Chapter 1

August and Emma were upstairs hanging out with each other- despite their 7 year difference- when their foster father- Albert Spencer- came home drunk. "Hey brats! Where are you?" He questioned, slowly stumbling up the steps.

"Pretend that you're asleep Em." August told her, he could see the reluctance on her face. "Now." He told her. "I'll be fine." He insisted. She closed her eyes, but was far too scared to go to sleep. "Coming!" He shouted while leaving the room. "Emma's asleep." She heard August say.

They went downstairs, she could hear as they stepped back down the stairs. It wasn't long until she heard shouting and the breaking of glass. She wasn't sure how long she'd been in bed- squeezing her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears from falling- when she heard a grunt. She opened her eyes and saw August sitting on his bed across the room. "Auggie?" She whispered.

His head snapped up. "I'm fine Emma. Go to sleep." He told her and she ignored him.

She got out of bed and tiptoed over to August's bed. "Is he asleep?" She whispered and he nodded. "We can't stay here anymore." She whispered. "He keeps hurting you. Especially when you stop him from hurting me. I don't wanna see you hurt anymore Auggie."

He sighed. "C'mon Swannie. I'm fine." He insisted, using the nickname that she loved. "We'll be fine. I'll always protect you. It's my job. Plus, I really like this town."

"Fine. We'll stay in town. But we can't live here anymore. Auggie, please."

He sighed. "Tomorrow I'll pick you up after school and we'll go to Gold's shop. He'll be able to help us."

"You told me to never make deals with him Auggie. You said he's a bad man."

August gave a small smile. "I think I can convince him to find us a place to stay, free of charge." He told his sister confidently. "We won't be here much longer."

XXX

Emma hardly got any sleep the previous night, she could hear that August was hurt, everytime he moved he made grunting noises. They needed to get out of that house and fast. It was only a matter of time before Spencer began hurting her too.

Emma had been nodding off all day in class, she was relieved when it was finally the end of the day. She grabbed her things out of the coat room then headed towards the door, but then her teacher had stopped her. "Emma, stay for a minute."

"Okay Miss Blanchard." Emma said and went to her teacher's desk.

The teacher looked at Emma and gave her a warming smile. "Sweetie, is everything okay at home?" She started and Emma began to panic. What does she mean? Does she know something? "Are you getting enough sleep?" The teacher continued.

Emma let out an internal sigh of relief. "Uh yeah… I guess maybe I was just tired cause I was up late last night hanging out with Auggie. He like to stay up late."

"Alright." The teacher said, unconvinced. "If you need to talk, I'm here." Miss Blanchard told her and she nodded. "I do have something for you."

Emma looked up at her teacher with a small smile. "Really?"

"Yes." She bagan going through her bag. "This morning, I was cleaning out my bedroom closet, like I've done, thousands of times. Wanna know what happened?" She asked. "I found something I've never noticed before." She put a storybook on the desk in front of Emma. "It was just there, like magic."

"Well, that's not possible." Emma said and reached for the book.

"Well, of course not, but it happened." She answered as Emma began flipping through the pages of the book. "Do you wanna know what happened when I looked inside?" Emma looked at her teacher intrigued. "Hope."

Emma shrugged. "Looks like fairytales to me."

The teacher leaned in. "And what exactly do you think fairytales are?" She asked and Emma looked back at her new book. "A reminder, that our lives will get better, if we just hold on to hope." Emma smiled at her teacher. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Emma looked at a page with a picture of Snow White and Prince Charming. "Miss Blanchard?" Emma asked.

"Yeah?" She asked, turning around to look at Emma.

Emma smiled at what she saw, it wasn't Miss Blanchard, it was Snow White. "Thank you." She breathed out.

"Have a good day Emma."

Emma closed the book and ran outside. "August!" She yelled running up to her brother. "Look what my teacher gave me!"

August glanced at it.. "That's great Em. Is that what took so long?" He asked and she nodded. "Alright, let's go."

XXX

The two of them entered the shop causing the bell above the door to ring. "What can I do for you two?" Mr Gold asked,

"I'm Emma." She greeted.

Mr Gold's eyes widened as all the memories came rushing over him. "Emma." He breathed out. "What a lovely name."

"We need your help." August said, then looked down at Emma. "Em, go look around the shop so I can talk to Mr Gold please." He told his sister, she nodded but instead sat down on the floor- by the door- and read her book. "Rumpelstiltskin?" He questioned.

"Who are you?" Gold asked.

August sighed. "That's a long story. I go by August Booth though. The point is that we're in a really bad home, with King George. I think we both know that Emma's well-being is in your best interest." He could see Gold taking in everything he was saying. "We need you to find a home for us to stay in, at least until we break the curse. It needs to be legal, since the previous king is a lawyer and the Evil Queen is the mayor. Are you going to help us?"

"What's in it for me?" Gold asked.

August sighed. "So many things. When the curse is broken, I'm sending Baelfire a letter notifying him to come to Storybrooke." He saw Gold's eyes widen at the mention of Baelfire. "I know it's not proof, it's not even part of a deal, that's happening regardless, but-"

"I want to know your story." Gold interrupted. "When I place you in a new, safe home, I want to know your story."

August nodded. "Fine. It's a deal. How long will it take?"

"Give me until the end of the week. You want to be in the same home, I presume?" He asked and August nodded. "Alrighty then. I'll see you shortly after this placement. I could also arrange for Mr. Spencer's arrest." He said, August looked shocked. "You've had your arm draped over your abdomen the entire time, plus the positioning of your arm- which indicates your shoulder is injured- coupling with the fact that you've come here to get out of a bad home. It doesn't take a genius Mr Booth."

"Okay." He sighed. "I'd also like for him to be arrested."

Gold nodded. "That can also be done at the end of the week. Will you guys be okay until then?" He asked, with what appeared to be genuine worry.

"We'll be fine." August told him.

XXX

It's been 5 days since the meeting with Mr Gold. The end of the week was getting nearer and nearer. Mr Gold told them that they should be able to begin staying somewhere else tonight or tomorrow.

Emma has been reading her storybook for a while now. They are identical to the stories that August used to tell her when she was younger. "August?" She said.

"Yeah." He responded, while doing his homework.

She walked over to him with her book in her hand. "You know those stories you used to tell me… about the enchanted forest? You said you all got them from your memory."

"Yeah. I also remember you not believing me."

Emma sighed. "They're all in my book. I… this is gonna sound crazy Auggie."

He smiled. Could she be believing? "It's okay. You can tell me."

"I think Miss Blanchard is Snow White." She told him. "I know that she's a fairytale, but Auggie… when I saw the picture in the book, I looked back at Miss Blanchard and I swear, she looked like her, just like her Auggie."

His smile widened. "Let me see that." He held his right arm out and she gave him the book. He flipped through the pages. "Want me to read to you?" He asked and Emma nodded eagerly. They made their way over to Emma's bed and August read to her for the rest of the night, at least until Mr. Spencer returned home from the bar.

Emma and August were so entranced in the storybook that they managed to not hear their very drunk foster father stumble up the stair and into their bedroom. "Well, well, well!" He shouted. "Look who's awake!" He said drunkenly. Every other time he came home, Emma was always 'asleep'.

"Shit." August muttered. "Uh… Mr. Spencer. Let's uh, let's get you to bed sir." August said, trying to direct him out of the bedroom.

"Don't touch me." He said, throwing August to the floor and august scratched his cheek on the bed frame.

Emma jumped up. "Auggie!" She ran over to where August was laying on the floor. "Are you okay Auggie?" Emma asked worriedly, while helping him up.

Then suddenly Emma felt a strong hand around her forearm. "Let's go girl." The drunk lawyer spat.

"Let go!"

August rushed over to his sister and foster father. "Take your hands off her!" August yelled, prying his hand from Emma's arm, then punched him. He turned to Emma. "You okay Swannie?" He asked Emma, then glanced at their foster father.

Albert Spencer was out like a light, the impact of a hit plus the amount of alcohol he consumed knocked him out cold.

"I'm okay." She said. "I'm fine." She said, rubbing her arm where Spencer's hand was.

He looked at her arm, checking to see if Spencer's nails broke the skin, which it in fact did. "Let's get this wrapped up." He said, directing her to the bathroom. He wrapped her arm. "Are you sure you-"

"I'm fine Auggie." She insisted. "What do we do now?"

He sighed. "We're going to Mr Gold's shop. It's open until midnight. He'll know what to do."

XXX

Mr Gold heard the ding above his door. "What can I-" He stopped after seeing Emma and August. "What happened?"

August sighed. "Alber Spencer happened. We didn't know what to do, so we came here." He said, sending a worried glance towards Emma, who was on the floor reading. "He's um… I punched him, knocked him out. He wouldn't let go of her. I had to."

"Relax, I'm not judging you. I'll call the sheriff." Gold got his phone off the counter and called the station.

"Sheriff Nolan." The sheriff answered.

"Ah yes. Sheriff. I need you to come to my shop please. It's quite important. It involves those children I was telling your girlfriend about. They're here."

"Is everything alright? Should I bring Mary Margaret?"

"Yes. I think that would be a fine idea. I'll see you in a bit sheriff." He said and hung up.

August looked and Mr Gold expectantly. "What'd he say?"

"He and his girlfriend are on the way. I'll let you two do the talking and explain what happened. He'll probably want to talk to you two separately. Just a warning."

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