Emma looked down at the cold bowl of soup, the icky smell making her nose scrunch up in distaste. It was too murky, too smelly, and too empty to actaully eat so she just sat and starred, willing it to just disappear.

"Come on Ems, you got to eat. Who knows what time she'll decide to feed us tomorrow."

She glanced to her side to see her brother slowly but surely sipping down his own bowl of ice. The look on his face, though, must have matched her own.

"August, it's gross."

He shrugged, "Better this then us having to starve. Now come on, eat."

Emma let out a aggravted huff but nontheless grabbed her spoon and venutred to take a taste. She had been wrong, it tasted much worse then it looked.

August watched her out of the corner of his eye and couldn't stop the frown that formed. It was times like these, times when the world they lived in treated them like less than dirt, that a overwhelming sense of guilt took over. He knew it wasn't really his fault, that he couldn't control how this world sometimes treated children without parents, but is still nagged heaviley on his heart. He would sometimes see TV shows or hear stories about orphans who actually found themselves in amazing situations. Loving parents, nice homes, edible meals. He figured this had to be the case for most kids in his situation, that everyone evtnually got their own happy ending but unfortunately, he and Emma hadn't been so lucky.

Ironic, since they both came from a world where happy endings were practically invented.

With that thought (and another digusted noise from Emma) August felt a whole new wave of guilt. His father had trusted him to take care of Emma, to escape the Enchanted Forest and the clutches of the Evil Queen's curse, and to raise her to become the saviour she was prophesied to be. He couldn't help but think he was failing.

That had been eleven years ago.

August rembered that awful day like it had been yesterday. Clutching Emma, a crying newborn, to his chest while trying to navigate around a new world when he himself was so young. They had wandered for what seemed like ages till they came upon a odd black and solid looking river that a large steel beast was traveling on. A road and a car he learned much later.

"When do you think we'll see Neal again?"

Emma had noticed August had stepped into dreamland. Not that it really mattered (even if he did it all the time) but whenever he did he always just looked so sad. And that made her sad. So, she thought she'd bring up a topic they both enjoyed. Or so she thought.

"Who cares." He answered flippantly, focusing back on his soup.

The answer made her unreasonably angry and she glared daggers at him. "What do you mean who cares? It's been three weeks and that's the longest he's ever been away! You're not worried?"

Maybe once upon a time he would have been. But growing up had made August see things a little more clearly when it came to their friend Neal. When he had been been nine and Emma four, they had met the charming Neal Cassidy. A oprhan like themselves who's carefree nature and sense of good humor had immediately enchanted the both of them. Neal had also been nine but acted like someone far past his age with his mischevious antics and daringness toward adults. He quickly got the reputation of a troublemaker. But, Emma and August loved him and for some reason he took a shining to them as well so the three quickly became a trio. However, Neal was sometimes a little daring for his own good. As a result, he was in and out of homes quicker then any child August ever saw and as a result, out of he and Emma's lives as well. Sometimes the system would just work in a way that brought them all together again but then sometimes (as they grew older) Neal would find his own way back.

That wasn't the only thing that changed with age.

"You know you haven't been very nice to him lately August."

August merely snorted. Maybe he hadn't been very nice but that was only because Neal wasn't very nice anymore. Maybe the kid hid it well enough from Emma but he didn't have suck luck with him. He knew the type of boy Neal was becoming. Stealing things, hanging out with the wrong crowd, and getting involved in things no moral person would ever do. Things the Blue Fairy would defiantly have a word or two to say on. Once Neal turned eighteen, August truely feared what anitcs he would get into then.

Emma, unfortunately, had developed a sort of crush on him over the years. A crush that August tried and failed to put a end to on more then one occassion. Emma had a destiny and Neal certainly wasn't going to help in getting her there if he kept on the way he was.

"Neal can take care of himself Emma. That I have no doubt of."

The answer obviously wasn't enough. "You two use to be best friends. Now you barely talk to him when he comes around."

"We have nothing to talk about."

"That's not true! Me and him talk just fine and you just there sit all quiet and sulky!"

August dropped his spoon noisily into his near empty bowl. He was in no mood to talk about Neal Cassidy. "Come on, let's go to bed."

Emma was eleven now so it was getting harder to command her around but tonight she thankfully followed him to the basment without another word. She was still fuming of course but not enough to totally ingore him. Besides, he was all she had and vice versa.

It was the one miracle August was blessed with in this world. He had seen countless numbers of siblings torn apart and sent to different homes and families but by some greater power Emma and he always managed to stay together. Someone must be watching over them.

"So what story do you want to hear tonight?"

Still angry, Emma had crawled into bed and stubbornly closed her eyes hoping August would take the hint. She couldn't understand him when it came to Neal. They had all been so close then things seemed to change without her even noticing. Sure, maybe Neal was a little naughty sometimes but he never hurt anyone. His stories were fun and exciting and all August would do was roll his eyes and read some book.

"Emma?"

She let out a groan. How did she think she'd get away with going to bed without August telling her a story? He told one every night without fail, ever since she could remeber. Even if she was eleven. And always, always, fairytales.

Well, best to get it over with. "Peter Pan."

Snow White and Prince Charming was her favorite but she had asked for that last night. August preferred Pinocchio but that was one of her least favorites (even though she would never tell August since it seemed to offend him for some reason). Peter Pan was her second choice and coincidentally Neal's first. Whenever he was around he seemed to hate story time, like really hate it, but he would always come around if it was about Peter Pan and Neverland.

It was a fact August was well aware of but chose to ignore for her sake. "Okay. Once upon a time..."


Neal sighed.

Oh, he was going to get it this time. That is, if he got caught. So, knowing him, he probably wasn't going to get it.

He smirked.

With the confidence of a honest man he surely wasn't, Neal strutted to the exit of the department store, sending the security guard there a salute as he breezed through the doors. The old man actually smiled and waved back.

Outside was dark and cold but it felt amazing compared to the sauna that had been in that store. Neal gulped in a healthy dose of air into his lungs, relishing in the sense of freedom it brought him. His fingertips traced over the two pairs of diamond earrings in his pocket, enjoying their smoothness of the stones. Then he felt the necklace he had also pawned, a simple silver chain with a circle made of glittering diamonds. He would surely get a pretty penny for all of them.

Suddenly, though, he thought of Emma.

Beautiful, spunky, and adoring Emma and how she didn't own anything near expensive or pretty as the jewelry in his pocket. Surely he could afford giving one of them to her. She'd absolutely love that. August would probably be appalled but he was easy enough to ignore. He contemplated what to give her as he strode into a gas station, his stomach demanding some food.

Not wanting to get caught for something stupid like stealing some bag of chips after just succeeding in lifting diamond jewelry, Neal wisely chose to buy the bag. As he neared the counter he noticed a stack of key chains and his eyes so happened to land on a circular one with a engraved swan on it. August and Emma's last name. That would look nice if coupled with the necklace.

Emma would love it.


Authors Note: Hey all! This is my first go at a fic so please be kind! Basically very AU, August didn't go down the dark path and stuck it through with Emma and is still trying to figure out exactly how she's going to break the curse. Neal is still Rumple's son (if I hadn't dropped enough hints) so we'll see how that plays out as well. I'm going to take some things from the show but not at all and the chapters are probably go to be time jumps to speed up the process of getting to Storybrooke and meeting other charters. Will be eventual Captain Swan but no promises on when exactly Hook's going to be introduced (I'm just as eager to see him too ;) ) Please review and tell me what you think!