Chapter 3: Storybrooke, Maine

Dawn, Faith, Buffy and Giles sat in Giles' office going over the dreams the three of them had the night before.

"Faith was mentioned this time." Buffy said. "I'm beginning to wonder if this is something that actually happened in our past. It would be a big coincidence for the sisters of the person I keep dreaming of to be named Faith and Dawn."

Giles nods, "It would be a coincidence. But it could be a case of your mind trying to fill in the blanks of what it's seeing. And it's using the names of people you know."

"Something tells me that's not the case. Somehow, Dawn and I are related to Faith." Buffy said.

"But Buffy, we all know I was created to hide the Key. How could I have been there before I came to you?" Dawn said.

"I have a theory on that actually.," Giles said. "If what you all are dreaming is true then it's possible that you were separated at some point. Buffy and Faith, you two went to your respective families. Dawn for some reason you went to the Order of Dagon. Then instead of creating you magically they simply bound the energy of the Key to your body. Then it would be simple enough to cast a memory spell, and modify everyone's memories to make them think you were always there."

"If that's true. It's another coincidence that my own baby sister was taken from me and then sent back to me years later." Buffy said.

"Your right it is a big coincidence," Giles agreed. "The monks sent Dawn to you because you were the Slayer, at least that's what they told you. Maybe they knew that Dawn was your sister in reality and so they simply gave her back to you."

"That's possible I guess." Buffy said. "That would also mean Faith you're my sister also. If I'm right my twin."

"I think your right, B. I too had a dream last night." Faith said. "In mine Snow White was with the woman from my first dream who I am coming to suspect is our birth mother. I wish I could see her face. I know what Snow looks like, well looked like anyways as she was in her early teens. It looked like they were in mourning though for a man. From the way they talked I assume he may have been our birth father."

"I too had a dream last night." Dawn said. "I know where to go now. Storybrooke, Maine. There may be a woman in trouble too; she was in an accident trying to avoid a wolf. And ran into the welcome sign for Storybrooke."

Giles went over to the shelves and pulled out an atlas. He opened it to Maine and searched for Storybrooke, Maine. When he could not find it he shook his head, "Dawn, there is no town in Maine called Storybrooke."

Dawn stood as Giles moved beside her so she could see the atlas. She pointed to a spot on the map where no town was shown to exist. "It's right there. I'm sure of it."

"Alright," Giles said, "we'll see about sending you three there and see what you find out."

0 – 0 – In the Enchanted Forest Sometime in the Past – 0 – 0

"Faith my darling, come here." Said the mother said. "Elizabeth told me what happened. Did you tell your sister that Snow was evil?"

Faith looked down guiltily as she nodded her head. "Yes, mother."

The mother let out a sigh as she looked at Faith. "That is no way for a princess to act, Faith. Especially when it's not true. Now I want you to go tell Elizabeth you're sorry. Then I need you to go watch your baby sister for a bit."

"Yes, mother," Faith said as she turned and walked out of the room leaving her mother alone.

0 – 0 – In the Present in Storybrooke, Maine – 0 – 0

Regina sat up in bed and looked around the darkened room. "Oh my darling, Faith," she said.

"Mom?" Henry said from the door.

Regina looked to her son and sighed. "I was just dreaming about your sisters."

Henry nodded. He knew Elizabeth, Faith and Dawn were Snow White's sisters which would make them his great aunts. But he also knew since Regina had adopted him that they were also his half-sisters by his adoption. Regina had told him only half the story of course that they had been kidnapped and later declared dead. She of course hadn't told him where they had been kidnapped from or by who. Henry of course knew from his book the whole story. But he never told Regina about it.

Henry walked over to his mother and sat next to her and hugged her, "It's okay, mom. Wherever they are their happy, I'm sure of it."

Regina smiled sadly, she was grateful for her son's attempt at easing her pain. "Your right."

Henry looked up at his mother and thought to himself, 'And if my assumption is correct they will be coming soon.'

0 – 0 – Elsewhere in Maine – 0 – 0

Buffy, Dawn and Faith disembarked from the plane in Bangor, Maine. They at Giles insistence before leaving had gotten blood tests to confirm what their dreams had been telling them. Giles hadn't gotten the results before they had left, but he said he would call them the moment he had them.

As Faith and Dawn went to get their luggage Buffy went and got a rental car from the nearby rental desk. "Yes, I have reserved a rental for an undetermined amount of time. It will be under the name of Summers. Buffy Summers of the ISC." Buffy said.

The rental agent looked at the ledger and nodded, "Of course, Ms. Summers, I have you right here. If you would fill out this paperwork we can get you situated right away."

Buffy nodded and started filling out the paperwork.

"If I may inquire. The car…" The rental agent said.

Buffy didn't look up as she finished with the paperwork, "Were here on business for the ISC. And we're not sure when it will be completed."

"Of course." The rental agent said as Dawn and Faith walked over to them with theirs and Buffy's luggage.

Buffy handed the paperwork to the rental agent and then they were shown to the car and given the keys.

They decided Buffy would drive till they stopped for lunch. At which point Faith would take over. And so, Dawn stretched out in the back seat and rapidly fell asleep.

0 – 0 – In Boston in the Recent Past – 0 – 0

"Uh? Can I help you?" Emma asked.

"Are you Emma Swan?" Henry asked.

"Yeah. Who are you?" Emma said.

Henry smiled. "My name's Henry. I'm your son."

0 – 0 – Somewhere in Maine in the Recent Past – 0 – 0

Henry was reading the fairy tale book as Emma drove them down the road.

"What's that?" Emma wondered.

"I'm not sure you're ready." Henry said.

"I'm not ready for some fairy tales?" Emma asked.

"They're not fairy tales," Henry told her. "They're true. Every story in this book actually happened."

"Of course, they did." Emma said.

"Use your superpower. See if I'm lying." Henry said.

"Just because you believe something, doesn't make it true." Emma said.

"That's exactly what makes it true. You should know more than anyone." Henry said.

"Why is that?" Emma asks.

"Because you're in this book." Henry said.

"Oh, kid. You've got problems." Emma said.

"Yep. And you're going to fix them." Henry said. "You and your aunts."

Emma looked to Henry and shook her head. "I have no aunts, kid."

"That's where you're wrong." Henry said.

0 – 0 – In Storybrooke, Maine in the Recent Past – 0 – 0

"So that's your shrink." Emma said looking at Henry.

"I'm not crazy," Henry replied.

"Didn't say that. Just, he doesn't seem 'cursed' to me. Maybe he's just trying to help you." Emma said.

"He's the one who needs help because he doesn't know." Henry said.

"That he's a fairy tale character?" Emma asked.

"None of them do," Henry told her. "They don't remember who they are."

0 – 0 – In the Present on the road to Storybrooke, Maine – 0 – 0

Dawn woke up as they pull into a restaurant for lunch. "Guys I had another dream."

After they had ordered Dawn started telling Faith and Buffy what she had seen. "Okay the woman I saw get in an accident in my last dream, her name is Emma Swan. There is this kid who's supposed to be her son, his name is Henry. From what I gather he may have been adopted by someone else. Henry has this book with fairy tales in it that he claims are true. Okay when Emma and Henry got to Storybrooke, from what I gather Henry ran away from home to find Emma. And Emma was returning him. Anyways Emma and Henry met one of the town's citizens. From what I heard he may have been a psychiatrist as there was mention of him being Henry's shrink. Anyways Henry said that everyone in the town was under a curse and that they didn't remember who they really were."

Buffy looked to Faith, "Hmm so we have a mysterious town. The three of us are supposed to be sisters, real sisters. Were supposed to have basically been adopted. You Dawnie, were split from us and taken by the Order of Dagon to hide the Key. We have a mystery woman who's supposed to be our mother. We have Snow White who's supposed to be our half-sister. We have another mystery woman who killed her father who may or may not be our mother or this new mystery woman. We have this new mystery woman whose name is Emma Swan, who reportedly was in an accident. We have a kid who claims to be her son. Who seems to know more about what's going on? And we have a curse on the entire town. Was there anything I missed?"

Dawn smiled, "Henry talked about this Emma having aunts. Emma said she didn't but Henry said she did. I'm beginning to think if we're somehow not this Emma's aunts."

"How old is this Emma?" Faith asked.

"At least as old or older than you two." Dawn said.

Faith nodded, "So we can't be her aunts then if she is older than us."

"I know." Dawn said. "It doesn't make sense."

After lunch they drove on to Storybrooke. They didn't even notice the welcome sign till they were past it. Buffy stopped the car and got out. She walked to the other side of the welcome sign and it disappeared as did the car. She then walked back towards the car as it and the sign reappeared. She opened the car door and got in. "The town is magically cloaked. That's why it's not on the map."

"Let me guess, B. The sign is not visible for people coming into town?" Faith asked.

Buffy nodded. "Yeah it's invisible. So was the car once I stepped on the other side of the sign."

"Why would someone cloak a whole town?" Dawn asked.

"Don't know, but I guess we'll find out." Buffy said as she drove on into town. She stopped at a bed and breakfast and they all got out and went inside.

"You're out all night, and now you're going out again." An elderly woman said.

"I should have moved to Boston," a young woman, who appeared to be around Buffy and Faith's age, said.

"I'm sorry that my heart attack interfered with your plans to sleep your way down the eastern seaboard," the elderly woman said.

"Excuse us? We'd like a couple rooms." Buffy said.

"Really? Would you like a forest view or a square view? Normally, there's an upgrade fee for the square but, as friends do, I'll wave it." The elderly woman said.

"Square is fine." Buffy said.

"Now, what's the name?" the elderly woman asked.

"Summers and Lehane. Buffy and Dawn Summers, and Faith Lehane." Buffy said.

A man entered the inn and approached them. "Buffy. What a lovely name. No doubt short for Elizabeth."

"If it is my parents didn't tell me," Buffy said.

The elderly woman passed the man a roll of money. "It's all here."

The man smiled. "Yes, yes, of course it is, dear. Thank you. You enjoy your stay… Buffy… Dawn… Faith," he said as he turned and left the inn.

"Who's that?" Dawn wondered.

"Mr. Gold. He owns this place," the young woman said.

"The inn?" Dawn asked.

The elderly woman let out a sigh. "No, the town. So, how long will you three be with us?"

"We're not sure yet. Can we say a week for now and let you know as our plans change?" Buffy said.

The elderly woman nodded. "Of course," she said as she took two keys from the wall and handed them to Buffy. "We only have two rooms vacant at the moment. I hope you won't mind." Buffy shook her head as she accepted the keys. "Welcome to Storybrooke."