Sorry, that second chapter just didn't feel right. I kept going back and forth with how it needed to be written and I finally had to redo this chapter.

"I cannot believe she gave me detention."

"You're joking right? You totally deserved it, Merida."

"I did not!"

"You know, if you constantly asked me if I had any severe head injuries from rolling down a hill I would give you detention too."

This was how conversations between the two best friends always went. Before the curse had been lifted, she had been Elizabeth Marcum. The most popular girl in school; a truly terrifying human being. However, once the curse was lifted and the Scottish accent came back with a vengeance she became Merida. While it had been hard for Celeste to deal with the aftermath of the curse being lifted, she knew that Merida had gone through practically putting her entire family back together and yet the redhead still had time invite her new friend over for dinner. Typically as a rule, Celeste never shared too much about her own life with others around her, but she always made sure to keep Merida close.

"Mum wants to know when you can come over again for dinner."

"Well, Eric shouldn't mind if I miss one family meal. Maybe tomorrow night? I have to babysit for Mr. Jefferson tonight." A small part of the young girl wanted to pull Merida aside right there and then and just tell her everything about her mother, her stepfather, and what she had been dealing with. However, that was really the last thing that Celeste wanted people to know about. "Speaking of babysitting, here she comes."

Looking over as a little girl crossed the road to come running towards us, Celeste smiled and held her arms out for the very obvious hug that was about to happen. She loved babysitting Grace, the young girl was the closest thing that she would ever have to a little sister. The two girls had met in a Storybrooke school wide counseling group, for those whose family situations had changed drastically after the curse had been lifted. Turned out that her real father, Jefferson, was the landlord for the small house that Celeste and her stepfather had been living in for the past 28 years. After thanking Celeste for being there for her daughter, Jefferson offered to let the two of them live there rent free so long as Celeste babysat for Grace while he was busy with his work.

"Well Merida, Grace and I are going to go make some soup and do some homework," Trying her best to ignore the eye roll from Grace, she waved goodbye to her best friend and turned herself and the young girl in the direction of the Jefferson household.

"You know Celeste, I don't have any homework on the weekends."

"No homework huh? Darn it, I guess we'll have to make cookies and watch Netflix until your dad gets home." Dogs two towns over could have heard the squeal that erupted from her mouth as Grace ran towards home, with Celeste attempting to keep up with her.

It was four hours later that Grace passed out on the couch to another episode of Adventure Time. These were the quiet moments where Celeste knew she could get some kind of work done.

Before she knew it the young girl found herself in Jefferson's secret room. The long white shelves on the wall, holding onto every failed attempt at his magic hat that he possessed, but it wasn't the hat that Celeste was looking for. Quietly, she slipped over to his desk and began the same search that she had been carrying on with for months now. Nothing but simple bobbles, needles, thread, and a few broken spools laid in waste in the main drawer of his desk. The same items that had already been found weeks before.

"Damnit," she shouted sitting back in the desk chair.

"I'm sorry Miss Celeste, but have the contents of my drawer disappointed you?" Out into the doorway popped Grace's father.

"I…shit..no! I'm sorry Mr. Jefferson please I didn't….I was just trying to look for something I….please don't tell my step-father" She tried to bite her lip in some kind of attempt at keeping the tears at bay but it wasn't working. Even Jefferson's attempt at comforting her made her wince.

Don't wince, it's just Jefferson

"Please Celeste, you're in no trouble. Although, I would suggest working on your sleuthing skills especially when putting stuff back in the right spot in my desk." Nodding quietly in answer to the man, she quietly sat back in the desk chair. Celeste knew where this was going and what it all meant; no more babysitting, Eric would have to pay rent, and the girl might as well be dead right here in this room.

"All I want to know is why." Shocked at his reaction to the events that had accidently spilled out in front of him, she struggled to find the reason behind why she had even been here.

"I just…I was trying to…..Grace's mother, do you guys…did any of her belongings you know, pass over?" As soon as those words came tumbling out of her mouth she regretted them, watching Jefferson's expression fall quickly she had to remind herself that she was not the only that had lost someone who the curse couldn't bring back. If only she could get the man to realize just how important these items were. Didn't he know how important it was for Grace to have some things from her mother?

"Celeste….does this have anything to do with your fa-

"STEP-FATHER," Celeste screamed, before placing her hands over her mouth in shock of how loud she had been. "Please sir, did her things pass over because if…if they did then that means my mom…..and her things and I just need to know please please," before anymore could be said, Celeste found herself gasping between tears. Jefferson tried his best to console the sobbing girl, but nothing short of having an answer could help her out now. IFor a while everything was quiet, so quiet that Celeste could even hear the television downstairs still playing Grace's show. Eventually, the floor underneath her feet began to creak with the sound of Jefferson standing up and gently push the chair that she was sitting in further back towards the wall of failed hats.

"I have her locket, it wasn't easy but I got it back," he whispered, pulling out a recent picture of his daughter wearing the locket that he must have been talking about. The small heart shaped locket hung gently from Grace's neck. It seemed funny just how important some of these items could turn out to be, but a part of Celeste began to burn with jealously over the simple little locket. She had nothing to remember her mother by. Not a damn thing. "From what I could figure out with the curse….with both of these curses, is that if it wasn't in your immediate position then it could be anywhere in this town. If you weren't holding onto it, or even touching it, then it's most likely here, but it's going to take you some time to find."

"I don't….I don't have a lot of time sir. It's just that, there's something that I need to find because there's someone I need to find." Celeste stopped herself before she gave away too much information. The last thing that she needed was for Jefferson to go muttering to Eric. It's not that she didn't trust him, but she just knew better than to trust anyone at this point.

"Okay, well there's only one store here in town that might be able to help you out."

"What store is that sir?"

"Mr. Gold's shop."

Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear your reviews and any thoughts on where you think this story is heading. I've got a plan in mind but I'm always open to ideas about what my readers want to see.