Chapter 1: What the Water Gave Me

It was just past midnight, and the full moon lit up Emma's room through the slivers in her blinds. She was struggling to sleep tonight. The occasional car drove by outside, and she wondered if it was the quiet suburban setting that was causing her insomnia. Everything was always so quiet here.

Granted, she really shouldn't complain. The Barbers were a really nice couple, with big hearts. Emma wasn't sure how long she'd be staying with them, despite the couple insisting they'd take care of her until she turned 18. For the past 16 years, no one had ever kept that promise (sometimes she was glad for that). But something always came up: a new baby, a sudden death, unemployment... some reason that Emma couldn't stay.

She liked foster care more than the orphanage, which was one of the most depressing places she'd ever encountered. Every time she got sent back, Emma would spend half of her time thinking of ways to escape, and the other half actually attempting the escape. Unfortunately, she was always brought back and subsequently labeled a troublemaker.

She took a deep breath and held it, releasing it once her lungs began to ache. Her brain began to slow down, and she knew sleep would soon be at hand. She closed her eyes, and began to dream.

The sound of birds chirping outside her window awoke Emma. Sunlight had replaced moonlight, but there was vastly more of it than Emma had expected. Blinking several times, Emma was nearly blinded by the flood of light in her room. When she'd gone to bed the blinds had been down and the window closed, but now they were up and the window open.

Frowning as she sat up, Emma gingerly slid out of bed and walked over to the window. No sign of forced entry... had she opened it in her sleep? Was that even possible? Her frown deepened when she noticed a piece of paper on the windowsill, folded under her glass paperweight.

Her stomach churned and her breath caught in her throat. Someone had been here last night. Before touching the paper, she quickly scanned her room. Nothing looked out of the ordinary... Emma tended to keep things clean and in order, so she'd notice if anything was off.

But the paperweight was hers, and had been moved from her desk. Her fingers shook slightly as she lifted the weight and unfolded the paper.

She dropped the paper upon reading it, and nearly swooned. Grabbing the windowsill for support, Emma fought off tears and the urge to vomit. She was scared, nauseous and confused all at the same time.

There was one simple message on the paper, written in very neat, flowing script: Come to the Old Grey Bridge at 5pm, if you want to find your parents.

What did this mean? Was this a sick joke?

Granted, she wasn't exactly sure who would bother to play it on her. She'd only been in this town for two months, and while she didn't have any friends, she didn't have any enemies either. Or... any she was aware of, at least.

And the other children staying at the Barbers were all under the age of seven, so she knew they were not capable of writing such a note. Basically, the fact that someone had managed to come in through her window, and leave such a note was far too strange to ignore.

Should she tell the Barbers? Or would they think it was a cry for help of some kind? Emma really didn't want to give them a reason to force her to leave.

But, she didn't exactly want to ignore the note either. The bridge was a public enough place, right? Surely she'd be within view of cars driving by?

The temptation was too big to resist. Emma knew nothing of her parents, apparently she'd been found on a roadside in Maine by a little boy. The boy was a John Doe much like herself, but she'd never gotten to meet him. He ran away at an early age and the authorities had never found him.

What if this was him?

There were so many questions that Emma was struggling to answer, but she knew that she had no answers. Maybe she really should ask the Barbers...

Indecision gripped her as she changed her clothes (only after making sure her room was completely empty of intruders), and she couldn't help but pout as she contemplated her options. Did she even want to know who her parents were? They clearly never wanted to know anything about her.

Honestly, who abandons a baby in the middle of nowhere? There weren't even any missing couples or reports of missing babies in the area either, so that pretty much indicated that she hadn't been wanted.

Whatever. Emma thought, closing her eyes and exhaling. I'm stronger for it. Opening her blue eyes, she walked over to the door and opened it. Standing poised to knock was Carlos, possibly one of the cutest five-year-olds Emma had ever seen. He looked up at her with huge brown eyes and a big smile. "Millie made breakfast!" Without further explantation and grabbed Emma's hand. She couldn't help but smile as she followed him to all the other bedrooms to collect the other two children.

Lucy, a little troublemaker with chubby cheeks and lots of brown freckles, was quick to bolt out the door and join them. At the age of six she was filled with boundless energy, and loved pranking those around her. "Robert hurry." She whined outside the door of her biological brother's door. The seven-year-old took his time changing, and eventually joined them in the hallway.

Lucy and Robert were lucky to have each other, since his serious demeanor contained his wild sister. They were new to the system, after their parents died in a horrific car crash the year before. There were no relatives to claim them, so here they were. Carlos, on the other hand, had a similar story to Emma.

She looked down at his dark curls as they walked down the hallway to the stairs, and quickly picked him up as they walked down the stairs. "Thanks Emma." He cooed, wrapping his arms around her neck in a hug. Despite Emma's policy of zero attachment, she couldn't help herself with this little one. He wormed his way into her heart and was quickly building himself a palace.

What could be the harm? Emma often asked herself, children were always honest and pure. There was no harm in forming a bond with a child, since they would always love you. Or, that's what Emma liked to think.

As they settled in to eat breakfast, she suddenly remembered the note. As she attempted to keep her expression happy and care-free (a skill she'd been working on over the years), her stomach was churning. "Are you feeling alright, sweetie?" Millie Barber asked Emma, as she served Lucy yet another pancake.

Unaware that she had been zoned out, Emma blinked and quickly nodded. "Oh! Yes, sorry! I'm just not fully awake yet."

This pattern of thought continued all day, from the walk in the park with the children, to the trip to the grocery store, until it was 4:30 in the afternoon. Emma had been attempting to think up an excuse all day, and finally decided on the only one that was feasibly normal for a teenager: "Millie, a few friends from school wanted to meet at the park in fifteen minutes. Do you mind if I go?"

The middle aged woman paused from cutting up vegetables, and looked at Emma with a mix of surprise and happiness (thought Emma swore she saw a flash of suspicion), "Of course, sweetie! I'm so glad you've been making friends. Make sure to be back by 5:30 for dinner!"

"Don't worry- I will be!"

The walk to the bridge was terrifying. Emma wasn't sure what to expect. When facing another human being, she could figure out if they were lying or not. But a note? Not that easy. She held it in her leather coat pocket, and walked quickly in the direction she believed the bridge to be in. Given that it was a Sunday evening in April, the sun was starting to move downwards casting a warm glow over everything.

Subconsciously, Emma wished she'd dressed better. A sundress made sense during the day, but with the setting sun it was not ideal. Her legs felt like they were covered in goosebumps, and she wasn't sure if it was her nerves or the actual chill in the air.

So consumed in her thoughts, she didn't realize she had arrived at the bridge until she stood at the edge of it. Underneath she could hear the rush of the river, and she tried to keep her head clear. But it was useless. There were no cars or people around. If she screamed- would anyone be nearby to help her?

Granted, Emma never relied on others for help. Hence the pocket knife she clutched in her other pocket. She'd gotten into fights before, and always gotten out just fine. Though, those fights involved adolescents at the various schools and homes she cycled through. Nor were they frequent enough to give her any real experience. "You're here."

Emma's heart felt like it was about to explode from pressure, and she whirled around to face the source of the voice. A young man stood there, certainly college age at the very least. He was handsome, though not in the typical athletic jock way. He looked cultured, a sort of air of experience and knowledge that seemed to exude from him. Perhaps it was the elegantly groomed haircut, or the look in his eyes. This only made her more apprehensive. "You broke into my room?" The question came out of her mouth without much of a thought, and she blushed at her bluntness.

He laughed, a short slightly distracted laugh, and he moved over to the edge of the bridge and leaned against it on one arm. "Just opened the window."

"And taking my paperweight." She said, her grip on the pocket knife was so strong her palms began to sweat.

He shrugged, "Right." He scratched his developing brown beard, and looked at her for a moment. "I'm August."

He didn't make a move to offer a handshake, which caused Emma to raise her eyebrows despite herself. Though, she couldn't shake the familiarity of the name. "So..." She said pursing her lips together, "My parents?"

"Right! Your parents, very good people..." August pushed himself off the bridge, he shoved his hands in his pockets, and his eyes widened. "Shit! I lost my keys!" He patted his pockets several times, and a frown appeared on his face. "I was walking by the river- help me find them? We can talk while we walk."

"Uh... sure." Keeping a little distance between them, Emma found it hard to concentrate as they walked along the riverside, farther away from the road. There was a little path used by locals for walks, but no one seemed to be about. This only increased her uneasiness.

"So, your parents are amazing." Are? They're alive. Emma's mind quickly picked up on that simple word. "They're real fighters." Too vague, give me details. "They really didn't want to give you up but- oh! There they are!" Emma's heart stopped, and for a split second she thought she was getting a surprise visit from her family (a scenario she thought she'd given up on). No. He was talking about his keys.

"Look, um, I need to be back soon. Can you just tell me where I can find them and... if they want to be found. Also- how do you even know all this?" He picked up something on the riverside, and Emma noticed that it was not a pair of keys. "What is that?" She snapped, her nerves on overdrive.

"Ah, a magic bean." His eyes had a glint in them that made Emma take a step backwards. This was the look of a crazy person. "Your parents are Snow White and Price Charming, Emma. I don't know how else to tell you."

Emma's eyes widened. He was insane! "Get away from me!" Unfortunately, with her hands in her pockets, her balance was thrown as she tried to move backwards and run away. August grabbed her knife arm to stabilize her, causing her hand to shoot out her pocket and the knife to get thrown several paces away. Now would be the time to scream-

With his other hand, August threw the 'magic' bean in the river. There was a huge rushing noise, and the wind suddenly picked up to a gale. A whirlpool developed in the river, and August began to drag her towards it. "I can't have you breaking the curse Emma. I love my life- I don't want to give it up!" August shouted over the roar of the whirlpool.

"What are you talking about?!" Emma screamed as she tried to free herself, knowing it was futile. He was stronger than her, and heavier. She couldn't out-balance him. He was insane- and what the hell was this whirlpool?

With a sudden jolt of brute strength, Emma found herself hurtling through the air towards the whirlpool. Her screams were only silenced by the water as it pulled her downwards.

Author's note as of Nov 2015: So I started this story at the beginning of the Neverland Arc on OUAT, before we knew who Peter Pan really was and all that (my Peter is not related to any other characters). So this is an AU in the truest sense, since this story takes a very different route. I condensed the first two chapters, since they were so short separately.