One Last Night

SUMMARY: Emma's magic was too powerful; even the Land Without Magic to snuff it out. Thanks to that magic, Emma was able to dream about the Enchanted Forest. She didn't know it at the time, but the dreams were real. They were all too real. Now, back in Storybrooke, things are changing. Will Emma's dreams help her in the race to save her family? Bit of canon divergence - Emma and Killian have met before.

A/N: Welcome to my latest fan fiction. This one I am hoping will be a bit longer than my last story. I plan on updating this one only once a week - maybe every two weeks. Updates will be on Friday nights Japan time. I have also changed some canon to make the story follow my timeline instead. Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks to Clare for beta reading this story!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters.

Chapter One

The ground was hard beneath her. She could feel dirt, and some leaves. It was a big change from the floor she expected to land upon. The last thing she knew she was standing in city hall - her parents and Regina helping her fight off something called a wraith. Gold had placed a mark on Regina, in return for her treatment of Belle; leading the heroes to once again save the day. They had the brilliant idea of sending the wraith to a land that no longer existed, thus ending the beast. What Emma didn't expect was getting sucked into the portal that they opened.

She opened her eyes a slightly, taking in the bright light that surrounded her. To her left was a road that led to what looked like a village. The tops of buildings poked out from the tree line. What surprised her though was what she saw on her right. Her mother laid on the ground in a similar fashion. Snow freaking White was her mother, a revelation that had only happened a short while ago. It was still something she was getting used to - the magic and the fairy tales. What was her life becoming?

"Mary Margaret, are you OK?" she questioned, moving slowly over to the pixie haired woman.

"Emma?" she heard the woman respond. "Oh thank god, you're OK!"

Mary Margaret moved quickly, so that she could pull Emma into her arms as they sat on their knees on the ground. The hug was similar to ones they had shared as roommates and friends, but there was something more to it.

"What the hell happened?" Emma questioned.

"We got sucked through the hat," her mother explained, with some tears in her eyes. Shit, the hat Emma thought. They were using the mad hatter's hat to banish the wraith - Regina had explained that it was a one-way ticket to hell.

"So where the hell are we? Regina said the Enchanted Forest was destroyed with her curse, shouldn't we've been sucked into a void? Shouldn't we be dead?" she couldn't understand what was going on. Regina said the forest was destroyed when she cast the dark curse - leaving nothing behind when they were all pulled to Emma's land. That was where they were sending the wraith, so where the hell did they end up?

"I'm not sure, but let's go and see. Stay close." Mary Margaret requested giving Emma a mothering look she was actually quite used to from the woman. They moved slowly down the path towards the village.

In the past three months, Emma's life had been turned upside down. One day she was living in Boston, working as a bail bondsman (well, bail bonds person), when a young boy showed up at her door claiming to be her son. He reminded her of someone, someone from a distant memory. He begged her to come home with him, saying her family needed her. It didn't make sense to her, she had a family, an adoptive mother, Ingrid, who she knew wasn't in trouble. Yet, she felt the need to follow the boy.

Suddenly she had found herself driving Henry back to Storybrooke, Maine. Soon she found herself involved in this, what at the time seemed crazy, operation to get back everyone's happy endings, including her parents, who he believed were fairy tale characters. Soon she had become the sheriff of the small town, replacing someone she was growing attached to. Soon she found herself doing something she hadn't done in a few years, dreaming. One morning she woke up believing, she knew everything her son was saying was true, and she broke the curse. Yes, it may have taken a sleeping curse and battling a dragon, but in the end she believed. In the end, she was their savior.

It wasn't long after breaking the curse that problems arose in their quaint town. It wasn't even two days later, and now Emma found herself stuck in a strange place, with the woman who was her real mom. Emma took out her phone, hoping that maybe they were just transported outside of town. Looking down at her iPhone she sighed, no signal. Perfect she thought to herself. She wasn't quite sure how to act around Mary Margaret now. Yes, the woman was her mother, but she didn't raise her. In fact, they abandoned her to that land for twenty-eight years simply to defeat a curse.

As they walked down the road towards the buildings that Emma had spotted before, she began to notice things that looked familiar. Her mind was no longer hazy from the portal memories came flooding back. She stopped as they passed the first home, rooted in the middle of the road. Mary Margaret turned around, taking in Emma's shocked state.

"What is it?" she questioned, moving to take Emma's hand in hers.

"I know this place," she whispered.

"What do you mean, you know this place? Do you know where we are?" Mary Margaret sounded a bit relieved at the question. There was hope in the woman's eyes - faith that things would now be OK simply because Emma thought she recognized the houses.

"I don't know where we are, but I know I've been here before, or at least I think I've been here before. I'm not really sure." Emma tried to explain. Mary Margaret looked around, her mother's eyes settling on a store a few doors down from the house they were stopped in front of.

"I think I know this place too, come on," she said, pulling Emma from her spot, towards a window.

"Really?" If her mother knew this place, it could only mean one thing; and Emma didn't want to admit what her mind was now thinking.

"Yeah, Emma, I think we are in the Enchanted Forest. Yes! This was my dressmaker's shop. She used to make all of my dresses once David and I moved into the castle, after we defeated Regina." her mother exclaimed. She seemed overly happy about finding a dress shop. Emma rolled her eyes at her mother. Mostly out of frustration with herself.

"So where exactly are we?" Emma questioned, moving to stand near her mother.

"Well, we are in a seaside village. It's about a day's journey west to get to our castle. Our castle is in the mountains, near a lake that is inaccessible unless you are riding there. Whenever your father and I had to go anywhere on a ship, we would always embark from here." she explained. They walked farther into the village. Emma looked around quickly.

Yes, she did know this place. It was one she would escape to in a world of dreams when she was younger. She never knew the place was real; always believing it was just a figment of her imagination, as were the people she encountered here. The tavern she had sat in was just up the street on the corner. The inn was close by, only two doors down from the tavern. As they reached the center of town, with a large fountain in the middle of the square, Emma was able to see down to the docks. Believing her parents were fairy tale characters was easier than actually believing this place was real.

"Emma, what is it? You said you know this place. How?" Mary Margaret questioned.

"I'm not really sure. I used to dream of this place, at least I thought I dreamt of it. I thought it was just my imagination. I never thought it was real." Emma confessed. She had never told anyone about her dreams before now. Not even her adoptive mother, who she later found out, was also from her real mother's magical world.

"Are you sure?" her mother asked.

"Positive. What I don't understand is how?" Emma said, looking to he mother for some guidance.

"I'm not sure Emma, but what I do know is that if we are in the Enchanted Forest, that means that we can get back to David and Henry. We just have to find some way to get there." she replied, reaching to grab Emma's hand, giving it a slight squeeze.

Emma looked towards the bench that sat in front of the fountain; she used to dream about sitting in that exact spot. She always had fond memories of those dreams, but now all she could think of was what the fuck is going on?

Emma's life wasn't normal. How could it be? Her parents abandoned her on the side of the road when she wasn't even a day old. She lived with the Swan family until she was three, when they gave her back because they had a child of their own. When she was five, Ingrid Arendelle, a tall blonde woman who never seemed to age, adopted her. Ingrid was loving and caring, but was always giving Emma these lectures about how the power to change her life was inside of her; she just needed to harness those powers to achieve greatness. So no, Emma's life was never normal.

Emma's first recollection of her dream came on the night she was adopted. Emma was picked up by Ingrid at the group home she was staying at while the adoption was finalized. The drive back to Ingrid's house in Minnesota was a short one, but was awkward to say the least. Emma didn't remember much about it, just that she felt like the woman kept watching her, expecting her to do something amazing. She remembers Ingrid's eye widen and fill with hope when she first met Emma. Yet, she seemed nice enough, so Emma was happy to be going to an actual home.

That night, after Ingrid tucked her in and told her a story about a lost princess who had special powers, Emma drifted into a deep sleep. It was that night that she first dreamt of the seaside village. One moment Emma was in her bed, nice and warm, the next she was playing ball with a few other children she didn't know, in a town that looked strange. It was warm, and she was wearing a dress that was different than anything she had ever seen. However, she wasn't really scared. She felt happy actually. She felt safe, and home.

She played ball for a little with the kids; never learning their names, yet they knew her name was Emma. Soon, the kids had to return home for dinner. Emma wasn't quite sure what to do, she didn't know if she had a home here, or what was even going on. She started to walk along the street, noticing the shops around her, filled with bustling people trying to order clothing and food. She spotted a fountain in the middle of an intersection, a beautiful fountain that stood tall and welcoming, tiny animal statues sat in the water. Emma sat down on the bench in front of it, looking out to the sea that was now in front of her. There were large ships docked at the bottom of a hill, with giant sails fluttering in the slight breeze. The smell of salt invading her nose. She stayed in that spot for a while, taking in the sights around her, watching the setting sun turn the sky orange. Carriages moved around the circle, children and adults ran in and out of shops, hurrying home to make dinner.

She got up, stomach growling, and walked down another street, hoping to find something to eat, or maybe someone that knew her and could help her. She neared the water on this street, but it wasn't the sight of the sea that stopped her, or the smell of food from the houses that surrounded her, it was the sound of crying. It was muffled a bit, and sounded close by. Emma moved till she could see where the sound was coming from. A young boy, not much older than her was sitting on a barrel outside a door. His knees pulled to his chest, his brown floppy hair covering his face. She could hear his soft cries. She didn't want to interrupt him. She knew what it felt like for someone you didn't know to watch you cry. It had happened to her a few times in the group home. She felt so alone there, felt out of place, and sometimes she would cry. She hated it when the kids would see her cry, they would make fun of her, call her a baby.

She tried to back away from the boy slowly as to not disturb him, but she didn't know the area well, and backed into some trash that was outside a home, causing a crash. The boy's head flew up, staring right at her.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking the boy in the eyes. He had pretty blue eyes, which reminded her of the sea that sat a few doors down from where she stood. His eyes were red too, and tears were streaming down his face. He must have been crying for a long time. His eyes held a deep sadness, yet were welcoming and not threatening.

"It's OK," he said, looking at her funny. It was like he knew she wasn't supposed to be here. Like he knew that she didn't belong.

"Are you OK?" she asked, moving a bit, so she could see him better. She didn't get too close, but close enough to make out the buttons on the coat he was wearing. It wasn't cold out, yet he wore the coat proudly. The buttons had anchors etched across them.

"No, I'm not." he answered, not giving any more away. Anger laced his voice. She could hear the pain.

"I'm sorry. Can I help?" she asked, while her head moved to the side in question. She didn't know why, but she felt the need to take care of the boy in front of her. She was only five, but she felt like he needed someone.

"No. My mom is just really sick," he said, a few more tears falling down his face. She never had a mother, so she didn't really know how it felt to have a sick one.

"I don't have a mother, or a father," she said, not knowing why. She knew it wouldn't make the boy feel better, but she also knew there was nothing to say to make him feel better. Maybe she said it so he would know she understood a little bit, understood what it felt like to be helpless and hopeless.

"That's horrible," he said, the tears stopping for a moment. She nodded at his statement.

It was horrible. Emma didn't know where she came from, who she was, what she was supposed to be. She was an orphan. She had been alone for so long. She sat down next to the boy and just looked at the sky. Maybe there was nothing she could do for him, but it seemed like he needed a friend. Emma wished she had friends at the group home who would help her, but she was always alone there. She hated the feeling, the feeling like no one cared about what she was going through. She saw something in that boy that reminded him of herself.

They sat there together for a while, the sky turning dark around them. They didn't speak, didn't even look at each other. She listened as his tears started again. She wanted to tell him that everything would be OK, but she knew that it could be a lie. Even though Ingrid adopted her, she still knew Ingrid could give her back. She knew that things were not always good. She had heard stories from the kids at the home, about how parents could be mean and angry, how her real parents didn't want her, so why would anyone else want her. Yet, sitting there next to the boy, Emma felt like maybe things were starting to be OK in her life. At least Ingrid wasn't sick, at least she had something to look forward too.

She heard a voice call form inside the house. The boy turned towards the window that was nearby. She hadn't realized it was open, but now she could smell the food that was being cooked inside. The voiced yelled for him to come inside and eat his dinner. The voice was strong and deep, and it scared Emma to hear it. Suddenly she felt like she was intruding and needed to leave.

"That's my dad. I've got to go," the boy said, hoping down from the barrel and wiping his face. She could tell he was trying to hide the fact he was upset about his mother.

"I hope your mom gets better," she said, with a small smile to help the boy out. She really did hope his mom would be OK. She knew what it was like to not have a mother, and having a sick mother was better than no mother at all.

"Thanks." he replied, opening the door and heading inside.

Emma climbed down from barrel she had sat on, walking back up towards the fountain. She looked up at the stars. She loved the way they sparkled in the sky. It was one of the only things that made her happy. It was like they were a sign, a sign that maybe, one day, things would get better. If the stars could continue to sparkle, then she could dream.

Emma woke the next morning, in her bed. She couldn't remember what happened in her dream after she watched the stars, but she remembered feeling something. For the first time, in a long time, she was happy. She actually had a family now. Emma never told anyone about her dream that night, afraid that Ingrid may tell her she was crazy or want to give her back. Yet, Emma thought of that dream often, thinking about how the stars twinkled, thinking about the boy she met.

Emma and Mary Margaret moved through the town. Thankfully, they stayed off the side road Emma had once dreamt about. The houses and stores looked deserted. It was like a ghost town. There were no ships in the harbor; there were no sounds of hoofs from carriages that Emma knew could be found in the town. She couldn't even hear the rustling of mice or cats along the alleys.

"Where is everyone?" she asked.

"Probably back in Storybrooke. This town was so close to the castle, so they were taken with the curse. I remember we tried to prepare the kingdom for the curse. We tried to get as many people to other kingdoms before the curse hit, but it was too late. I think we were able to evacuate one town, far to the North, before the curse it." Mary Margaret replied, moving through the streets.

They had stopped along the way in some of the shops, looking to see if there were any supplies they could use. They found some food and a couple knapsacks that they could use. The food was stale, but helped her growling stomach, but they would need to find something else soon. Her mother had also found a bow and arrow. Emma actually chucked when her mother picked up the weapon. Mary Margaret was so innocent; she was someone who would never hurt a fly. Snow White though, as Emma soon learned, was a fierce warrior known for her ruthlessness when she lived on the run from Regina. It was still hard for Emma to wrap her mind around the revelations the breaking of the curse brought.

Yes, she believed in magic now, believed in her parents; but it was still weird. The whole thing was weird. Now here they were, back in the land she was born, trying to find a way back to her father, who was Prince Charming. At least her son was normal. Worry had begun to set in. Was Henry all right? Who was watching him? What was happening back in Storybrooke? She knew they had to get back soon.

They were nearing the docks when Emma heard a rustling coming from an alley nearby. Mary Margaret heard it too, stopping in her tracks, drawing the bow and arrow. For the first time, Emma saw how badass her mom could be. The woman had no fear on her face, just determination. Emma didn't find any weapon she could use in the shops, but thankfully had her gun. She drew it, pointing it at the alleyway.

"Don't shoot!" they heard someone call from the darkness. The voice was feminine. There was no accent associated with it.

At that moment, a woman in nice clothes stepped into the lighted street. It had darkened a bit, Mary Margaret saying that night would be upon them soon. They were headed down to the docks to see if they could find anything that could get them to the castle.

"Who are you?" the girl questioned. She looked younger than them, yet carried herself like someone who was much older. Her pale purple dress looked new, but Emma could see it had been through a lot, there were tears on the skirt, and there were hints of mud on the bodice.

"I'm Snow White, and this is my daughter, Emma." Snow called, still now lowering her arrow.

"Thank god!" the girl cried a bit. "Please, you have to help me and my friend. She was injured a bit, and we need to get back to camp."

"You know who I am?" her mother inquired. The girl nodded her head. It was with the nod that Emma noticed the tiara on the girl's head. Royalty.

"Of course, your mother and mine were close friends. I'm Aurora, daughter of…" she began, but Mary Margaret interrupted her quickly.

"Briar Rose?" she said, a bit loudly. The girl nodded.

"Please, you must help us." she begged. Mary Margaret lowered her weapon, but Emma kept hers drawn. She wasn't sure, but she didn't want them falling into a trap. How was it that her mother was so trusting so quickly? But then it dawned on her - everyone should have been in Storybrooke. Regina didn't have many friends, and those that were on her team were also taken with the curse.

The girl led them down the alleyway, until they came upon a small home near the water. There was a lone candle lit inside, lighting a shadow on the figure on the floor. The figure looked quite large due to the amount of armor it was wearing, the armor's gold reflecting in the light.

"Mulan, I have brought help." Aurora said, leaning down to the figure. Go figure, of course Mulan would be here. Her parents were fucking Snow White and Prince Charming, she had made out with the Huntsman, she had met Belle and the Evil Queen, Pongo ran around the town while Jiminy Cricket handed out advice. Her adoptive mother was the Snow Queen. Disney was coming alive right before her very eyes. Of course Mulan would be real too.

"Who are you?" the woman on the floor barked out, not trusting them. At least they had that in common, Emma didn't quite trust the duo in front of them yet, unlike her mother. Emma had been surprised that at least this fairy tale character looked like the movies. Aurora looked nothing like her traditional counterpart. Instead of blonde hair and a pink dress, the young girl was brunette and wore purple. Mulan though, fit the part. Her skin glowed in the candlelight as her deep brown eyes took in the pair. She had a bandage around her leg, some blood seeping through.

"I'm Snow White." Mary Margaret said, looking down at the woman. "We are here to help."

"How did you get here? What are you wearing?" Mulan questioned.

"That's a long story." Emma said sarcastically from the doorway. Mary Margaret shot her a look that told her to stop it.

"We were swept up in the Evil Queen's curse twenty-eight years ago. Emma's my daughter, the savior, who just broke the curse. Rumplestilskin placed a bounty on the Evil Queen, which brought a wraith to our land. We used the mad hatter's hat to send the wraith back to this land, which we were told was destroyed with the curse, but we fell in." Mary Margaret explained, like every word that was coming out of her mouth was normal and not in the slightest way crazy. "What year is it, what happened after the curse?"

Finally, Emma thought, they would be able to get answers.

"Help us to our camp a few miles down the road, and we will tell you." Mulan offered.

The camp was a bit farther up the road than Mulan led them to believe. Thankfully, they found a cart, and were able to pull Mulan all the way with the help of Aurora. Turns out, Mulan had tripped and fell while in the woods. They believed they heard something and went running towards the noise. A branch pierced her skin. Aurora surprisingly removed the branch and bandaged Mulan up. Emma was becoming more surprised by princesses, but at the same time quite proud of how badass they all were.

She could see the smoke from the camp, as they got closer. The sun had fully set, but the moon was huge and bright. In fact, the moon seemed larger here than it did in their world. The stars were the same though; they still sparkled and led her to believe in some hope. Hope that she will find Henry again, that things were going to get better.

The camp was actually quite large. Tents spread out as far as Emma's eyes could see. There were many fires going, the smell of meat being roasted invaded her senses. It smelled horrible, yet delicious at the same time. Hunger was starting to get the best of her. Aurora led them to the medical tent, so they could drop off Mulan.

"Is someone finally going to tell us what the hell happened after the curse, and how we could possibly be here, when the forest was supposed to be destroyed," Emma barked. Mulan had said they would tell them during the journey, but once the cart started to move, Mulan passed out. Aurora said they had been in that house for two days, and the pain was starting to get worse. It annoyed her, but she understood. But the more time they waited on answers, the longer it would take for them to get back to Henry. Back to the world she knew.

"Yes, but it won't be me. Come along. I have someone to introduce you to." Aurora said, and led the way back to the center of the camp. Many people came out to look at them as they passed. Whispers followed them as they walked, questioning who they were and how they got here.

They arrived at a large tent, one Emma had seen in movies. It was the tent in which the leader of the troops would live in during battles. She knew someone important would come out, she just didn't know who. Everyone of importance was back in Storybrooke.

"Snow White?" Comes a booming voice from within the curtains. A head is peaking out at them. Her mother's eyes narrow trying to get a better look at the person whose voice they just heard. A figure stepped out of the shadows, into the light cast by the large fire at the center of space they now occupied. A man, tall and muscular, stepped out and appeared.

"Lancelot?" she heard her mother say, as she stepped forward into the embrace of the man.

"What are you doing here?" they both asked at the same time, as they released each other from the hug. Emma's eyes were huge with questioning. How did a knight of the round table end up in the Enchanted Forest, how did he know her mother, and why were they talking like long lost friends?

"It's a long story. But first, this is my daughter Emma." her mother said, pulling Emma beside her. Emma finally got a good look at the man. His eyes were caring and compassionate. His huge smile made Emma feel at home. "Emma, this is Lancelot; an old friend. He actually helped your father and I out once."

"That I did. I played quite a large part in their story." he commented. Mary Margaret actually blushed a bit.

"He married us actually," she confessed. Emma's jaw dropped at that statement. It looked like the man standing in front of them was to thank for her parent's getting their happy ending. Maybe he was even to thank for her being here.

"What has been happening Lancelot? Regina said that when she cast the curse twenty-eight years ago, the entire land was destroyed when we were all transferred to Storybrooke. How is it that you all are alive? What has been going on?" Mary Margaret questioned.

"That is a long story too. Let's have a seat and eat dinner while I tell you of our adventures and you tell me of yours." he suggested. Emma wasn't going to deny food, even though she knew it would take forever for him to tell them the story.

"It's Chimera," he stated, as Emma looked down at the strange meat before her. "It's an acquired taste, but it is the best we can do."

Emma took a bite, cringing at the meat, but at the moment she didn't care. She was starving and she wanted him to tell her the story. The more they knew, the more it would help them get home.

"Alright, twenty-eight years ago, when Regina cast the curse, I was living on an Island down near the Southern Isles. We saw the curse coming, but then there was a large flash of light and a bubble of some sort floated down over the town I was in. The curse washed over the bubble, but never entered. Those in the bubble were spared from the curse. But we were frozen. It was the strangest feeling. We could tell time was moving, but we were unable to move with it. We didn't age, but time moved on. We could see the sun setting and rising every day, but we were unable to see anything else. About three months ago the bubble burst and we were freed. The land around us was abandoned. The structures still there, but everything was deserted. It took a few days for the purple smoke from the Evil Queen's curse to finally disappear. I found Prince Phillip and Aurora the day after we were unfrozen. They were closer to the epicenter of the bubble. We worked together to gather men and women, bringing them together in this camp. Every few days, we pack up and move, unwilling to stay in one place too long. It had taken us two months, but we are finally close to the castle." he explained.

"Why do you keep moving?" Emma asked. If no one was in the land, why move? Why make camp instead of taking up residence in a town nearby.

"The ogres are back," he confessed, looking over to her mother, with fear now in his eyes.

"They are?" she questioned. She hadn't seen her mother scared since arriving, but in those words Lancelot spoke, she saw pure fear. Emma however, could only picture Shrek. How was a green monster scary?

"Yes, so we've been moving ever since, trying to find survivors of the curse, trying to locate an area where the ogres haven't been." he said, looking around the camp. "So far, we've been able to stay here for five days. We were planning on leaving tomorrow, so it was a good thing you got Mulan back here safely. We've found no one else since we left the islands, but we have noticed ships returning to the land - probably from other kingdoms coming to search for answers. We do know that the curse didn't only affect your kingdom, many were taken with the curse, but some were spared."

"Do you know why the bubble was formed, or who formed it? Do you know much about the area?" Mary Margaret questioned.

"Yes, we did find who created the bubble. In fact, it was actually a different curse. While it protected us, it was still a curse. We found the sorceress who cast it, and we are keeping her prisoner. And about the area, we know your castle still stands. In fact, that is where Prince Phillip went, about ten days before you arrived. He was supposed to report back a couple of days ago, which is why Aurora and Mulan were out searching for him." he said, standing to walk around the table they were sitting at.

"Who cast the curse?" Emma questioned. Wasn't Regina the only Evil Queen? She defeated Maleficent in Storybrooke, so who was left? Emma's mind traveled back to all the Disney movies she watched when she was a kid. Maybe it was Ursula who cast the curse? Or maybe it was Jafar?

"Someone I believe your mother knows quite well." he said. He began to walk away, causing Mary Margaret and Emma to follow him. On the outskirts of the camp, in a pit, sat their prisoner. Looking down, Emma could see the outline of a woman's figure. She was dressed in nice clothes, similar to Aurora, her skirt billowing out around her as she sat on the floor. She couldn't see very well, until Lancelot threw down his torch so that the pit was bathed in firelight.

"Cora." Mary Margaret hissed.

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