Two Worlds

Summary: AU Emma was whisked away to sanctuary by the Blue Fairy before the curse struck, leaving her to be raised by the few fairies left until the Queen of Hearts arrived. On the run, she finds herself working aboard a ship and, ultimately, her True Love. Just things have calmed and the pair readies to cross to the other realm, the Queen's forces are upon them. Forced to leave to the land without magic with her child, Emma must now find a way to break the curse and reunite the two worlds to bring her family together.

Disclaimer: Would I really be writing fanfiction if I owned Once?...well…..maybe. All recognizable characters and settings are property of the amazing Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and their respective owners. I own nothing but the season one blu-ray box set (and David Anders' autograph). No copyright infringement is intended.

Prologue

Twenty-eight years to the day, that's how long it had been since her parents had been ripped from her by the Evil Queen. Twenty-eight years that she had grown up without her mother or her father there to guide and watch over her. Twenty-eight years since the Blue Fairy had whisked her away from the castle to protect her from the same curse. They should have been safe; the Evil Queen was gone, trapped in the land without magic as she wanted, but now the Queen of Hearts reigned over the Enchanted Forest.

She had been safe under the protection of the fairies until the heartless army had ransacked the small sanctuary. She had been forced to run, as her mother before her had been, and ended up finding her way onto a ship. She had been young then, as had the ship's captain. The fates seemed to shine on her when the captain heard her story and allowed her to stay on board as long as she pulled her own weight and assisted in their quest for a bean that would take them to the other realm, the one without magic.

From that point on, they had been doing their best to steer clear of the Queen, knowing that she wanted to get to that other realm as much as they did and she would stop at nothing to make it happen. She had worked hard, as she had sworn to the captain, and eventually worked her way up to the rank of first mate when she proved to be more loyal than the bilge rat, Mr. Smee, who tried to keep them from getting their desired treasure. During that time, she had also managed to soften the captain's heart and earn herself a place there as well.

The Jolly Roger had become as much her home as the sanctuary had been and it had protected them until she had fallen pregnant; he had only allowed her to stand aboard until they had found the deserted stretch of land where he and their crew had worked hard to get a suitable home build for them, unwilling to use the bean just yet, not willing to let her to portal jump while with child.

Life on the island had been quiet and the arrival of their son, Henry David Jones, had been a quiet affair, unlike the story of her own birth. Henry had been three months old when the message came that the Queen had found their whereabouts and was on the way to them. The crew was out on the Jolly Roger, waiting for the first sign of the Queen's ship on the horizon.

"Love, take it," he grabbed her hand and tried to force her to take the bean, "Get you and the lad get out of here, get to where it's safe. She can't get to you there."

She shook her head fiercely, pushing his hand away from her. "I can't leave you here to die, Killian! You know the second she steps on this island; she will kill everyone here if we don't fight. You aren't fighting without me."

Killian clenched his fists at his sides, "If you stay and fight, she'll kill you and our son and get to that realm. She'll get there and kill your mother and father and every other person in that realm. You have to take the bean and get there before she does. Just have a bit of faith, love, and trust me." He brushed the fingers of his lone hand against her cheek, "You've already been my savior, lass. It's time for you to be theirs." Tears had slipped from her eyes as she gave him one last desperate kiss as she finally took the token from him.

She remembered the 'I love you' that was whispered against his lips and the ache that settled in her chest as she forced herself out of their room, down to the nursery they had built for their baby. She remembered grabbed the baby blanket, the same one she had been wrapped in, and wrapping the tiny boy inside it. She had clutched him tight as she raced into the wooded area of the island as the red sails started to appear on the horizon. She remembered burying the bean in the dirt and the portal opening at her feet as the first sounds of cannon fire could be heard across the island. She had taken one last look at the home off in the distance as more tears slid from her eyes before diving into the portal.

That had been ten years ago. Ten years since she had been forced out of her land, away from her love. Ten years since she had been able to begin searching for the cursed town.

The clock on the radio of the small car struck midnight as the headlights of the Bug lit up the sign in front of where she had parked. With a small smile, she reached over to the passenger seat and brushed a stray lock of hair from her ten year old son's forehead.

"We're almost home, Henry," she whispered, "We're almost home."

The words Welcome to Storybrooke went by as she put the car in park and headed into town.