This takes place immediately after the events of the season 1 finale.

Chapter 1

Emma stared out at the fast approaching cloud, her heart hammering, her head spinning. Her day had taken so many impossible twists and turns that she wasn't sure she could take any more without her head exploding. She felt Henry's arms cling to her suddenly and she wrapped her own arms around him. There was no shielding him from what was coming, she knew, but she clung to him tightly, pulling him close. There was a sudden roaring as the cloud reached the windows and Emma snapped her eyes shut as the glass shattered. The roaring filled her, deafened her, and she could feel the sound reverberating within her body. Her whole body tensed and she couldn't fill her lungs to scream. The realization that she couldn't breathe sent her brain into a frenzy, but before her panic could truly set in the cloud disappeared. Shaken, Emma opened her eyes and looked down at Henry. He was clearly just as shaken as Emma, but otherwise he was unharmed.

"What was that?" Emma asked breathlessly, not really expecting an answer.

But an answer came nonetheless. "Magic has returned."

Emma turned towards the voice and nearly fell backwards, startled. Hovering just above her head, right where Mother Superior had been standing moments before was a very small, very blue fairy. Emma opened her mouth to speak but could not form any intelligible words. The fairy laughed, not unkindly. "You're the blue fairy!" Henry exclaimed, delighted.

"Yes, Henry. We owe you our gratitude for believing in our stories, and for trying so hard to save us. You're a very brave boy, and it is your sacrifice that freed us." Henry blushed slightly, but as he smiled shyly his eyes gleamed. "Emma…you truly are the daughter Snow White and Prince James. I know how difficult you journey has been…"

"Can you watch Henry for a few minutes?" Emma interrupted suddenly. The Blue Fairy was clearly taken aback by the question.

"Emma, where are you going?" Henry asked, worried.

"I'll be right back, Henry, but I want you to stay here for a few minutes. You'll be safe here. Get dressed and be ready to go when I get back, ok?" Henry nodded. Emma glanced up at the Blue Fairy, who nodded, though her expression was still slightly puzzled. Emma gave Henry's shoulders a squeeze before quickly leaving the hospital room.

Once she was out of sight, Emma raced through the hospital and out the nearest exit. She sped through the streets faster and faster until she was sprinting down the road that would lead her to the apartment she shared with Mary Margaret. She raced up the stairs and fumbled with her keys, cursing as her hands shook, making it nearly impossible to open the door. When she finally managed to slip the key into the lock she flung open the door and slammed it shut behind her, turning the locks with her still trembling hands. Once the door was locked again she rested her back against the door, breathing heavily from exertion. "Mary Margaret?" She called out hesitantly.

When no answer returned Emma made her way slowly towards the little kitchen. There she found a half-empty bottle of whisky and quickly poured herself a glass. She swallowed several mouthfuls, grateful for the scorching heat that licked down her throat and spread outwards from her stomach to her limbs. The tenseness in her muscles began to loosen, but would not melt away completely. Her head was throbbing, thoughts spinning too fast to make sense of. She poured a little more whisky and raised the drink to her forehead, pressing the cool glass against her skin. Just as she felt some relief setting in there was a noise behind her and the door swung open. Emma whirled to face…Mary Margaret? Snow White? She had no idea what to call this woman, but Emma refused to think of this woman as her mother.

"I had a feeling you'd be here," Snow said.

"Don't…" Emma started, not entirely sure what she actually wanted to say. She just didn't want to face any more fairy tales. But before she could even attempt to finish her thought, Snow flew past her and pulled open the linen closet door. She grabbed a handful of sheets and towels and frantically began covering all the mirrors, as well as closing all of the curtains. Emma followed her into the bedroom, watching her work, startled by the look of near panic on her face. "What are you doing?"

"I can't be sure, but if magic is really here in Storybrooke, the Queen must have her own magic back. And if she has her magic back…well, better to be safe." Snow turned to face Emma. The two women's eyes met and they could feel the truth lingering between them.

"Emma…"

"How old were you?" Emma asked, her expression blank, a slight edge in her voice.

"What?" Snow just stared, bewildered.

"How old were you when…" Emma couldn't bring herself to say 'when the Queen cast the Dark Curse' so she simply said, "when you came here."

"Does it matter?" Snow asked, her voice softening.

"How old were you?" Emma repeated.

"Emma, I don't…"

"HOW OLD WERE YOU?" Emma bellowed.

Snow flinched slightly at the sudden outburst. "Twenty-four," she answered quietly. "Does it really matter?"

"Does it matter?" Emma couldn't stop the anger that swelled inside her, only increasing the throbbing in her head. "I came here thinking I was helping my kid, indulging his fantasy, and now I'm fighting dragons and talking to fairies and watching my SON nearly die from a poisoned apple? I spend my whole life thinking I was abandoned and left for dead and now I'm supposed to accept that my parents sent me away so I could come back and save them from some Evil Queen, who just so happens to be the adoptive mother of my son? I spend my whole life looking for my parents and now I'm supposed to accept that my best friend is actually Snow White, my mother, and she's FOUR YEARS YOUNGER THAN ME? Yes it damn well does matter!"

Snow's eyes shone with tears, but she fought them back. "I know this has been hard for you to accept. You have to believe me; I wanted to go with you."

"But you didn't," Emma hissed, her voice filling with venom as she spoke. "You didn't want to go with me. At best you were a coward, at worst you were too selfish to leave your prince. Either way you stuck me in a wardrobe with a little boy who had no business taking care of an infant and just…"

"What are you talking about?" Snow interrupted. Anger crept into her voice and she took a step towards Emma.

"You let a little boy do what YOU should have done!" Emma bellowed.

Snow took another slow step towards Emma, holding her hands in front of her as if she were approaching a wild animal. "Emma – tell me what you're talking about. What little boy?"

Emma stood staring for a moment, bewildered. "August. P-Pinocchio."

Snow's eyes widened in horror. "Pinocchio...went through the wardrobe? With you?" Emma nodded slowly. Snow shook her head, her tears finally breaking free.

"You didn't know?" Emma asked, her voice slightly hoarse from yelling.

"The Blue Fairy told us the wardrobe could only take one. Gepetto…he must have lied to us. Oh Emma…I was supposed to go with you, but you were born before the wardrobe was finished. You have to believe me, if I had known the wardrobe could hold two I would have gone with you. I would have left everything, risked everything…" Snow stopped, unable to continue without breaking into sobs. Emma felt her own tears stinging her eyes. It was too much, too impossible. Snow took a few more tentative steps, bringing her close to Emma, and she slowly wrapped her arms around her grown-up daughter. Emma inhaled sharply, her body tensing automatically. But as she felt her friend's – her mother's – arms close around her, the tension melted and her own sobs broke. She threw her arms around Snow and let her tears fall as Snow whispered, "It's alright now," in her ear.

It was several minutes later when Emma was finally able to release Snow, her tears beginning to subside. The two women smiled. Emma still felt a lingering awkwardness as she stared into the face of the young woman she still thought of as Mary Margaret, but it no longer felt like a brick wall between them. "So," Emma said, taking a step back and wiping her tears with both hands, "Snow White, huh?"

Snow laughed. "Wait a second…Did you say August is Pinocchio? He's so grown up."

"August!" Emma wanted to kicked herself for not remembering sooner. "He…he turned back into wood. He was supposed to help me break the curse, but he failed, and…I have to go check on him; there has to be something I can do."

"Wait! Where is Henry? We need to make sure he's safe."

"He's at the hospital with the Blue Fairy." Something about her 'reunion' with Snow had drained Emma's emotions to the point where she no longer cared that she was continuously talking about fairy tale characters.

"I'll go get him. Meet us at Granny's; I'm going to get everyone together so we can come up with a plan. Bring Pinocchio…if you can." Emma nodded and both women left the apartment, heading their separate ways with a lingering gaze, anxious for time together without the pressing concern of an Evil Queen on their heels.