AN: Okay, so since I'm English I've decided to use the English spelling for things instead of the American because otherwise I would constantly switch between the two not noticing my mistake. Please review.

The night after they arrive in town Adam is sent to the diner to interrupt a party. Just as he's about to turn into the diner's outside seating area the door opens. He falters slightly and walks forward casually trying to ignore the brunette that was exiting the building. He turns the corner and stops waiting for her to leave. He knows who she is he's seen her painting in her castle when he was exploring the time frozen land. He's always admired the fear she still holds over their land even after being absent for so long. He notices that she's seems to have lost some of her ferocity. Maybe it's the costume change, he thinks to himself. Maybe it's the flustered look.

Adam doesn't dare look around the corner when he hears another person leaving the diner but he knows her voice. He'd heard it a couple of times while he'd been spying on her for Cora.

The voices are loud at first but become faint and he can only hear the occasional word break through. Henry being one of them but he was sure they aren't referring to the Evil Queen's father. They part with the argument being slightly soothed. There was still an uncomfortable angry tone to their voices. Regina walks in the opposite direction from him. He came out from his hiding stopping again to watch his sister as she pauses briefly trying calming herself before returning to the party.

Walking up to the main door he pauses much as Emma did but for different reasons. He takes a deep breath. He's not nervous for the reasons most people in his situation would be nervous for. He doesn't think many if any people have been in this situation before. The meeting his family part he can do. The convincing them of his lies part is another matter. He hates feeling nervous. He doesn't feel in control. It's very rare for him to feel it when not facing Cora.

He hopes they're not as good at noticing lies as he is.

He releases the breath, opens the door, and steps in.

It doesn't take long for all eyes to land on him, but all he focuses on is their smiles. Snow's in particular. He knows that she had been told her son was dead less than a couple days ago. Cora had told them hoping it would hurt them. It doesn't seem to have dampened the party spirit, though. Adam's fists clench at his sides luckily he's pulled back from thought by a voice.

"Can we help you?" Emma asks with slight confusion standing by the counter with a child at her side.

"Erm…" He turns his head back to Snow not taking much effort for him to sound nervous. "I was looking for Snow White." Her smile falters briefly when her eyebrows furrow but she steps forward and away from the man she'd been talking with.

"Do I know you?" The knife twists and her eyes flit over the scar on his right eyebrow.

"No, err well…my name's Adam…Adam White." Her eyes widen, his last name giving it away. "I'm your son." She's been steadily closing the gap between them since Adam stated his last name but now she is right in front of him.

She's oblivious to all the sceptical glares coming from around the room, the most piecing coming from the blonde to his right, although Adam notices he focuses on Snow. She raises her hands to his cheeks. Adam almost dodges before he realises it's not meant to harm. There's too much tenderness in the movement. Her right hand goes higher after a moment and runs over the scar that divides his eyebrow in half.

Her eyes twitch in recognition.

"I was hoping you know how I got it." Her eye's snap back to his when she realises she was staring. She gives him a sad smile.

"A bit of glass caught you when the curse was taking hold." She puts her hand back on his cheek. "Adam," she whispers testing the word. His name sounds foreign to him coming from her but it's filled with an unfamiliar warmth that Adam had never heard accompanying his name before. He doesn't like it though; it brings back pain he'd all but numbed years ago as a child.

Snow smiles and pulls him into a hug, before he can do anything she's sobbing into his chest.

"I'm sorry," she sniffs. "I'm so sorry." Adam stands frozen anger gripping him. What gives her the right to be sad now? She thought him dead moments ago and didn't seem fazed at all.

He shouldn't have come here he's going to ruin the plan if he doesn't hold in his anger. Thankfully, someone brings him back to reality again.

"Snow?" the man she'd been talking to before had managed to step closer while Adam hadn't been focusing. He recognises him from the portrait that hung in their castle back home. Snow breaks away from Adam, holds him at arm's length for a long moment before she smiles, and turns to her prince.

"Adam," she says still holding his left arm, "this is your father." Adam wasn't sure how to greet him so he raises his hand but David pushes it away with a wide smile and hugs him. What's with all the hugging? Adam thinks. Snow joins the hug and Adam has to stop himself from rolling his eyes. The hug would have most likely lasted longer but it was interrupted by the sceptical blonde.

"Wait, slow down, we were told you were dead." They pull away from Adam but Snow still doesn't release his arm not wanting him to be a dream.

Adam lets out a heavy sign. "Let me guess, Cora?"

"Why would she? How did you get here? When did-"

"Emma!" Snow gives her daughter a stern look. "Let him get his bearing first." Emma looks down and mumbles sorry.

"Can I ask a question?" Adam asks and Emma nods. Adam looks at his sister and asks, "Who are you?" He feels the grip on his arm tighten.

He knows that would hurt her, it's one of the reasons he asks, but also because he has to pretend he doesn't know who Emma is.

Emma puts her hands into her pockets looking taken back for a second or two realising she hasn't introduced herself to her brother.

"Oh…umm," she stumbles over her words and looks at Snow unsure of herself, which Adam is sure didn't happen that often. Or at least she doesn't normally let it show.

"This is Emma, your twin sister."

Adam lets his jaw slack slightly and stays silent for several seconds trying to fight back the awkward feeling of staring at someone hopefully making everyone think he's stunned by the revelation.

"Oh…umm," Adam mimics his sister.

Emma raises her hand and Adam hesitates.

"I'm not really a hugger." He finally takes her hand.

"Neither am I." Adam smiles as warmly as he is able to. Emma returns it but only to hide her uncertainty; Adam sees it but none of the on lookers notice. The kid next to Emma nudges her with his elbow.

"Oh," Emma leads the boy in front of her by his shoulders and squeezes gently, "This is Henry, my son." Adam kneels down to look the kid in the eye forcing a reluctant Snow to release her grip. He has never dealt with children, that weren't either running away or hiding behind their parents, before.

"Hello, Henry." His nephew breaks free of his own mothers grip and wraps his arms tightly around his uncle's shoulders almost making them to fall.

"I knew you couldn't be dead," his voice full of genuine happiness. Adam squirms awkwardly for a moment trying to get his balance back before returning the hug.

"I guess the hugging thing skips a generation." Adam hears several chuckles as he releases Henry and looks up to find a weirdly happy look fall over Emma. Henry steps back with the biggest and brightest smile Adam has ever seen as he looks up at his mum.

"Told you so," he beams, causing Emma's smile to grow as she rolls her eyes and pulls him backwards into a half hug her arm over his chest, almost around his neck. Snow returns her hand to Adam arm as he stands, but is now on the other side, and squeezes. Her touch makes Adam flinch ever so slightly but Snow and Emma notice.

There were a few moments of silence until Emma picks up the enquiry again.

"So, how did you get here?" Snow rolls her eyes at Emma and receives a shrug and a silent 'what', but then the attention returns to Adam both curious about his reply.

"I was travelling through the forest when I ran into some people who lived on that island. They'd been out hunting when they'd returned everyone was dead. They told me they'd had Cora locked up and that two strangers had appeared one calling herself Snow White. I tracked you passed a giant bean stork to a lake where I was just in time to see you jump in." Emma's brow furrows again and Adam wonders if that was just her normal face.

"The portal closed as soon as we went through it, so how did you actually get here?" Her tone isn't lost on Adam and apparently Snow because she threw a confused and slightly angry look towards her daughter.

"Hook had a petrified bean which I was able to steal and since Cora had returned the water of the regeneration lake," Adam shrugs. "I took a shot." Emma noticeable relaxes not detecting a lie.

"Hook must have taken it from Anton," Emma whispers to herself. She sees the confusion flick through Adam's eyes and explains, "He's the giant that lives at the top of that bean stork." Adam shows his understanding with a nod.

"Okay," David says stepping forward, "but I thought time stood still over there just like it did here. How are you the same age as Emma?"

"Actually," Adam starts with a slight smile trying to hide the surprise of the intelligent question coming from the prince, "I'm a couple of years younger." His smile widens as more confusion fills the room, he tries to keep the happy darkness out of his eyes. "I was found in your castle when a couple of people that'd been left behind," like me, "were trying to find you," he gestures at his parents. "I'm not really sure exactly what happened but I ended up with a small bit of wood that someone turned into a pendant that was put on a necklace. When I met Cora for the first time, she's told me it was a piece of the wardrobe that had transported Emma. Apparently it'd stopped the curse from affecting me while I wore it allowing me to age normally."

"So how are you a couple of years younger than me?"

"I lost the necklace about three years ago during a particularly rough fight with some ogres." Snow's grip tightens again at the mention of the fight. She is going to leave a mark if she flinches at everything he tells her.

Adam notes how weird it feels telling them the truth for once; he saw no reason to lie about it. Well, except for about who had found him.

"You seem to know Cora quite well." Emma says, suspicious again.

"I've had a few run-ins with her over the years."

"She didn't follow you, did she?" Adam shakes his head.

"No, I don't think so, I can't sense her magic."

"You have magic?" Snow's hand loosens on his arm as she moves away ever so slightly.

"Yes, do neither of you?" Adam asks knowing exactly what their answer is going to be. They shake their head and look at each other then Emma. "Wait, but then how do I? I always just assumed I got it from one of you two. That's how it normally works."

"Emma has magic," Henry states receiving a glare from his mother. He either didn't see it or just ignores it because he continues smiling, "But that's because she's the saviour." That is also why she was the one with no evil in her and the one in the wardrobe. The reason she got the better life, witnessed less death, and caused less.

"Maybe it's a twin thing." Henry adds after a moment of thought.

"Could be, kid," Emma smiles at him.

Adam yawns catching his parent's attention.

"We should probably continue this tomorrow you look tried," David says while Snow nods.

"Yes, I should find a place for the night."

"What? No, you're staying with us," Snow says with an 'isn't that obvious' smile.

"Oh, I," Adam stumbles genuinely surprised by the offer. He's a stranger to them. Why would they trust him to stay in their home?

"Mary, I don't think there's enough room," Emma interjects, confusing Adam more with the name she uses. Emma notices, "When Regina, the Queen, cursed everyone she gave them new names." She points at snow, "Mary Margret," then at charming, "David."

"Oh, is it alright if I stick to your non-curse name? They're the only ones I've ever used."

"Of course," David says smiling, "But my name is actually David. It's a long story I'll tell you later."

"You could always," Snow starts nervously and pause's thinking of how to continue. "You could both always just call us mum and dad." Adam and Emma's eyes find each other's immediately, shocking both of them at how natural it feels looking to the other for help with their parents. "I mean, if you want to. When you're ready know that you can, okay?"

Feeling awkward, they agree that there is enough room if the floor was put to use.


As soon as they are through the door Henry runs in a grabs his book excited to show his uncle. Next, he drags Adam around the loft explaining what the different things are and how to use them. Henry tries to explain how the lights and electricity works but just ends up call it science magic and moves on to the T.V., which was his favourite. Watching, as Adam can't understand how the picture is displayed.

Adam is standing in the kitchen leaning against the counter watching Henry get ready for bed, after a small disagreement with Emma, when she joins him.

"It's weird, isn't it?" Emma asks with a haunted sound echoing in her voice.

"That is an understatement."

They're silent for a few moments just watching the others move about the loft as if everything is normal and they'd done this routine a million times.

"Did you have any family back in the Enchanted Forest?" Emma asks with no ulterior motive evident in the actions other than getting to know her brother.

"Not really. It was chaotic, no one knew what was going on, and so no one really claimed me. I was just passed around until I was old enough to be on my own, then I left."

"That's pretty much how it went for me as well, but with running water and electricity." They smile understanding each other but both feeling uneasy about the other.

Snow sees them talking and smiling out of the corner of her eye and tugs at David's sleeve getting his attention. They smile warmly watching their children happily interact for the first time.

Adam said he'd take the floor explaining that he was used to it but Emma offers him her bed after a look from Snow and David. Adam tries to refuse wanting to be close to the door but after a while, Henry sets it up for himself and lies down as Emma falls onto the couch.


Adam lay in bed, an extremely comfortable bed, trying to run through the events of the last couple of hours. He was expecting more resistance. How are they so trusting? Emma seems to be the only intelligent one in the family. He's a good liar but they really should be more suspicious of him.

He thinks about telling Cora where he is by teleporting a note to Hook's ship but she most likely knows exactly where he is. She always does. She has a need to control everything around her. She would use his heart if she could and it surprises him that she doesn't take the pirate's for her own. She must think his need for revenge against Rumple is strong enough for her to keep a hold on him.

Somehow, the thoughts fade and he drifts off to sleep.