Hi! So this is my first fic. I'm pretty nervous about it, but also really excited. I hope you like it, and please review! This will be a multichapter fic, I'm not sure how long yet but hopefully at least 8 chapters.

Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT or any of its characters. This is just for fun :D

Chapter 1

Emma rested her hands on her knees, panting. The night was cold, which was a relief to her burning cheeks. She had run from the diner as quickly as possible, getting out of the suffocating family scene she had found herself in. She loved her parents, but the sight of them with their new baby brought fresh pain to her heart. She was being replaced, again. She blinked back the tears that threatened to fall and took a deep breath.

Suddenly a deafening noise sounded through the quiet that made Emma jump about a foot in the air. When she saw what had caused it, her eyes went wide and she tried to run, but it was already pulling her in. She fell onto her front trying to grab a hold of something, anything that would save her. The portal was sucking her in, and she was powerless to stop it. "No!" she screamed. Her boot was already half in, and the force was so strong she couldn't resist it for much longer. She thought back to her family at the diner. "No," she said, more softly and in despair, before the portal gained its will and she fell in, darkness surrounding her.

"What is that?" asked David, pointing out the window of Granny's diner, a frown on his face. Snow, Henry, Ruby and Regina turned in the direction of David's hand. They could see what looked like a tunnel of fire shining in the distance reaching from the ground to the sky.

"That dearie," came the voice of Mr Gold, who strode up to them, "is Zelena's portal. Somehow it has opened." Everyone looked at each other uneasily. "How is that even possible?" asked Snow in disbelief, holding her baby boy tighter to her chest. "Zelena is gone. Her magic was taken from her."

"Well, since Zelena's body has gone, the magic in her pendant was left with nothing to do but fulfil its purpose," said Regina wearily. "It is not possible to know what time it has opened to since Zelena's magic is so temperamental, but I suggest we all avoid it. It could be extremely dangerous." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Wait a second, where's Emma?" Henry piped up. Snow and David looked at each other in fear. "She left a while ago…to get some air," said Snow slowly. "I–I don't know where she went." David immediately reached for his phone and dialled Emma's number. On the third try, he gave Snow an uneasy look. "She's not answering. She's probably fine, Snow." Just as he finished speaking the portal seemed to disappear and the sky was clear once again. "What just happened?" he demanded. Gold looked at him, clearly annoyed. "It seems that the portal has closed which can only mean one thing; someone went through. I'm going to take a wild guess and say it was your daughter, seeing as she is the only one missing at the moment." Most of the town had gathered at the party for Snow and David's new baby, and the blonde was noticeably gone.

Everyone gasped. "No! We have to get Emma back!" Snow's eyes were filling with tears. "We have to find a way to get her!" Gold held up his hand. "It is unwise to start tampering with portals. Emma is…smart," he said with a hint of disgust, as though the compliment was being wrenched from him unwillingly. "She will find her way back. Luckily her magic came back after Zelena died, so she has that to help her. I just hope she knows what she's in for." David looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

Gold hesitated slightly. "Well, dearie, anything she does could seriously mess up all of our timelines. Even the smallest action could mean that some of us never met, or weren't born." His eyes flickered over to Henry and the new baby. "Let's just hope she doesn't mess anything up, or run into the wrong person." Snow paled at the thought. "Wh-what if she meets Cora? Or Regina as the Evil Queen? Or me? What if I do something to her!" David quickly stopped Snow's rambling with a squeeze of the hand. "Calm down. She will be fine. She has her magic and she's our daughter. We will find her. We always do." Snow tried to smile, but she couldn't stop the fear gnawing away at her heart. She couldn't lose Emma. Not after it had taken so long to get back to her in the first place.

"Well, seeing as we're all still here for the moment, we can assume she's not done anything drastic," Regina cut in. "I just hope I don't meet her in the past…" she trailed off, wondering what would happen if the Evil Queen had met the Saviour.

Emma landed on the forest floor with a thump. Groaning, she picked herself up and looked around, her heart plummeting as she realised where she was. Trust her to fall through a portal and end up in the Enchanted Forest. She sighed, dusting off some of the dirt that had attached itself to her jeans. The sun shone through the trees, and Emma was thankful that it was at least daytime. She looked around nervously for any sign of life, but she was alone. She also didn't have any idea what year it was or how to get back home. Emma shook her head. She was not going to be stuck here forever. She would find a way back. However, she knew she had to be careful; anything she did could seriously affect her future.

She decided to start walking, as standing around bemoaning her current situation wasn't going to help her at all. Maybe she could find Rumplestiltskin; he always had an answer for everything, even if it came with a price. She would have to find directions to his castle. She had no idea where exactly she was and her last experience here hadn't exactly been the best. She finally saw what looked like a road and kept close to it, hoping it would lead her to civilisation.

After walking for what felt like hours, and having spent ample time grumbling to herself, Emma reached a village. There weren't many people around, and Emma knew if she showed up in her red jacket and jeans there would be a few questions, so she decided to avoid meeting anyone. She saw some clothes hanging out to dry and smirked at the easiness with which she resolved her predicament. With a flick of her wrist was wearing the clothes. "Wow, this magic really comes in handy," she muttered. She was wearing brown trousers, a beige shirt and a green cloak. They were very comfortable, and although the whole ensemble was quite plain, she would blend in at least. They were far more suited to walking long distances in than her jeans. However, she still allowed her golden curls to fall freely down her shoulders, allowing the slight wind to give them a life of their own. She didn't stop at the village; she had no money so there was no point trying to get food. She wasn't about to steal unless it was absolutely necessary.

Having resumed her walk through the forest, Emma noticed something on a passing tree but immediately recoiled when she saw what it was. It was a wanted poster for Snow White. Clearly at this point in time, Regina was the Evil Queen and her mother was on the run. "Great," she said. "Someone else to avoid." She hoped she wouldn't run into either of them. Regina for the obvious reasons, and Snow not because she didn't want to see her, but because she couldn't risk altering her timeline. She would no doubt mess up and she might end up not being born. She looked at the poster sadly, missing her mother, then continued walking but shuddering slightly every time she saw one. As they became more frequent however, she began to suspect that she was nearing Regina's lands or her castle. From the posters, Regina's hatred of Snow was clearly at a high point. Something made Emma curious to keep going towards where she knew Regina would be. She wondered what Regina had been like back in this time. She had heard stories about the Evil Queen, but she wanted to really see what Regina had been like, and what she had done.

Since she wasn't actually planning on meeting Regina at all, Emma didn't bother with a magical disguise. Regina didn't know her, she wasn't sure if she could pull that kind of magic off yet and Regina might smell the magic in the air and discover her. That would have worse consequences.

After a few more hours walking, Emma arrived in the village right outside the castle. She gasped as she looked up at it. It was domineering, frightening, and yet so Regina that Emma couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. So this was the Evil Queen's abode. "Charming," Emma muttered before smirking at the joke only she was around to get.

She then heard her stomach growl and frowned. She hadn't had anything to eat or drink in hours, but she had no money. She sighed, and then went to every tavern and inn she could find, asking for some work or some food for a poor stranger, but to no avail. It seemed people weren't very accepting of strangers here. Emma didn't really want to steal anything, but it had been a long day and she didn't think she would survive without some food soon. Helplessly, she wandered closer to the castle absentmindedly and spotted some apple trees. The apples looked so red, shiny and sumptuous that Emma couldn't resist licking her lips at the thought. As if on cue, her stomach gave another growl. She reached up and decided to take one, feeling the firm fruit break from the tree. She held it in her hand revelling in its beauty. Who knew fruit could look so…regal. Just as she was about to sink her teeth in however, a voice came from behind Emma that made her freeze and unwillingly tremble in fear. "Well, well. What are you doing with my apples, thief?"

It was the voice of the Evil Queen.