.

"Out on the road today I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac.

A little voice inside my head said

'Don't look back, you can never look back.'

I thought I knew what love was, what did I know?

Those days are gone forever, I should just let them go."

-Don Henley

Here's the thing. I'm not the kind of man you deserve. I know that. I've got more scars than I can count, and not a single one can be physically seen on my body.

But do you remember that day, shortly after your eleventh birthday, when we went down to the creek like we always used to… the very first day we went there together?

You were so homesick for Boston. You didn't think you'd ever be able to call Storybrooke your home. I told you the story of the time that August and his old man went down south for two years for a construction job. At just ten years old, August came back and told all sorts of stories about his time down there, and then gave me some of the best advice I've ever gotten, advice that I then passed on to you that day at the creek. He said "That's how you know you've really got a home. When you leave it, there's this feeling you can't shake. You just miss it."

I don't know if I ever had a home in Storybrooke, when I think about what August said that day. Since I left, I haven't really grown to miss it much. Not the old garage where Leroy taught us how to fix cars. Not the steady bustle of the regulars grabbing a meal at the diner. Not the playground where August and I used to sword fight with nothing but a couple of wooden sticks and our imaginations. Not what's left of the family I'd once thought to be inseperable. Not my father. Not the man who killed my mother. Not the darkness that's been haunting me ever since a strange man showed up at my house one night and claimed to be taking me to safety. My past in that town is as dark as the ink that I use to write this letter.

But there is one thing I miss about that place. One thing that I've found myself searching fruitlessly for since the day I left Storybrooke. One thing more than anything else in the world that I've come to realize I considered my home.

You.

Here's the thing. I love you. I'm always going to love you. It's easy to keep my feet moving away from everything I've ever known, everything I've ever loved. But as far as my feet take me, my heart's been left behind in a small town called Storybrooke, and I don't think I can ever return for it.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"One… two… three!"

A splash erupted from the river as the children all leapt into the water at once. Twelve-year-old Baelfire Gold surfaced and turned to his friends, August and Wendy, as their heads appeared above the water as well. "Race you back to the top!" He gestured to the small cliff from which they had just jumped.

Before the others could respond, a voice interrupted them from the river's edge. "Bae!"

Baelfire turned to see his father standing there, his mother waiting further away from the water, trying not to get wet.

"Come along, we're going to get lunch at the diner. Why don't you invite your friends?" Robert Gold beckoned to his son.

Bae turned and silently asked his friends what they wanted to do. Both August and Wendy nodded eagerly, never ones to turn down an invitation.

The children scrambled from the water, quickly drying themselves off with the towels they'd brought with them before following Bae's parents to the diner. The other children in the small town of Storybrooke, Maine had always been skeptical of being anywhere near Robert Gold, as he wasn't always the kindest individual. But Bae loved August and Wendy, and Mr. Gold loved Bae, so he was always a nice as he could be to the other two children. Bae's mother, Milah, however, was adored by all. August and Wendy loved coming over and listening to her sing while she baked them fresh cookies in the oven. August, who was raised by a single father after his own mother died when he was just three years old, often wished Milah could be his mother. Milah coming along for the trip was what made it so easy to say yes to the offer of lunch.

The group rounded the last corner to the diner, and Bae, August, and Wendy ran on ahead, barging through the diner's door like a pack of wild animals. They quickly settled down once they seated themselves in a booth and Bae's parents soon joined them.

Granny's diner was one of Bae's favorite places in Storybrooke, besides the river where he and his friends often swam. Cozy booths lined one wall, a small bar against the other, with scattered tables filling the space in between. It was also a favorite among almost all of the townspeople. Everyone knew everyone in a place like Storybrooke, so though small, the diner was often loud with the sounds of friends greeting friends, making small talk, or joking around. Today, there were quite a few other patrons seated in the other booths and at the tables nearby.

It was just busy enough that Bae almost didn't notice three faces at one of the tables that he did not recognize.

There were a young looking couple, holding hands and smiling. But Bae barely paid them any mind. He was too busy looking at the young girl seated across from them, her short legs dangling from the too-high chair, her blond curls falling over her shoulders, and her toothy grin lighting up her face.

His friends ordered their food, but Baelfire hardly noticed. He absentmindedly pretended to peruse the menu, but his eyes kept glancing at the girl seated with her parents a few tables over. He watched as she swung her legs back and forth under her chair and laughed at something her father said.

"Why don't you go say hello?" Mr. Gold interrupted his thoughts, catching his son at he kept not so subtlety glancing at the unfamiliar girl. She looked about the same age. Robert supposed that maybe his son could befriend her and help her settle into town.

"Yeah, come on, we'll go with you." August said, moving to get out of the booth and gesturing for Wendy to follow. Baelfire gave in and soon the three of them found themselves standing in front of the new family, who looked up from their conversation with friendly smiles on their faces.

"Hello," Bae said, managing to find his tongue despite his realization that the girl had the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen. They somehow managed to be stormy blue and grey and earthy green and hazel all at the same time. "My name's Baelfire. This is Wendy and August." He introduced each of his friends with a gesture towards each of them.

"Hey Baelfire." The girl's father took it upon himself to respond. He seemed like a friendly enough guy, tall and handsome with a short crop of blond hair and an open face that made him approachable. "My name's David Swan. This is my wife, Mary Margaret." He raised a hand in the direction of the woman sat opposite him at the diner's small table. She too had an openness about her, but where her husband's hair was light, her's was pitch black. "And this is our daughter, Emma."

Emma. Now he had a name to go with the vision of cascading gold curls and enigmatic eyes.

Years later, Bae had a lot of memories of Storybrooke that he'd much rather forget. Meeting Emma Swan was most definitely not one of them.

A/N: I have big plans for this story, as long as I can keep interest in writing it. Only two people know the outline for the whole story & my plans to come. Please review and let me know what you think so far! Reviews make the world go around. And Nat & Irene, I know what you're thinking. I told you my plans for this months ago. I'm a horrible slacker that put off starting this fic for that long. I'll make it up to you! (Frappuccinos all around, right Nat? xD)