected it to be Faith, but it wasn't. She kept the same number over the years, even after prison and when she was on her own. Through every move, whatever happened, she kept waiting for it to come.

The curse broke and Neal came back into her life. They were working on a new relationship, figuring things out one day at a time. One day, Emma came home from a date night with Neal and Snow handed her a letter she had received. She didn't recognize the handwriting as she tore it open.

Emma,

It took me some time to find your address, but there aren't too many Emma Swans in the U.S, I guess. I don't know if you remember me, but when I was a little girl, you and your boyfriend helped me out. You took me out of the cold and gave me some food. I know how badly you two wanted to keep me, but you brought me to the police station. A little after that, I was brought to a new foster home. Karen and Lucas ended up being my forever parents, they adopted me just a year later. I had a great childhood, everything I could ever want. I wouldn't have had any of it if weren't for you and Neal. I just graduated from high school and I'll be going to Boston University in the fall. I don't know if you two are still together, but I just wanted to thank you and Neal. You gave me hope in a really dark time. I hope you two were able to find your own happy ending. Thank you for giving me my best chance.

-Faith

Tears sprung to Emma's eyes as she held the letter close to her heart. Snow looked at her, a little concerned.

"Emma, are you okay? Who was that letter from?"

Emma gave her a soft smile, wiping a tear. "Just me and Neal's little girl."

Hope you guys enjoyed this. =) Let me know what you think. As always, prompts are accepted, whether it be on here or my Tumblrs: just-an-outlaw and justanoutlawfanfiction.