Chapter 1 - Goodbyes and Mistakes

"Don't worry, David, I have everything I need." I told my brother for the umpteenth time that day, as he offered me an extra toothbrush for me to put in my bag. It wasn't the first time I would travel on my own, but I've never been overseas before, and certainly not for such a long period of time. I would be in Ireland for a month, after a crazy year at work.

After graduating last year in piano performance in Juilliard, New York, I moved back to Storybrooke, Maine, to start teaching music to kids aged 6-11 at the local public school. However, every once in a while I was invited to perform as the soloist with orchestras from different cities. This time, the Boston Symphony Orchestra invited me to perform three concerts in Dublin, Ireland. We would arrive in Dublin on May 4th. The concerts would be held on May 9th, 16th and 23th, with a week between each for rehearsals and a whole week for us to enjoy the city after the last concert.

"Emma, are you sure you packed an extra toothbrush in your carry-on bag?" He insisted.

"Yes David, I did," I nodded, rolling my eyes. "And even if I didn't pack it, I'm pretty sure they do sell toothbrushes in Ireland. It's not like I'm going to a place in the middle of nowhere where they don't sell the normal things we use in the US."

"David, are you torturing Emma again?" Mary Margaret intervened as she entered my bedroom.

"I'm not torturing anyone, I'm just making sure Emma has all the stuff she might need while traveling." David answered, annoyed.

"Right… As if Emma can't pack her things on her own!" Mary Margaret replied, laughing. "Come on David, leave her alone so she can finish packing without you snooping around. Go watch some TV."

"But…"

"No "but's", David! She's a grownup! Now leave!" She interrupted with a smile.

"Okay! But Emma, if you need anything…"

"You'll be in the living room, watching TV. I know, David." I said with a groan as he left the room.

I went back to finding the clothes I wanted to take with me for the trip.

"So, are you excited?" Mary Margaret asked.

I looked at her, smiling. Of course I was excited. There was some sort of mystery about Ireland that always made me want to go there, and the invitation to perform in Dublin was a great opportunity. An opportunity I couldn't miss.

"I think excited is an understatement, Mary Margaret." I answered with a smile as I opened another drawer. "I mean, with all the pianists around, what are the odds? What are the chances for me to be chosen to perform in Dublin? I feel like it's way too much luck to be true."

"You don't see yourself very clearly, do you?" She asked with a frown.

"What do you mean?" I asked back.

"I mean that you have no idea how good you are at performing. Of course there's a reason why they chose you, out of all the pianists aound the country! It's because they know how good you are. I can't even play "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" without messing up, let alone those gigantic concertos you can play by memory! By freaking memory! That's why they sent that letter to you, and not me!"

We both laughed at her comparison between my concertos and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". Mary Margaret couldn't play much on the piano, although I tried to teach her a few tunes several times. David wasn't any better.

Anyway, I realized she was probably right as I thought about the letter I received a couple of months ago.

Flashback

"Emma, you've got mail! It's on the kitchen table." David said as I entered the house after school.

"Thanks, David! I'll go get it right now."

As I entered the kitchen, I noticed the big brown envelope with my name on it. I turned the envelope in order to see who the sender was.

"The Boston Symphony Orchestra"

Wow. That was a new one. When I moved back to Storybrooke, a few orchestras still invited me to perform with them every once in a while. But I've never been invited to perform with the Boston Symphony. It was one of the "Big Five" orchestras in the country, after all.

I teared open the envelope and poured its contents on the table. There were the scores for three concertos: Piano Concerto no. 5 by Beethoven, Piano Concerto no. 27 and Piano Concerto no. 21, both by Mozart. Also, there was a letter explaining the purpose of the concertos:

"Ms. Swan,

The Boston Symphony Orchestra was invited to be performing in Dublin, Ireland, next May. We will perform the three piano concertos we sent you the scores of. It would be an honor to have you as our guest soloist, and of course all travel expenses are covered. In case you accept our invitation, we are going to Dublin on May 3rd and staying there for a month. During this period, the concerts will be held with a week for rehearsals between each, and a last week for you to simply enjoy the city.

Please give us a response as soon as possible.

Best regards, Rumford Gold (Conductor)."

End of Flashback

I sent back my response to that letter the following day. Of course I was going. The schedule was great, in the middle of summer vacations, so I wouldn't have to train a substitute teacher for the school. After letting Mr. Gold know I was going with them, I had to drive to Boston for rehearsals every other weekend, but the concertos were sounding pretty good by now.

With Mary Margaret to chat with, I finally finished packing my bags, and we both went to the living room to watch TV with David.

I opened my eyes slowly, trying to adjust to the light in the room as the alarm went off. I stood up and went straight to the bathroom to take a shower.

Twenty minutes later, I was walking down the stairs to have breakfast with my brother.

"Hey, Irish Girl, did you sleep well?" David asked as he entered the kitchen. I rolled my eyes with a smile at the nickname he called me.

"I'm going just spending a month in Ireland. It's not like I'm marrying some Irish guy or something, David. But answering your question, yes, I did sleep well, thank you very much."

"I seriously hope you're not marrying any Irish guy, "He laughed. "After all, I don't want you to move to Ireland. I just got you back"

"I'm happily living and working in Storybrooke, so I'm the one who doesn't want to move there." I added with a wink.

"So… excited?" He asked.

"Yes! I mean, I'm going to spend a month in Europe. Not that I'll be able to actually see anything out of Ireland. But still…"

"It's Europe." He completed with a smile.

We spent the rest of the breakfast talking about the trip. After we were both done, I went back to my room to grab my bags. As I walked down the stairs to the living room, I heard Mary Margaret's voice along with David's.

"Mary Margaret, I thought you'd be at the hospital by now." I said, surprised. Mary Margaret had a job as a teacher at the school, but she volunteered at the hospital every Sunday.

"I decided to go a little later today so I could give you a hug before you went to the airport." She said with a smile.

"Oh, thank you! It really means a lot!" I said. I really liked Mary Margaret and her loyal and caring personality.

David started dating her after he woke up from a coma three years ago. We both had a hard time after the accident that put him in that condition. Mary Margaret was already a volunteer at the hospital back then, and she was in his room when he finally woke up. She was the one who called me to let me know he was awake.

They started getting closer after that, and eventually started dating. Mary Margaret was this happy, optimistic person, and she was really good for him. As a bonus, she quickly became one of my best friends.

"Sorry to make this so short, but we have to go if you don't want to miss the airplane, Emma." David warned us with a smile.

"Enjoy your trip, Emma!" Mary Margaret exclaimed, pulling me into a hug.

"I will." I smiled.

"I really hope you meet some cute guy over there, so your time in Ireland will not only be amazing, but also romantic." She whispered teasingly in my ear.

I rolled my eyes at her. If there was something I was definitely not looking for in this trip, that was romance. Not that I was opposed to date someone, but I didn't want to get involved with anyone, not at this moment, when I wanted to focus on my new job.

I got into the car as David gave Mary Margaret a quick kiss.

"What was Mary Margaret whispering to you?" David asked with a raised eyebrow as he got into the car.

"She was just whishing me luck with the concerts." I lied.

"She wouldn't have to whisper that." He replied with disbelief.

"Don't push it, David." I said with annoyance.

"All right," He said, defeated. "But just because I won't get to teaseyou again for a month."

I laughed, raising an eyebrow.

When we got to the airport, David helped me carry the bags to the check-in area. After dispatching my bags, we walked together to the departure lounge, where David couldn't enter with me.

"Hey, come here." He said pulling me into a bone crushing hug. "I'll miss you, Emma."

"I'll miss you too, David."

"Take care, okay?"

"Okay. But considering I lived on my own in New York for almost five years, I'm pretty sure I can survive a month in Ireland." I teased.

"Right. Except Ireland isn't New York."

"Ireland is definitely not New York." I laughed.

At this point, a woman from the airline spoke, letting us know it was time to board the plane.

"Goodbye, baby sister."

"Bye, David."

I slept through almost the entire flight.

After claiming my bags, I went to the exit, searching the crowd for the driver who was supposed to pick me up at the airport. After a few moments, I saw a man holding a sign with my name on it and moved towards him.

"Are you Emma Swan?" He asked politely with an Irish accent.

"Yes." I answered.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Swan. I'm Steven. I'm responsible for driving the orchestra members to the hotel and to the concert rooms. Did you have a nice flight?"

"Yes, I slept for the most part of it, so I didn't see much."

"Well, anyways, welcome to Dublin. I hope you enjoy your stay here."

"Thank you."

I followed him to a bus in the parking lot. Steven drove through several streets until we parked in front of a georgian building. The sign at the entrance said "Castle Hotel". It seemed like a good place to stay.

I thanked Steven for the drive and proceeded to the check in counter.

"Good morning!" Exclaimed a sympathetic young woman. "What can I do for you today?

"Hi. I believe I have a reservation here." I answered.

"All right. What is your name, please?"

"Emma Swan."

"Emma Swan…" She repeated, searching the name on the computer. After a few moments, she frowned. "I'm sorry, but are you sure the reservation is under your name?"

"Well, at least that's what the person who made the reservation said to me. Maybe Mr. Gold made the reservation under his own name?" I thought out loud.

"Gold… I believe we have a guest with this name. He is a musician, if I'm not mistaken." She pondered for a moment, searching the computer again. "I'm sorry again, but I'm afraid there is only one reservation under his name."

"I'm sure it's some kind of mistake. Do you think you can call him and let him know Emma Swan arrived today?"

"Sure. Just hold on for a second." She started to call the number for Gold's room. After several attempts, someone finally answered the phone.

"Good morning, could I please speak with Mr. Gold? Thank you... Hello, Mr. Gold, this is the receptionist. I'm very sorry to bother you, but there's an Emma Swan saying there's a reservation for her in this hotel, but unfortunately I couldn't find her name... I'm sorry again, but her name isn't on the list you gave the hotel... Oh, okay then."

"He is coming down." She addressed me with a sigh.

After ten minutes a very upset Gold stepped off the elevator with Belle French by his side. Belle was only 21, and in spite of being so young, she was a prodigy at the violin, and quickly became a spalla at the Orchestra.

Despite the age difference, it was no secret that Belle and Gold were seeing each other. And doing other things other than just seeing each other too.

"Good morning, Miss Swan." Gold said annoyed as he got closer. "What was so urgent that couldn't wait a few more hours for you to have someone calling me?"

"Good morning, Gold. Belle, how are you?" I said with a smile, hugging her.

"Hi Emma, I'm fine. How was your trip?" Belle answered, and went back to stand by Gold's side.

"It was good, thanks. Answering your question, Gold, it seems that I don't have a reservation at this hotel."

"Of course you have, Miss Swan. I personally made sure your pretty name was on the list of musicians who would stay here. So, young lady," He addressed the receptionist. "What went wrong?"

She turned the computer in our direction so we could see the list of reservations for the hotel.

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Gold, but I'm afraid there's no one called Emma Swan here. Something must have gone wrong when you sent the list, or-or maybe you forgot to put her name on it" The receptionist stuttered.

"I think I made myself clear when I said I personally put her name on the list. But it doesn't matter right now. I believe, however, that you can find another room for Miss Swan?" He asked.

"I'm really sorry, but we don't have any available rooms right now. The entire hotel is booked." She said, looking apprehensive. "We can, however, try to find another hotel in town that does have an available room for the period of time you are requesting."

"Find a room for her, then! And it better be in a good place." Gold said in a cold tone.

She made several calls while we sat at the lobby. After each call she seemed more and more nervous. I knew Gold was a good person, but he could be very scary when he wanted to.

During the orchestra rehearsals I realized he really cared about the musicians, despite what a lot of people thought. He cared whether or not we were too tired, and he was always making sure everyone was understanding his directions.

Gold was, however, cold and distant in front of others who were not part of the orchestra. The musicians became kind of his family, that's what Belle told me once.

Near an hour later, the receptionist approached us with a paper in her hands. She seemed even more apprehensive than before.

"So, did you find a room somewhere?" Gold asked.

"Yes…" She stopped, as if trying to find the right words to use. "I found a room at the Island View Hotel... It is a very cozy hotel, and they have a great staff. Here is the address." She handed me the paper she was holding and disappeared, muttering something about needing to double-check if the new breakfast attendant was getting everything right.

There was something about her tone that just wasn't right. If it was such a nice hotel, why was she so much nervous?

"Gold, can you call Steven and ask him to come and get me there?" I asked.

"I'll do it right away" He replied, picking his phone from his pocket and dialing the number.

"Steven, it's Gold... I need you to get back at the Castle Hotel... Yes... They made a mistake and Emma Swan needs to go to another hotel... Yes... The address?" He motioned for me to hand him the paper. "It's on the Coast Road... What? What do you mean that you can't drive that far? You are beeing paid to drive the orchestra members wherever they need... It will cost that much more? No, thank you very much... Okay..." He hung up.

"Well, apparently we have a little problem." Gold said, looking very pissed and shooting daggers though his eyes in the direction the receptionis went earlier. "The lovely and cozy hotel you'll be staying is in Malahide."

"What does it even mean?" I asked, confused and worried at the same time.

"It means it's in a town nearby, not in Dublin. It's an 11-mile drive, and that's too far for the bus driver we hired. It's not very far, but too far for the damn driver" He said with a groan.

After Gold he and Belle went back to the room they were sharing, I got into a cab to Malahide, wherever that was.

Twenty minutes later, the driver dropped me in front of what seemed, in fact, a cozy hotel.

For the second time that day, I carried my bags inside and walked to the counter. It was empty. I started checking my phone for messages as I waited, when a masculine voice with a heavy accent interrupted.

"Can I do something for you, love?"

A/N: thank you very much for reading! Please, review and let me know what you think! :)