This is the story that I promised a long time ago, a remix of The Lost Get Found. Emma has the same backstory, but her first foster home is Snowing, rather than not being placed with them until she's 13. This story, like TLGF will include mentions of abuse and infertility. As always, let me know what you think and what you want to see happen.

Chapter One: Placement

Mary Margaret sat next to her husband in the office setting, remembering the last time they had been in such a one. It had been only 6 months prior, but it felt like it had been years. The word that doctor kept repeating ran through her mind: sterile. It reminded her of how the expected a hospital. Sterile. Was that really how you were supposed to talk about someone's reproductive system?

They wanted children, so badly. Yet, they couldn't have any. She and David had gotten married shortly after they graduated for college. They had been trying ever since to have a baby and nothing ever worked. After that last doctor's appointment, they discussed their options. There was IVF, surrogacy or adoption.

David ended up coming across a YouTube channel that featured families that fostered and later adopted children. They decided to focus on getting their license to foster. It had taken some time, but finally they had obtained it. Just a few weeks after, they had gotten a call from their social worker, she had a file for them to go over.

Mary fidgeted with her cardigan. "Maybe I should've changed when I left work."

"You look fine, plus we're already approved foster parents," David pointed out.

"I know, I just…"

"Hey," he put a hand on her shoulder. "This is going to be okay, we're going to get a child."

"I'm sorry it has to be this way…"

"Hey," he tipped her chin up to look at him. "Don't go there again, please. I told you, this isn't your fault. I don't care how we have a child, I don't need him or her to share our DNA."

Mary chewed on her lip. "Are you sure?" She felt the same way he described, but she was still so nervous about him walking away.

"All I want is to raise a child, with you." He kissed her. "All of this is going to work out, I promise."

The door opened and Helen stepped in, a large manila envelope in her hands. She gave them a polite smile as she sat behind the desk.

"Sorry it took me a bit, I had an emergency with one of my other clients," she said.

Mary nodded. "It's fine, don't worry. I hope everything is okay."

"Perfectly fine. Anyway, I have the file for you. If you two feel you can handle it, I can have her placed with you within the next couple of days."

"Her?" Mary smiled over at David and he gave her one in return. "It's a girl?"

"How old is she?" David asked.

"5. She's from Boston, her name is Emma, Emma Swan."

David cocked his head. "That name sounds very familiar."

"Her biological parents were in the news recently. Her biological father was arrested for…"

All the color drained from his face and his fists clenched. "No."

Mary looked at him confused. "What is it?"

"Ed Swan…Graham was telling me about it…he saw it in the paper. He was arrested for…" He swallowed, his lips turning a bit. "Molesting his daughter and abusing her pretty badly. His girlfriend had died of a drug over dose a few months ago."

Mary felt her stomach go sour. How could someone do such a thing to anyone period, let alone a child? She was so little, so young. All she could do was be grateful that she was removed from his care.

"Where is she now?" Mary asked.

"A group home in Boston, she's only been there a couple of days. She's very confused and scared. We wanted to get her into a new home right away before she gets lost in the shuffle."

"And her biological father?"

"He's facing some very serious charges. They had their eye on him for a while. Chances are, this placement could be for a while. If you two are up for the challenge. Emma is very small for her age, according to her records she was born addicted to drugs. How she ended up back with her parents, I don't know. She has a few health problems, including asthma," Helen said, consulting the file in front of her. "She's also been pretty quiet since she was removed, she has a hard time around men."

David nodded. "I completely understand, she's been through a lot."

"So, you two think you can handle this?"

Mary and David looked at each other once again, before he squeezed his grip on her hand and turned back to the social worker with a smile. "Yes, we can."

"What are the odds…I mean…do you think we'd be able to adopt her eventually?" Mary asked.

"I don't like to give false hope," Helen said. "I really don't. However, Ed is going to be in jail for the next 15 years at the very least. As far as I can tell they have no other family…I do believe that if Emma does well with you, we can petition for Ed's rights to be terminated."

Mary nodded, trying not to get her hopes up. She hadn't even met this little girl yet, but she wanted so desperately for her to be theirs.

"Can I ask you one more thing, Helen?" She asked.

Helen nodded. "Of course."

"Do you happen to know her favorite color?"

The next evening, Mary Margaret stood in one of their guest bedrooms. She had spent the entire day renovating it. Helen had gone back to Boston and asked Emma about her favorite color, as it turned out, it was yellow. So, she had gotten David to paint the room and she had gone about decorating it. She had gone with white bedding and colorful pillows. There was a bookshelf with picture frames and books that Belle had recommended. She had a step-son who was just a year older than Emma and promised they could arrange some playdates. There was a bedside table with a simple lamp and a vase full of fake roses to brighten the room up anymore. She had selected two chairs: a white rocking chair that had a green and pink paisley cover on it, along with a small owl shaped arm chair. Above the door were green and white polka dot curtains, tied back. She really hoped that Emma would like it.

David walked in the room, holding a shopping bag. Mary turned to him with a smile. "Where have you been?"

"I just went back to the toy store."

"David," Mary gave him a look. "Our living room is almost full with toys."

"I just saw this one thing, I couldn't stop thinking about it." He reached into the bag and pulled out a lamb plushie. "What do you think? I had lambs just like this one on the farm growing up."

Mary giggled. "It's adorable, I think she'll love it." She gently took it from him and placed it on the bed. "Have you told your parents?"

"Yes, they're coming to meet her as soon as they can. Does your step-mom know?"

"She's the mayor of the town, it'd be hard to keep it from her," she teased. "But yes, she knows. She's happy about it."

"That's good." He wrapped his arms around her waist. "We're about to be parents."

"We are." Her smile widened.

"We should get to bed, tomorrow's a big day."

"Maybe I should adjust her bed…"

"The only adjustment you need is your back laying down."

She gave him a mock glare but followed him out of the room. He was right, the next day was going to be a big one…

Emma rolled out of bed the next morning, looking around the room. It felt so weird, being in this big house. She didn't miss Ed, that was for sure. Even so, she didn't like these other kids. They didn't talk to her, they all played with each other. Keeping a tight hold of her blanket, she walked out of the room and headed down into the kitchen. Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw the woman who had been standing in front of her for the past few days standing with Helen, the person who had dropped her off.

"Oh good, Emma," Rose said. "We have some good news."

"We've found a new home for you," Helen told her. "You have foster parents now, Mary Margaret and David Nolan."

Emma frowned a bit. "I have to move again?"

"You do, but hopefully this is the last time for a while. They're very excited to meet you."

"They're my new mommy and daddy?"

"Not exactly. They're going to be taking care of you for right now."

The whole thing was so confusing for Emma. From what Helen had told her a few days before, she wasn't going to be seeing Ed for a really long time. She was in something called the "foster care system". It meant that she didn't have her parents to take care of her anymore. Her mommy had died and now her daddy was going to jail because he had done things to her that he shouldn't.

"O…okay. Where do they live?"

"Storybrooke, Maine," Helen said.

"So, I won't live in Boston anymore?"

"No, sweetheart."

Rose gestured to the stairs. "Go back up there and change, I washed the clothes you came in. Don't forget your blankie."

Emma slowly headed back up the stairs to the place that had been her room for the past couple of days. Her roommate, Charlotte, was climbing down from her bunk as she got changed.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"I have a new home. In Maine."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. She was a few years older than Emma and had been around the block a few times. "This won't last. You'll be back here in no time."

Emma frowned. She didn't want to believe that, but she honestly didn't know what to think anymore. Once she got back into her day clothes, she headed down the stairs, holding her baby blanket close. It was the only thing she had left from her old house, outside that outfit. They said she couldn't get back any of her few toys or outfits. Her blanket had always been special to her, but it was even more so now.

Helen lead her out to the car and helped her into her car seat. The drive seemed to take forever, but in reality, it was only 4 hours. Emma wasn't able to read yet, it was what got her in trouble at school a lot, but soon Helen pointed out a sign and read it aloud.

"Welcome to Storybrooke."

Mary Margaret had felt her stomach turn when Helen had explained to her Emma's backstory. She knew going into fostering children that there was a chance that they would come across children that had experienced horrible things, but this was just more than she had ever imagined. It didn't seem fair that people that would abuse a child so badly would be able to have children. Meanwhile, she and David had been trying for years and hadn't been able to get pregnant.

She was trying to stay positive, for Emma's sake. She wanted her to come into their home and have it be nothing but light and happiness. David stood by her side, rubbing her back as they waited for the social worker to come.

"Are you sure she's going to like her room?" Mary Margaret asked her husband. "Maybe I should…"

"She's going to love it," David promised her.

"What if she doesn't like it here? What if she doesn't want to stay?"

"She may be scared, but we'll take it one day at a time. She's been through so much, we just have to be there for her."

Before she could respond, they heard a car pull up in the driveway. Mary opened the door and found their social worker, Helen, stepping out of the car with a tiny blonde. She had the biggest green eyes that Mary Margaret had ever seen and was wearing a pair of worn down overalls. She had a few bruises lining her arms and her hair was a mess of curls. Under her arms was a baby blanket trimmed with purple lace. Mary Margaret hid a gasp at how small she looked. She was meant to be 5, but looked so much younger than that. Carefully, Helen lead her up the steps to the house.

"Emma, these are the people I was telling you about, Mary Margaret and David. David, Mary Margaret, this is Emma," Helen introduced them.

Mary Margaret knelt in front of Emma, holding out her hand. Emma looked hesitant, but then reached forward, shaking it. "It's nice to meet you Emma. We're so happy that you're going to be staying with us."

Emma nodded before looking up at David. She stepped back a bit, putting a thumb in her mouth. David gave her a soft smile, he had been expecting that, giving her history with men. "It's okay, Emma. We can take our time getting to know each other."

Emma seemed relieved at that and together, they made their way inside. Helen had the couple fill out some final paperwork before promising to be in touch, making sure that Emma had her card. Mary Margaret turned to Emma, who was still sucking her thumb and cuddling her blanket close.

"Would you like to see your room?" She asked. Emma nodded. "Alright, I'll do that and David will fix us some lunch."

"Do you like grilled cheese?" David asked, causing Emma to nod once more. He smiled at her. "Great."

Mary Margaret lead Emma up the stairs, pointing out her and David's room which was just down the hall from hers. She lead her foster daughter into her room. Emma's eyes grew even wider at the sight of it. There were toys along the floor. Emma removed her thumb from her mouth, looking up at her foster mother.

"This is my room?" She asked. It was the first time she had spoken since she arrived and her voice was so little, quiet.

"Yes, sweets."

"And these toys are all mine?"

"That's right. There's even more in the living room."

"Wow," she breathed.

Emma walked over to her bed and found a stuffed lamb sitting there. She gently picked it up, examining it.

"David picked that out for you," Mary Margaret told her. Emma seemed to smile just a tiny bit and hugged it closer, wrapping her blanket around it a little. "That's a very pretty blankie."

"I can keep it? You don't think I'm too big?"

Mary Margaret shook her head. "Of course not." She knelt back down in front of Emma. "I know you've had a hard time, Emma, but I promise we're the good guys. We want you to be happy here."

Emma bit her lip as she stared up at her. She wasn't sure if she could trust her or David yet, but she wanted to. "Okay," she whispered.

Mary Margaret smiled and put a hand on Emma's back. Hopefully in time, they could make her an official part of the family.

"Come on, are you hungry? Your lunch should be ready soon," she said.

Emma nodded. "Okay."

She followed Mary back down the stairs to the kitchen where David was cooking. She found herself getting closer to her as she saw him. She didn't understand why she was so scared of him, he didn't look like Ed. Maybe he was different, but she couldn't tell. The last man in her life had hurt her, very badly. Ed's friends hadn't been so nice either. She wasn't sure if she was one of them.

"Here, you can sit in this seat," Mary said, pulling one out for her. Emma sat down in it and she barely reached the table. Mary couldn't help but giggle. "Oops, I suppose we'll have to get you a booster seat."

"I'm sorry," Emma whispered.

"Don't be sorry, I am that this silly chair isn't more your side."

"It's like Goldilocks," she said, so soft that David and Mary missed it.

"What was that?"

"Goldilocks and the three bears, the chairs were so tiny, she didn't fit." Emma bit down on her lip, preventing a small smile from going across her face. "My nursery school teacher read it to me."

Mary smiled. "That's a very sweet story," she said. "I had my class read it recently."

"You're a teacher?" Emma asked, her eyes widening, a bit of a sparkle coming about them. "Really?"

"Yes, I teach 4th grade at the same school you're going to."

David walked over, putting down the grilled cheese and apple slices in front of Emma. She looked up at him, curiously.

"Are you a teacher too?" She asked.

David shook his head. "No, I'm the sheriff."

"Oh. What's that?"

He chuckled a bit. "It's a police officer, except I'm the boss."

"Oh," Emma repeated, nodded solemnly. "Being the boss is good."

David grinned. "It is good, I guess."

Mary grabbed a few pillows from the living room and put it on the chair so Emma could reach the table better. She seemed to eat in almost silence, though she was shoveling it down pretty quickly, as if someone was going to take it away from her.

"Slow down, sweetheart," Snow said, gently. "You don't want to choke."

Blush crept across Emma's face. "Sorry, Mary Margaret."

"Don't be sorry. Here, why don't you drink some milk?" She pushed forward a Finding Dory sippy cup.

"Who's that?" Emma pointed to the blue fish on the cup.

Mary playfully widened her eyes. "You've never seen Finding Dory?" Emma shook her head. "Well, we have the movie, we'll watch it when we're done. Does that sound fun?"

Emma hesitantly nodded. "Yeah, it does."

Once the food was finished, Emma grabbed her plate, ready to put it in the sink. However, she also reached for David's. She always had to put both her and Ed's plates in the sink. Since his was glass, though, he took it away, causing a look of worry going across her face. He gave her a smile, trying to make her feel better.

"I've got the plates," he said, taking hers into his hand.

Emma simply jumped out of the chair and followed Mary into the bedroom. David watched after them, doing his best not to sigh. He knew it was going to take time. Once he had sorted out the plates, he headed into the living room where the girls were sitting on the couch. He sat on the other side of Emma and noticed how she inched a bit closer to Mary. All he did was pick up the remote and turn on the film. Emma seemed to enjoy it, she actually smiled a few times throughout it and chatted about it with her new foster mother. By the end, however, she had fallen asleep.

"I guess we didn't account for naptime," Mary said with a slight chuckle. "I'll take her upstairs." She gently lifted Emma into her arms and headed towards the stairs. She turned around when David called back to her.

"We have a little girl to tuck into bed," he said with a grin.

Mary grinned in response. "We do." She looked down at Emma. "Is it weird that I already love her?"

"No, I do too."