More Than Just a Fairy Tale

Based on "Once Upon a Time"

Enchanted Forest, Before the Curse

Snow White couldn't stop smiling.

It was her wedding day. The day that she was marrying her one, True Love. They had waited for such a day for so long and now, it was finally here. They were surrounded by the people they loved. It was going to be perfect. She sighed as Julia, one of her best friends, looked up from putting flowers in her friend's hair.

"Something wrong?"

Snow shook her head. "I'm just happy" she said "We've come a long way to get to this day"

"Tell me about it" Julia said "I've been waiting for this day since the moment you told me about how you two teamed up to get your engagement ring back from those trolls"

Snow laughed. "I know you've been waiting to say 'I told you so'"

"But, yet, I haven't" Julia said, looking at Snow through the mirror "I've been a good girl. Believe me, I've been wanting to say it for ages!"

Snow laughed. "Yes, you have been good" she said. Her voice became a little softer. "You always have…"

Julia laughed. "Always is a bit of a stretch" she said "I think 'lately' is more accurate"

Snow looked down. Julia's eyes narrowed as she looked at her friend. The happiness seemed to fade a little. "Ok, now I know that something's wrong"

Snow looked at her friend through the mirror. "Just thinking" she said "About my father…my mother…"

"They're here" Julia said "They've always been here. They're always watching over you, you know that"

"I know" Snow said "I know, it's just…" she paused for a moment. "I've always imagined them being here for my wedding day"

"I know" Julia said, putting the finishing touches on Snow's hair "And, I know it must be hard. But, hey, you've got me, you've got Charming, and you've got all of our amazing friends. One big happy family. That's a plus, right?"

Snow smiled. "Of course"

"Good" Julia said, as she motioned for Snow to stand. She put her hands on her friend's shoulders as they looked at each other through the mirror. "Now. Let's get you married"

The hall had been decorated grandly and the people had gathered, eagerly awaiting the event of the day. Julia couldn't have been happier for the happy couple; Snow and Charming were finally able to get married!

"I do"** Charming said, his eyes not leaving Snow's for one second.

"And do you, Snow White"** the Bishop said "Promise to take this man to be your husband, and love him for all eternity?"**

Snow smiled "I do"**

Julia could barely contain her excitement as she waited for the Bishop to finish. "I now pronounce you husband and wife"**

Instantly, the whole room cheered as Snow and Charming leaned in to kiss for the first time as husband and wife. But, the kiss was interrupted as the doors to the hall burst open.

"Sorry I'm late"**

Everyone turned at the sound of the voice, looking to see who had disrupted the wedding.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Julia complained "What the hell is she doing here?!"

Julia's fists clenched as she stepped more towards Snow and Charming, ready to protect them from anything that Regina could think of doing, as Regina walked almost menacingly towards her and the happy couple. Two guards rushed out to protect the royal couple, but Regina easily pushed them aside using her magic. She smiled in a sickly sweet way at Julia.

"Don't get any ideas" Regina said "Don't think I won't do the same to you, thief!"

"Too late" Julia replied, her tone full of sarcasm "You really do know how to make an entrance, Your Majesty"

"She's not a Queen anymore"** Snow exclaimed, pulling Charming's sword out of its scabbard and pointing it at her stepmother, as Regina stopped not too far away from where Julia was standing. "She's nothing more than an evil witch!"**

"No, no, no!"** Charming said, lowering Snow's hand and his sword away from Regina's face "Don't stoop to her level, there's no need"**

"Oh, there's a need" Julia said "There's always been a need"

Charming gave his friend a look for a moment as if to say "Don't make things worse" before speaking. "You're wasting your time, you've already lost"** he said, taking a step towards Regina as Snow grabbed his arm "And I will not let you ruin this wedding"**

Regina's eyes went from Charming and Snow, to Julia, and back again. "Oh, I haven't come here to ruin anything"** she said, innocently "On the contrary dear, I've come to give you a gift"**

"We want nothing from you"** Snow said, shaking her head

"But, you shall have it"** Regina said, slightly louder than she had spoken before

"Is your gift leaving and never returning?" Julia asked "Because that would be lovely"

Looking once more at Julia, Regina started walking in a circle and looking at the people gathered for the wedding. "My gift to you is this happy, happy day"** she said, with slight disgust to her voice. "For tomorrow my real work begins!"** Regina stopped in the place she had started from. "You've made your vows, now I make mine"**She took a couple steps and then stopped again "Soon, everything you love"** she continued, as she started walking around in a circle once more "Everything all of you love, will be taken from you. Forever. And out of your suffering, will rise my victory"** Regina turned and looked at Snow and Charming, as Julia also looked at her friends. "I shall destroy your happiness"** she practically growled "If it is the last thing I do"**

Julia turned back to Regina as she turned and started walking out of the room. Charming glanced at Snow, then his friend, and then looked right at Regina. "Hey!"**

Regina whipped around, only to be greeted with Charming's sword shooting at her head. Just as it was about to hit its mark, Regina disappeared and the sword went with her.

People started to whisper worriedly to each other. Julia looked at Snow and Charming, who were in each other's embrace, looking just as scared as everyone else was from Regina's threat. Julia sighed and tried to blink away the small tears forming in her eyes at the thought of what Regina might do to exact her revenge.

Storybrooke, Present Day

Jessica Gold sighed as she walked to the door of the Pawn Shop and flipped the sign to say "closed". It had been just another ordinary day in Storybrooke, Maine: she got up, got herself ready for the day, went down for her shift working at the Pawn Shop, and was now preparing herself to go and babysit her "little brother" Henry Mills, son of the Mayor. On the weekends, she spent most of her time with her best friend and local teacher, Mary Margaret Blanchard, at her Loft, though she did tend to find herself at the Loft a lot during the week as well.

Her guardian was Mr. Gold, commonly known by the locals as the man who "owned" Storybrooke. According to what Gold had told her, her parents had died in a car crash when she was around three-years-old and she was entrusted to his care shortly after. She often wondered why Gold was the one named her guardian – didn't she have any grandparents or aunts or uncles who would have wanted to take care of her? – but never actually asked Gold this question for fear of insulting him somehow.

All in all, she didn't have a bad life…she just wished that there was some more excitement in it!

"Gold?" she called out to the backroom of the shop. For an odd reason that she really couldn't explain, Jessica had never once called Gold in such endearing terms as "Dad" or "Father". At least, not that she could remember. "I just finished closing up the shop. I'm going to head over to babysit Henry now"

Gold came out of the back room just as Jessica was putting her backpack on over her shoulder. "Make sure you pick up something to eat on the way to the Mayor's house"

Jessica smiled a little as she held up her wallet. "Already way ahead of you" she said "This time, I actually called in my order! It should be ready for me in about 10 minutes"

Gold chuckled a little. "Do you know what time you'll be home tonight?"

Jessica sighed as she quickly checked her phone for any messages. "Unfortunately, no" she said "I always get a time to start, but I never get a time to end"

"Well, a Mayor's job is never done"

"Apparently" Jessica said, slipping her phone into her pocket. "In case I am late tonight, don't wait up"

"I'll be sure to leave some of the lights on, just in case"

"Thanks" Jessica said, with a smile. "I'll see you later"

Leaving the shop and closing the door behind her, Jessica headed towards Granny's Diner. It was a local hotspot for the residents of Storybrooke, Maine and one of the best places – actually, pretty much the only place – to get really good comfort food. Granny's had the best burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, French fries…the list went on and on. This time, Jessica had decided to get herself and Henry a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches with fries on the side. She only made Henry eat fruit and vegetables when the two actually made food together at the Mayor's Mansion, not when she splurged and got food at Granny's.

"Hey, Jess!" Ruby, waitress and Granny's granddaughter, greeted as Jessica walked into the diner "Your order should be just coming out of the kitchen now!"

"Thanks, Ruby" Jessica said, taking a seat at the bar as she waited "How was business today?"

"Same as always" Ruby replied, with a slight eye roll "Busy"

"That's a good thing" Granny said, coming out of the kitchen with Jessica's order in a couple of doggie bags "Business pays the bills!"

Jessica laughed a little. "It's almost the weekend, Ruby" she said, as she took the bags from Granny "Hang in there"

"Easy for you to say" Ruby said, as Jessica handed Granny the money she owed her "You work at the Pawn Shop. That's not nearly as busy as this place"

"Don't I know it" Jessica replied. She waved at Ruby and Granny. "I've got to run. Thanks for the food! I'll see you later"

Ruby and Granny waved back as Jessica left the Diner and closed the door behind her. Jessica waved to a few other people as she made her way to the Mayor's Mansion. One of the perks of living in Storybrooke was that you knew practically everyone. Jessica was humming to herself as she pushed open the gate in front of the Mayor's Mansion and let herself into the house.

"Hey, Little Bro, I'm here!" she called out to Henry "Brought some dinner!"

Henry had started calling her his "big sister" when he was around four or five years old. Jessica was so touched that Henry viewed her in that way that she started calling him her "little brother" and the nicknames had stuck ever since. She was still humming to herself as she placed the bags from Granny's on the dining room table. She headed back to the foyer and headed up the stairs.

"What's with the silent treatment?" Jessica asked, as she reached the door to Henry's bedroom "Don't tell me that you've fallen asleep or something!"

Pushing the door to Henry's bedroom open, Jessica's eyes narrowed in confusion when she saw that he wasn't in there. "Henry?" she called out as she started searching the other rooms of the house "Henry! This isn't funny! Where are you?"

After checking all the rooms in the house, and even checking the backyard to see if he was out there for some reason, Jessica swore under her breath, pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, and called the Mayor's Office.

"Yes?"

"Hi, Regina. It's Jessica. I was supposed to be babysitting Henry tonight, right?"

"Yes, of course you were. Don't tell me you forgot!"

"No, I didn't forget" Jessica replied, with a slightly agitated tone "But, I was just confused because Henry's not here. I wasn't sure if he was with you"

"What do you mean he's not there?"

Jessica wasn't sure how to make it any clearer. "The house is empty" she said "I just searched the entire place, he's not here"

"I'm on my way. Call Sheriff Graham. Once he and I get there, you can go home"

"Ok" Jessica hung up the phone and then dialed the number for the Sheriff's Station. "Yeah, Hi Graham, it's Jessica…Listen you need to get over to the Mayor's House…Henry's missing"

Enchanted Forest, Before the Curse

Some months passed and Julia was now focusing not on Regina's threat, but on the exciting news that Snow and Charming had a baby on the way. Julia had spent many hours with Snow and Charming getting the baby's nursery ready and even helping them choose potential names for their unborn child. It was one of the happiest times of their lives and Julia was going to savor every moment of it.

Well, every moment that Snow wasn't talking about Regina's threat.

Snow and Charming somehow came to the brilliant conclusion that they wanted to talk to their most infamous dungeon prisoner. Julia, of course, was against the idea. She knew all too well who this prisoner was and certainly did not want Snow and Charming to have any more dealings with him than they already had. Nevertheless, being the good friend that she was, Julia decided to head down to see what the prisoner had to say, before Snow and Charming had a chance to get down there themselves.

The caves of the dungeon made the hair on the back of Julia's neck stand on end. She couldn't help but feel that someone was watching her and that she wasn't safe. But, then again, look at who she was going to see. How could anyone feel safe when he was involved?

"My dear Julia…" he said "What a delight it is to see you again!"

"I'd say the same, but then I'd be lying"

He gave her a look. "Like you've ever stopped yourself from lying before" he replied "Come closer, Dearie. I promise I won't bite"

"Now, that just makes me feel so much better, Rumple" Julia replied, stepping closer to the dungeon cell. "Happy now?"

"Oh yes!" Rumplestiltskin said, looking at his visitor "Tell me, Dearie. What have I done to be honored with your presence?"

"I think you know why I've come"

"Ah, yes!" Rumplestiltskin replied "You're here to inquire about the same thing as Snow White and Prince Charming!"

Julia's face fell a little. "They were already here?"

Rumplestiltskin nodded. "Last night" he said "I was surprised to see that you weren't with them, actually. Since you three have become quite…close as of late"

"You needn't remind me of the status of my friendship with Snow and Charming" Julia said "Just tell me what you told them"

"You think they won't tell you themselves?"

"Oh, I know that they will" Julia said "But, since I came all the way down here, I might as well hear it from the man himself"

"And for you, Dearie, I won't even ask for something in return"

Julia arched an eyebrow as she crossed her arms. "Now, why don't I believe you?"

Rumplestiltskin feigned insult. "You hurt me, Julia"

"I speak from experience, Rumple"

"Fair point" he replied "But, you have nothing I want in return. So, enjoy this while you can get it"

Julia nodded. "Alright, fine" she said "Tell me what you know"

Rumplestiltskin laughed with glee. "The Queen has created a powerful curse. And it's coming."** he explained "Soon, you'll all be in a prison, just like me, only worse! For your prison, all of our prisons will be time"**

"Time?" Julia questioned

"Time will stop and we will be trapped"** he continued "Some place horrible. Where everything we hold dear, everything we love will be ripped from us while we suffer for all eternity, while the Queen celebrates, victorious at last."** He paused for a moment. "No more happy endings"**

"So, because Regina has been suffering, we all now have to suffer" Julia said, as Rumplestiltskin looked at her "Lovely. Is there anything we can do to stop this Curse?"

"We can't do anything"** Rumplestiltskin replied, putting emphasis on the word "We"

"But, someone else can…" Julia deduced "Who can do something about this Curse?"

"Snow White and Prince Charming's unborn baby"

Julia's eyes narrowed. "And, how exactly is an unborn baby supposed to stop something that the Queen is probably going to enact now?"

"Well, the baby's not going to do it now!" Rumplestiltskin snapped. "On its 28th birthday, the child will return. The child will find you. And the Final Battle will begin!"**

"Don't you dare do anything to Snow and Charming's baby!" Julia said, ignoring what he said "You do something to that baby and I will make you suffer for it"

"Why would I tell Snow White and Prince Charming to get the child to safety if I was planning on harming her, hmm?"

"Because you always have an ulterior motive" Julia replied "And, I don't always trust you"

"But, you sometimes do" Rumplestiltskin said "Such a complicated relationship we have, Julia"

Julia shrugged. "You have to admit" she said "It is pretty hard to trust you completely"

"I assure you, dear Julia, that I have no intention of harming that baby" Rumplestiltskin said, his voice taking on a serious tone "We all need her, if we are to eventually be free of Regina's revenge"

Julia stared at him for a moment. "Alright" she said "This time…I believe you…"

She turned and walked away from the man in the cell. To say that their relationship was complicated was putting it extremely mildly. Though the two had known each other for quite some time, Julia knew better than to trust him completely.

Hopefully, this time he could actually be trusted.

Storybrooke, Present Day

Jessica sighed as she finally made it to her bedroom. It hadn't taken too long for Regina and Graham to arrive at the Mayor's Mansion. Both Graham and Regina asked her many questions about what had happened and Jessica happily answered all of them, no matter how many times they were asked. Well, as happily as possible considering Regina was talking quite loudly, though Jessica understood why. Assuming that Gold was already asleep, Jessica closed the door to her bedroom and practically threw herself down on her bed. Just as she did so, her cell phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jess"

She automatically sat up. "Hey, Little Bro" she said "Where are you?"

"Home. My mom wanted me to call you and tell you that I'm sorry. For running away and scaring you"

"I have to admit it wasn't quite the way I pictured the evening going, but thanks for the apology, Henry" Jessica replied "Where did you go anyway?"

"I went to Boston"

"Boston?!" Jessica said, louder than she intended "What is in Boston?"

"I went to find my mom. My real mom. The one who gave birth to me"

"Henry…"

"I had to, Jess! She needs to break the Curse! She needs to return the happy endings!"

Jessica ran her fingers through her hair. Ever since Mary Margaret had given Henry a book of fairy tales one day at school, Henry was convinced that everyone in Storybrooke was a character from the most famous fairy tales known to man. According to him, the Evil Queen had cast a curse that brought all of the people from the Enchanted Forest and possibly beyond to Storybrooke, Maine, a place where time would stop and all of their happy endings would be taken from them for the rest of eternity. Henry claimed that Mary Margaret was Snow White, Regina was the Evil Queen, and his birth mother was the long-lost child of Snow White and her husband, Prince Charming, destined to bring the happy endings back to the citizens of Storybrooke, to name a small few.

Oh and that Jessica was really a thief named Julia, though Henry seemed convinced that that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to her story. He fully believed that she was someone more than just a common thief, but he just hadn't figured out who yet.

"Henry, that's a pretty big step to take" Jessica said "You really scared everyone"

"I know…I'm sorry, Jess…"

"I know you are" Jessica replied "Listen, it's late and you've clearly had a busy day. I'll talk to you tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok…love you, Big Sis"

Jessica smiled a little. "Love you too, Little Bro"

Hanging up the phone, Jessica lay back on her pillows and continued to think about Henry and his fairy tale theory. She didn't mind when Henry talked about his fairy tale theory. Actually, she found it entertaining. He would always get so excited and animated when he talked about it that she couldn't help but be drawn into the stories. But, she never thought that Henry would ever go as far as to track down his birth mother!

Clearly, this was more than just a fantasy for Henry…Jessica just hoped that he wouldn't do anything else drastic to try and prove what he was saying.

Hello! So, this is my first Once Upon a Time story! I really hope you all like it!

Just wanted to make some things clear as we get started. I know that we are already heading into Season 4B and this story starts in Season 1. The reason for that is because this story is the first in a series, one story for each season of Once that we get.

As you can tell, there is an OC. And, I know that not everyone likes a Mary Sue. I, personally, am not a fan of Mary Sue's at all and I want to avoid that at all costs. So, rest assured that Julia/Jessica will have enemies and is most certainly not perfect. At all.

I know that these kind of stories have been done before, but I wanted to put my own spin on it. There will be many twists, turns, and surprises along the way as we see how Julia/Jessica fits into the world of Once Upon a Time. Because of the length of some of the chapters, some "episodes" will have to be split into two sections.

I really appreciate polite, constructive criticism. I am posting this story as a way to improve my writing and storytelling skills. Any helpful tips are very appreciated!

Also, any lines that have two "stars" next to it (**) are lines that are from the show. They are not my own!

Long author's note aside, I really hope you all like this story and give it a chance! Please Read and Review! :-)

Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time. I only own Julia/Jessica!