Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or the characters.
Hey guys, thanks for checking out my story. I hope you all enjoy it.
It was a typical Friday night in the big city of Boston, Massachusetts. Crowds of people filled the puddle ridden streets, using any means necessary to keep dry from the incessant five day downpour.
The night began like any other, in which Emma Swan successfully tracked down and turned in a court skipping fugitive. Little did she know that before its end, this night would be everything other than ordinary.
"Sorry I'm late," Emma hastily announced once she reached the top of the dining patio steps.
A brunette, who had been previously been sipping on a margarita, looked up. She smiled softly as she plucked the glass from her lips and placed it on the white cloth of the round table. When the blonde arrived she stood out of courtesy. "There's no need to be sorry. Emma I suppose?"
The blonde nodded with a smile. Her eyes scanned the woman before her dressed in a sleek black cocktail dress that hung from one shoulder, silver hooped earrings hanging from her lobes, and shoulder length razor treated brown hair.
The two take their seats, Emma's eyes focusing on the woman's wide grin and relaxed features. "You seem relieved."
The woman reached out and took a small sip of her drink. Emma, completely ignorant of the way her date's dark eyes flicker along her body, called for a vacant waiter.
Placing the drink down once more her date laughed slightly, "Well it is the internet after all."
"Yeah..I don't usually do this but my friend, Ruby, set me up with a profile and here I am," Emma nervously explained, her palm rubbing the back of her neck as a lopsided grin pierced her lips.
With a smile the brunette nodded understandingly, "I can honestly say the same thing happened to me. My son, along with my best friend, thought it would be a nice change of pace from work."
Green eyes widened slightly, her brows rising in surprise, "Oh, you have a son?"
Before the conversation could continue a black haired waitress wandered over to their table. Reaching into her white apron she pulled out a small red notebook decorated with a flame. With a flip of her wrist she turned the page on her small notepad and pulled a pen from her black button up shirt.
Clearing her throat she shot both of the women a smile and began her usual service monologue before asking whether either woman were ready to order.
The blonde crashed her brows together as she listened to her date order. There was something off about this waitress, as if she had seen her before. But where the hell had she seen her face?
"And for you Madam?"
Emma pursed her lips in thought. Was it from the club on Albany Street? No. She hadn't been to that club in a month. Or maybe the market on Boylston Street? Nah, she switched to grocery shopping on Huntington Avenue.
"Uh..Miss are you ready to or-" the waitress began, before she was cut off by a chef screaming in the back room, "Nimble your order's up!"
That's when it clicked.
Emma fiddled with her small handbag at her side and slowly pulled out a pair of handcuffs underneath the tablecloth. "Yeah actually, I was wondering if you could list your specials?"
The waitress rolled her eyes, obvious that she had just done that for her guest and began to roll the menu from her memory.
With a small nod the blonde thanked her. "Do you guys do take out?"
Both the waitress and the brunette's eyebrows rose in surprise. This was a five star restaurant; the answer was quite simply was a no.
"You don't get out much do you Miss Swan?" the brunette across from the blonde teased with a grin on her face.
The name must have sparked something in the waitress, as her eyes widened, taking a step back from the table.
"Nah, I just like to know when my meal ticket takes off on me," the blonde responded leaping from her chair, and extending her reach for the waitress who took off like a bat out of hell.
With a small sheepish smile at her date, Emma took off running across the patio, chasing the waitress.
Rounding the corner the blonde whipped her head from side to side, her eyes finally connect with the white apron racing down the street through a café's patio. She bolted in the same direction, silently cursing her choice for wearing black heels.
Sprinting into a hidden back alley she pushed her calves and popped out within a few feet in front of the waitress.
The black haired woman came to a screeching halt.
"Now I've got you," Emma smirked with a small huff.
Gritting her teeth together the waitress growled quietly. Leaning back on her heels her eyes darted to the table separating the two of them, a smirk of her own popped through her lips.
In one swift motion the table flew off the ground, along with all the food on it, practically covering the bounty hunter from the waist down. With a groan, Emma wiped the disgusting goo from her dress before darting back in the direction they came.
"Look out!" a passerby called, pointing to a waiter who was walking onto the café patio to present a child with a lit birthday cake.
Emma reeled her head in surprise when the waitress jumped, literally lifting her entire body, and maneuvered over the candles of the cake, before racing off down the street.
"You've got to be kidding me," the hunter groaned, dodging around strangers.
The waitress hastily turned her head and stuck her tongue out at the blonde, not bothering to keep her mind focused on the task at hand. A sudden impact with another body sent her skating back on the sidewalk.
A few more steps are all it took for Emma to reach her target and wrap the cuffs around her wrists.
"It's over Jaclyn," the blonde panted; gripping her catch by the cuffs she yanks her off the ground.
With another shove the bounty hunter pushed her guest through the jail's front doors. Droplets of water spring from the pair, the soft dripping sound echoed in the dead quiet facility.
"Can't you read? Were closed," a voice called behind a pair of propped up boots against the check-in glass of Boston Pre-Release Center.
The guest at the blonde's side smirked causing the hunter to sigh and clear her throat.
A head full of gray hair peered over the crumpled-up newspaper. Her eyes trailed up black heels, slim, tight, crimson dress riddled with stains, to a bundle of blonde curls. "Ah, Swan!" the woman shouted behind the welcome desk. "Well now kid, aren't you all dressed up."
Emma Swan smiled proudly, hand clasped on the shoulder of her newest catch. "I had a date but you'll never guess who the waitress was," she laughed gesturing to the uniform of her guest.
Scrunching her nose and peering through her glasses the older woman let out a light chuckle. "Well I'll be damned. How was life treating you Jaclyn Nimble?"
"That's Jackie B," the young woman sneered, shaking the blonde's hand from her body. "Is this the part where Scooby and the gang comes out and rounds off how they knew it was me all along?"
The elderly woman sighed and picked up her small red office phone to dial an escort. "Such a sweet smartass isn't she?" she asked, finger twirling the phone cord.
"A pure Georgia peach if you ask me," Emma joked to the dismay of the furrowed brows on the black haired woman's head.
Within a few seconds a guard strolled through the large metal doors. Nodding his head he beckoned the criminal over, heading back the way he came.
"You know the drill Swan; you can expect your check in the mail," the woman behind the jail counter called. Running her fingertips along the files in her desk cabinet, she finally picked out a small packet and slipped it to the blonde on the other side of the bulletproof glass. "Shame she ruined a dress like that. Probably the only one you owned."
The bounty hunter shook her soaked curls and shot the gray haired woman a smile. Not bothering to read the numerous lines of text, she lifted all the pages but the last and scanned for a signature request. "Yeah well, her name definitely suits her. You should have seen her tossing tables my way, dodging around guests and all that. Needless to say I don't think I'll be hearing from my date again."
A low rumble erupted from the check-in clerk, before she burst into a fit of giggles. "You know what they say: there are plenty of female fish in the sea, especially in this weather!"
"I appreciate it Virginia," Emma repeated for the second time that week. After signing her name on the dotted line she slipped the packet back under the glass opening.
"Hey kid, you might want this to keep your head a little drier," Virginia grinned slipping her newspaper under the opening along with the hunter's receipt for her catch.
With a nod Emma snatched her paper work and made her way through the jail's entrance.
Reaching underneath the desk Virginia pulled out a small black cell phone. She quickly brought up her contact on speed dial as she made her way over to the old fax machine across from her desk.
"It's Virginia Lucas. She caught another one," the gray haired woman spoke softly into the phone as she started up the machine, "Yes, this time it was Jackie B. Nimble. Even I was surprised."
"Yes, I'm sending you a copy of the receipt," she continued as she slipped the jail's copy of the receipt through the opening and dialed the numbers. After a few moments she replied to the muffled voice in the phone, "Uh huh... I can be there in a few minutes. I'll take the elevator; you know I can't handle that phone shoot anymore.
Emma spread out the newspaper, hiding safety and under the jail's awning. Gripping the slightly opened paper she hovered it above her head before dashing down the marble steps to her yellow beat up beetle down below.
She dove into her driver seat with a heavy sigh. Her eyebrows clenched together in thought. She should be ecstatic; it was her second catch that week after all. An extra paycheck never hurts, especially when she's so close to her goal.
"What time is it?" she grumbled to herself before slipping her cell phone out from her center console. Swiping her thumb across the screen she brought up her home page and barely caught sight of the time before her screen faded to black.
A groan escaped her lips as she rested her forehead on her steering wheel. Would it be too late to apologize? 8:30 was never too late if you lived in the big city, right? And it was a Friday after all.
Suddenly a mechanical sound crashed through the night time sky.
Her green eyes popped open, examining the busy streets to her right. "An accident? Why the hell do people act like they forget how to drive in the rain? I'll be lucky if I get home by 10," the blonde sighed to herself.
She straightened up and pushed her key into the ignition when a flicking light caught her eye. A payphone? Was that there a second ago? Quickly grabbing a few coins from her console, she made her way back into the downpour. As she got closer she noticed the cracks in the pavement. This booth was definitely not here two days ago when she turned in Winifred Bear.
"Ah sweet," Emma muttered as she counted out her change. The phone cord swayed back and forth wildly as if an earthquake had just passed through. She hastily pushed in the operator's number after slipping fifty cents into the slit.
"Name please," an automated voice crackled through the phone.
Green eyes squinted at the phone as she drew it away from her face. It had been a while since she used a payphone but she could never remember the service asking for a name. "What was her username? Evil Regal…Oh crap what was her name? I fucking forgot to ask her name!"
"Name of the caller please," the automated voice called out.
Once more Emma reeled back. Was this some sort of prototype? With a shrug she answered, "Emma Swan."
"Emma Swan," her voice was read back to her, "Welcome. Please cross your legs and keep your arms at your sides."
"Keep my arms at my sid-" the blonde repeated, her voice rising to a scream as the floor of the payphone booth opened up. She was dropped into a pitch black box as the bottom of the booth closed.
Her green eyes widened in the darkness, heart speeding at a near death speed. "Hello!?" Emma screamed, reaching up to bang on the bottom of the booth. "Can anyone hear me!?"
Her shouting persisted until a soft ripping sound penetrated her ears, her dress dropping in halves at her sides. "Is this a fucking sex dungeon!?" she screamed weakly as her eyes, which had now come accustom to the darkness, began to water. Her knuckles began bleeding from the pounds on the steel booth floor.
The sound of mechanical gears caught her ears this time, and she was instantly wrapped in a new fabric. Her pounding stopped as her fingertips hastily traced down the fabric. "A suit?" her voice was weak and lathered with confusion.
Suddenly she was sucked down through a small tube, zipping in all different angles. Though her eyes were squeezed shut she could faintly see intervals of light passing over her lids. The bounty hunter was screaming for her life, voice scrapping and scratching against her windpipe Legs hastily wrapping together and squeezed tight as her fingertips pinched on to her suit pants.
An immense bright light opened at the end of the seemingly endless tunnel. Within a few short seconds she shot out of the tube, her backside immediately meeting a soft cushion of an office chair.
"Trash bin is to the side," a voice called out catching the green hue that covered the hunter's cheeks. "Hey what happened to your hand?"
With her blonde head still spinning she leaned over and grabbed the can in a flash. Her blonde curls cascaded around the basket as her nauseous reflexes immediate took over.
"Took you long enough," the same voice grumbled, nudging Swan's shoulder trying to hand her a cup of water when she was done groaning.
"Where the hell am I!?" the blonde asked with a cracked voice, throwing the empty bin to the side of the room in anger. "And what the hell was that…that thing!?"
"Oh don't worry you'll get used to it. It's like a super secret roller coaster!"
Her head whipped to the side, eyes looking up expectantly fell when she noticed the short stature of the kid beside her, who is also dressed in a black suit.
"Gold will explain everything to you," he said casually, taking a sip from his water, extending the other cup to her.
Emma's jaw slacked open, unable to process the brown haired, slightly freckled boy before her. Hesitantly she took the cup from him.
"I'm Henry Mills, and I guess I'll be your partner," he piped up with a smile before lifting the shades that had been perched on the bridge of his nose.
With her mouth still ajar, she finally looked around and took the in the sight around her.
They were in a small glass room, filled with two desks and metallic furniture. She turned slightly, peering out of the walls. Through the glass, she could see the entire white paneled area. It seemed to go on forever, and reminded her with the makeup of a travel terminal. There were multiple lines of people, dressed in fairly odd clothing, waiting for desks of people who typed away at computers.
"I'm dreaming," Emma mumbled quietly.
"I wish I could say you were dearie" an accented voice captivated her thoughts, along with a sudden slam of a door.
The blonde slowly turned in her seat, her eyes meeting an older man hunched on a golden tipped cane.
"Henry, be a good lad and go fetch Miss Swan a warm drink," he requested running a withered hand through his salt and peppered brown locks.
With a sigh the kid placed his sunglasses in his suit pocket, "But Gold I already gave her water."
The man now known as Mr. Gold made his way over to the leather chair in front of the larger desk and took a seat. Bringing his cane up to rest on his knees he asked the boy, "Did you check the weather of Boston before she got here?"
"…No."
"Well, if you were in a city that is on the brink of a flood, what would you drink to heat up your bones?"
"Gotcha, I'll be right back!" the suit clad boy smiled before dashing out of the office door and down the white paneled hall.
"Such a lovely boy don't you think Ms. Swan?" the older man asked shooting her a sharp smile.
Emma's brows scrunched together, her grip on the plastic cup of water tightening as anger began fueling her body. She tossed the cup against the wall, water splashing off the glass as the cup fell with a pathetic pop as it hits the trashcan. "What is going on and how do you know my name?"
"Well it looks like you had some fun with my bin" Gold giggled maniacally, "We've been watching you for a long time Miss Swan. As soon as we became aware of whom you were, you've been on our radar."
"Aware of who I am?" the hunter questioned, placing her hands on his desk.
"You've been doing quite a lot of work for us as of recently, tonight being your twentieth catch. We could use a hunter like you. Even our best hunters can't find as many of our kind like you can."
"What the hell are you talking about?" the blonde roared, helpless to filter the anger from her words as she stands from her seat.
"The fugitives you've been going after aren't ordinary criminals. They're people, creatures, that aren't from this world."
"Now I know I'm dreaming," Emma rolled her eyes and hung her head, "That waitress put something in my food after I ordered and I probably passed out. Hell must've been some good shit if I don't even remember what I ordered."
As soon as the words left her lips a swift crack of Gold's cane landed against the hunter's already agitated knuckles.
The blonde reeled back, falling back into her chair, gripping as her hand she howled, "What the hell was that for!?"
Gold shot her another sharp smile before he erupted into another set of maniacal giggles, "If it were a dream dearie, you would have woken up." Reaching into his mahogany desk drawer he pulled out large leather bound book and a manila folder. "All of these people are from the Enchanted Forest."
Emma scowled at him skeptically as he gestured for her to look inside. Her green eyes roll as she read the title of the book, Once Upon A Time. Of course they're all from the Enchanted Forest; it was a book about fairy tales.
With a shrug she opened the book that has been littered with tabs and post it notes. Just the first tab alone made her eyes widen. It was a pair of twins, Tweedledee and Tweeldedumb. Scrunching her eyes she scanned the page, the drawings of the two men look oddly familiar.
She glanced up when Gold cleared his throat and reached across the desk to open the folder for her. As he sat back down she rummaged through the paperwork until she saw the mug shots of two men that she had turned in about a month ago.
"The Dee brothers," she whispered. They looked identical to the hand drawn picture in the book.
Flicking her wrist she passed through more stories. Green eyes eventually scanned the pages of a few of her past catches including: Winifred Bear better known as Winnie the Pooh, Jaclyn Nimble otherwise known as Jack B. Nimble, and one other that surprised her. Her fingertips traced the page of the elderly woman staring back at her. It was Virginia, the check-in clerk at the jail. "Virginia Wolf?" the blonde muttered to herself. Her eyes scanned the page of all the information of the grayed hair woman. The last picture in the book had her embracing a girl about the same age as Emma.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me. Ruby's in here? Ruby is my best friend! Alright, that's it, I'm done," Emma shut the book with an annoyed sigh and stood up to leave. Her beat up knuckles sought the comfort of her mouth as she strolled over to the door.
"Well now, it seems you got dear old Dad's nasty habit," Gold acknowledged as he stood and gathered the book and the folder back into his desk.
The hunter stopped dead in her tracks, fingers stretched out to grasp for the door handle.
"Oh that's right, your goal. You're looking for your parents, correct?" he asked, and the blonde could practically feel his smirk piercing her back.
Hesitantly she turned on her heels, eyes filled with curiosity.
"I told you, we've been tracking you since you put our first character back in our system. Now have a seat," he said extending his cane to point at her landing platform.
"What do you know about me?" the blonde growled.
"You were orphaned at birth and went through the foster care system multiple times. I believe you've had some run-ins with the law before starting a business in bails bonds. And what we've recently learned is that you prefer the company of women."
Slowly the blonde made her way back to the padded chair.
"Most of us don't judge. Take Eric for example," his accent filled the office as he explained, "The boy falls in love with fins and legs. A lot of us pay no mind to it. Just sign our contract and you'll be good to go."
The hunter slowly sat, green eyes glaring at the man before her. Not even the bursting through the office door breaks her focus.
Henry leapt in, a brunette hot on his trail after him holding two white porcelain mugs.
"She didn't want me running down the hall with the hot chocolate," the boy smiled, dragging the stray chair of the unoccupied desk over beside Emma. With a hop he sat in the chair and kicked his legs back and forth.
The older man nodded and smiled softly at the woman dressed in a skirt and dark blue sweater, "Thank you Belle."
"You're very welcome Rumple," she replied, her accent different from what only Emma can assume to the woman's boss.
"Rumple? Belle? If what you're trying to tell me is true and you're Belle," Emma's gaze flicked over to the woman shutting the office door,"…You can't be… You're Belle from Beauty and the Beast?" The blonde scratched her head as the brunette nodded and extended a mug to both her and Henry, both of which mutter a small thank you.
She smiled and placed a pointed finger to her chin in thought, "It's been an awful long time since Red has been called a Beast. It was a fantastic book but I have to say that movie portrayal of her was all wrong."
Emma sighed and shook her, for the second time that night, spinning head. With a hesitant glance she stared at the whipped cream covered liquid and then darted her gaze to the boy next to her who finished the drink in mere seconds. Forcing her eye roll to stay put she took a swig of the hot liquid and hummed in surprise. "You've been watching me enough to know I like cinnamon in my hot chocolate?"
Gold bunched his brows and shook his head, as does Belle.
"That was me," Henry proudly pointed to himself before licking off the tab of whipped cream on his lip, "It's my favorite."
"Kid's got good taste," the blonde announced before tilting her mug toward him in a cheering motion before taking another swig. "What do you want me to do exactly?"
Belle looked at Rumple who closed his eyes with a nod.
The brunette began to nervously play with her finger as she took a seat on the corner of the desk. She opened her mouth then immediately shut it, trying to think of another way to explain just what exactly is going on.
She shook her head and finally said it straight out, "There is someone going around taking us out. And we have to figure out who it is."
Emma finished her mug and placed it onto the desk. "And you mean us as in fairy tale characters right?"
All three of them nodded at the blonde.
"Henry will be your partner for now until he brings you to your true partner," Gold spoke up as his eyes fluttered open.
Emma's hand immediately snuck its way back up to the blonde's lips, "True partner? Alright, what's the catch?"
"My mom," the boy explained as Belle hopped off the table and pulled out a bandage from Gold's desk.
The blonde silently thanked the brunette as she began wrapping her beat up knuckles. "And let me guess, she's Snow White?"
"Quite the opposite actually," Belle piped up, attaching the wrappings with a small silver pin, "She's the Evil Queen."
Stifling something between a laugh and a groan the hunter eyed her seriously, "Evil Queen as in the one who gives out poisonous apples? Why the hell would I want to work with her?"
Henry sprung from his chair and glared at his new partner, "She's trying to change!"
"Look, Swan, you help us, and we will surely help you," Gold replied leaning forward in his chair.
Emma squinted at the man and pointed her finger directly at him, "Belle called you Rumple right? As in Rumpelstiltskin? So what's your catch?"
The brunette made her way over to her previous spot on the desk and sat down. With a shake of her head she answered for the older man, "He gave that up years ago. He's changed just like the Queen is trying to."
The hunter's tongue darted out and coated her chocolate flavored lips, "And you can give me the information on my parents?"
Gold nodded in her direction with a wicked grin.
"Alright…Where do I sign?"