"Emmy, come on," my four year old little brother, Carter, called. I was the eldest of four siblings, all adopted of course, and I took my role as big sister very seriously. Our parents, Jacob and Carly Swan, were very young when they adopted me, only twenty two. They had found me on the side of the road when I was a very young infant and from the moment that they laid eyes on me, they loved me.

I was six when they adopted Hannah, a four year old Chinese girl with bright eyes and a taste for adventure. Ten years later, when I was sixteen, they adopted another infant. Matthew stood out a bit in our home, his mahogany skin and chocolate eyes very different. Then finally, when I was twenty five, they adopted one year old Carter. He was just like me in so many ways, blonde hair, green eyes, pale skin, and a sense of being lost, even when he had already been found. Our parents died that year and made that him my responsibility. That made all of them my responsibility.

"Matt, we're gonna have cake. You need to come on if you want some," I yelled down the hall to the twelve year old. It was my twenty eighth birthday and even though I was not in the mood for celebrating, my siblings insisted. Hannah had driven down from her apartment in New York City that afternoon and had to return that night to be back at work the next day but at least we were going to be together. "Matt-"

"I'm coming, sorry," Matt apologized, coming into the room. He had clearly been speedily trying to change out of his soccer clothes as he looked quite disheveled. Still, he had tried to make an effort and that made me smile. "Hannah here?"

"Just arrived," Hannah said, coming through the door, a small black box and a two liter of soda in hand. She was still dressed in her work attire, a smart navy blue skirt and blazer set, a white blouse, and black pumps. She was fresh out of law school and had just started a job at the Manhattan DA's office. "Am I late?"

"Just on time, Emma's about to cut the cake."

I moved the knife to the cake and made a move to slice it when the four year old screamed out, "No! You have to light the candles and make a wish, Emmy."

Hannah looked like she was going to protest but I stopped her with a look, letting her know that we were keeping his innocence as long as possible. I retrieved the number candles that I had bought and my lighter, setting everything up. I really couldn't think of anything to wish for and so I stood there a minute until a thought hit me. They sang and when I blew out the candles, a knock sounded at the door. I thought that was odd but I went to answer it anyways.

On the other side was a boy, older than Carter and younger than Matt, probably around ten, with messy brown hair and bright green eyes, far too like my own. He smiled when he saw me and spoke, "Are you Emma Swan?"

"Yeah. Who are you?" I shot back.

"My name's Henry. I'm you're son."

"Whoa! Hey, kid! Kid! Kid! I don't have a son! Where are your parents?"
"Ten years ago. Did you give up a baby for adoption? That was me."
"Give me a minute."

I went to the kitchen where my siblings were waiting and they could tell that something was wrong. Hannah came forward and put her hands on my arms, trying to calm me. "Who was it at the door?"

"My son."

"Hey, you have any juice?" Henry came in, seeing everyone for the first time. He waved shyly and it would've been cute if I wasn't sure that he was crazy. "Hi."

"Guys, this is Henry, my son. Henry, those is my brother Matthew, my sister Hannah, and my brother Carter."

"You know, we should probably get going."

"Going where?"

"I want you to come home with me."

"I can't leave them."

"Then bring them with you. We have to go."

"Okay, kid. I'm calling the cops."

"Then I'll tell them you kidnapped me."

"And they'll believe you because I'm your birth mother."

"Yep."

"You're not going to do that."

"Try me."

"You're pretty good. But here's the thing – there's not a lot I'm great at in life. I have one skill. Let's call it a superpower. I can tell when anyone is lying and you, kid, are."

"Wait… Please don't call the cops. Please, come home with me."

"You do have to get him home," Matt pointed out.

"Where's home, kid?"

"Storybrooke, Maine," Henry smiled.

"Storybrooke? Seriously?"

"Mhmmmm."

"Alrighty, then. Let's get you back to Storybrooke. Matt, Carter, grab some clothes. We're going on a road trip."

My four door Dodge Challenger zoomed down the road as we headed through the dark to a small town in Maine. Hannah went back to New York City with a promise to call in the morning but I still had three very tired kids in my car and it seemed like the road that I was on would never end. It was very late by the time I got to this Storybrooke.

"Okay, kid. How about an address?" I asked, looking slightly to the back seat where Henry sat with an already asleep Carter

"Forty-four Not Telling You street."

"Look, it's been a long night and it's almost… 8:15?"

"That clock hasn't moved my whole life. Time's frozen here."

"Excuse me?"

I wasn't the only one giving him skeptic looks. It appears my brother didn't believe him either.

"The Evil Queen did it with her curse. She sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest here."

"Okay, the Evil Queen sent a bunch of fairy tale characters here."

"Yeah, and now they're trapped."

"Frozen in time, stuck in Storybrooke, Maine," Matt said with a raised eyebrow. "That's what you're going with?"

"It's true!"

"Then why doesn't they just leave?" Carter spoke up, letting everyone know that he was awake and attentive.

"They can't. If they try, bad things happen."

"Kid," I warned. He sighed and pointed me down the street, to a ginormous white mansion. When we got there he suddenly grabbed my arm, stopping me from turning off the car.

"Please don't take me back there."

"I have to. I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you."

"I don't have parents. Just a mom and she's evil."

"Evil? That's a bit extreme, isn't it?"

"She is. She doesn't love me. She only pretends to."

I saw the look on Matthew's face when he said that. Matthew, who was old enough to remember our mom and dad, was obviously hurt by the flippant way in which he talked about his mother. The way he didn't care hurt us, because we'd lost ours.

"Kid… I'm sure that's not true."

"Henry!" A woman called, running from the house. She was beautiful and for a moment I could only stare t her as she ran to the car. I got out, along with Henry, but motioned for the other kids to stay in the car out of sight. "Henry… Are you okay? Where have you been? What happened?"

"I found my real mom," Henry shouted, running past her and into the house. Behind the woman was a rugged looking man in leather.

"Y-you're Henry's birth mother?"

"Hi…"

"I'll just go…check on the lad. Make sure he's alright," the man shrugged, going into the house after the boy.

"Mayor Regina Mills," the woman extended her hand.

"Emma Swan," I shook it firmly.

"How would like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?"

"I can't drink. I have, um…"

"Emmy," Carter called, stepping out of the car. He and Matthew came to stand with me, the younger tucking himself into my side.

"You have other kids?" Regina snarled. "You kept them and gave up Henry?"

"These are my brothers, Carter and Matthew," I explained, praying that she didn't ask any more questions. She may not have but I needed answers. "Guys, this is Mayor Mills. Mayor, how did he find me?"

"No idea. When I adopted him, he was only three weeks old. Records were sealed. I was told the birth mother didn't want to have any contact."

"You were told right."

"Do I need to be worried about you, Miss Swan?"

"Absolutely not."

Carter yawned and I knew that fairly soon we would have to leave. The kids needed to get some sleep. They had school the next day.

"Madam Mayor, you can relax," the guy said, coming from the house. "Other than being a tired little boy, Henry's fine."

"Thank you, Sheriff," Regina said, obviously dismissing him. He shrugged, hopped in his squad car, and left. Turning to me, she smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry he drug you out of your life. I really don't know what's gotten into him."

"Kid's having a rough time. It happens," I shrugged, knowing how kids were as I was raising two myself. "I really should be heading back."

"Of course, Miss Swan. Please, be safe. It was nice meeting you."

"You as well. Come on guys."

"Bye, Mayor Mills," Carter waved cutely before getting into the car. It was time for us to leave. Or that's what I thought but it was late and when I saw the sign for the bed and breakfast I knew that that was my stop. I booked a room for the night and made sure that the boys were asleep on the bed before curling up on the couch and slipping into oblivion.