Hi everyone! Thanks for reading! I've been writing a lot lately, so I'm back with another chapter. Thank you for the follows and favorites and reviews :)

Chapter 1: Finding Dead People (Emma)

As sheriff of Storybrooke, Emma had gotten some strange requests. That morning, when the man came in, his request seemed normal, thankfully.

"Hello. You are the sheriff, right?" the old man asked. He was a bit shorter than Emma, with startling blue eyes and messy white hair that stuck up as if he had just been struck by lightning.

Emma nodded, "That's me. What can I help you with?" She crossed her arms in front of her, preparing herself for whatever came her way. With the number of curses that had passed through Storybrooke, anything could happen.

"I am looking for my s-son," his voice shook slightly, almost as if he was afraid.

She nodded again; looking for people was her specialty. Plus, most people in Storybrooke were looking for lost family members. "Can you tell me what he looks like?"

This time, the man visibly trembled. He seemed very unsure of what he was about to say. "Last time I s-saw him, he had d-dark, almost black hair. His skin was very p-pale, and he had blue eyes like, like mine."

"What do you mean, last time you saw him?" she questioned.

"You see, I have not seen him in a long time. S-since he was a child. And sometimes he turns into a b-bird. And he might be d-dead." By then he seemed to be fighting back tears. Charming suddenly burst into the room, making the old man jump and turn around quickly, eyes wide open.

"Is everything alright?" Emma's dad asked, eyes scanning the room for any trouble. His blue eyes fell on her and she nodded almost imperceptibly. Then his eyes turned towards the man and Emma thought she saw a flicker of recognition. She would ask him about that later. Her parents didn't keep secrets from her, right?

Pushing her thoughts away, she tried to reassure her father. "Dad, I've got this, it's okay. Can you please go tell Henry and Mary Margaret I'm going to be late? Thanks." She practically shooed him out the door, not waiting for a response. As Emma turned back towards the old man, she noticed he was gone. The quivering person had disappeared into thin air. It was really weird, but she shrugged it off. There was more important stuff to do at the moment.

That left Emma alone to her thoughts, and she realized that she had quite a similar situation with Mr. Gold a few days before, except he was way more forceful in his demands.

"I need to find someone, so we're leaving today. Pack your bags," he stated, almost as if he was saying he needed to buy milk. This had sent both Mary Margaret and Henry into a panicked flurry, leaving them asking questions like crazy.

Emma had calmed down enough to ask, "Wait, find someone? Who?"

"My son," was his simple response.

Back then, Emma had not known that how powerful those words were. Even now, she replayed the moment in her head, wondering what would have happened if she had said no. She would have risked Mr. Gold's wrath, sure, but maybe things wouldn't have turned out the way they did.

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts of regret. She put her red leather jacket on, grabbed her keys, walked out the door and got into her Bug.

"Sorry I'm late! I had some stuff to take care of at the station," Emma apologized to her mom and Henry. She briefly looked through the rear view mirror at Henry's beaming face and Mary Margaret's quiet smile.

"Umm... Why are you guys smiling?" Emma asked.

"Nothing. We're just happy to see you, Emma," Mary Margaret smiled mysteriously. She was not about to reveal anything to Emma yet.

"Yeah Mom," Henry agreed, nodding, his bright smile dimming down slightly.

"Okay..." Emma trailed off, obviously not convinced by their explanation. "I can't believe you were able to leave Neal at home," Emma shook her head.

Mary Margaret started to reply, "It was difficult, but-"

"But I convinced her!" Henry interrupted, and although Emma couldn't see him she could almost picture him grinning.

"So, want to tell me why we're headed into the woods?"

A memory floated into Emma's mind, one of the recent ones she'd been trying to suppress.

When they had reached the apartment building of Gold's son, he had hesitated slightly. This hadn't escaped Emma, so she asked, "What's wrong? This the right place?"

Mr. Gold readjusted his grip on his cane, nodding slightly. "Yes, it is." She wished it hadn't been. Maybe she wouldn't be the mess she was now.

"Mom, who's that?" Henry's question pulled her from her thoughts. "Look, Mom! Stop!" Henry screamed, pointing frantically at something on the side of the road, causing her to slam her foot on the brakes.

Her eyes widened as she saw what was on the side of the road. Henry immediately opened the door of the car and jumped out, running quickly towards someone. Someone who was supposed to be dead. Emma couldn't believe it. She sat frozen, hands gripping the steering wheel while Mary Margaret calmly got out of the car, not having noticed the person just yet, a smile on her face. Emma whispered a name, ever so quietly, thick with her swirling emotions. "Neal..."