Lila ran through town, frequently bumping into reunited families sobbing and hugging in the street. She didn't really notice where she was going, but she knew she had to get as far away as she could. The Crocodile was a monster, not a man. She had heard the story a thousand times when she was with her father.

The Crocodile's name was Rumpelstiltskin. He was a coward who was obsessed with Lila's mother, though her father insisted she ignored his advances. It was strange to think about, as she often told her father. He would just sit in silence for a few seconds and continue the story, almost as if he was hiding something from her.

Milah was trapped in an unhappy marriage. She would go to pubs and ask people about other worlds, obviously hatching a plan to leave. Lila always thought if her mother was going to leave she would have before she met her father, but he never told her if he knew the reason why she didn't.

Lila was grateful she stayed, though, because where she lived was where she met Lila's father. According to Killian Jones he met her in a pub, where she begged him to take her with him. He did, which did not sit over well with Rumpelstiltskin. Years later, after Lila was born, he became the Dark One. He gained almost unlimited power, making it possible for him to take revenge. The next time he saw her parents he killed her mother. Her father became obsessed with revenge. Everything fell apart.

Now she felt like a little girl again. Except in Storybrooke she had nobody.

Lila had no idea where she was going. Wandering around aimlessly wasn't the best plan. True, seeing the crocodile messed up her mind for a while, but she had bigger problems. Since her "family" kicked her out she had no place to sleep.

Before she could come up with a plan she heard yelling and screaming. Turning around she saw a large group of people running towards the mayor's house.

"Going to kill the queen?" She said to herself quietly. Lila knew enough about the queen to know she had a lot of enemies. Well, best of luck to her.

You know what they say...when in Rome. Lila ran after the angry mob, hoping to see a familiar face. She noticed a few people from the town she lived in, but nobody important. At least, no one important to her. Thankfully she didn't see anyone she didn't want to see. It's hard for someone to live without making at least one enemy.

"Oof!" A voice said as a little figure ran into her. Lila blinked and focused on the small child in front of her. He looked to be about four or five years old. His bright blue eyes were wide in fear as she loomed over him. Lila felt her gaze soften as she reached down to help him up.

"It's ok," She assured him when he refused her hand. "I won't hurt you. My name is..." Lila hesitated. Sometimes giving an alias is the best choice. "Joan. What's yours?"

The little boy stared at her hand for a few more seconds before taking it and standing up. "Charlie," He whispered, his eyes on the ground.

Lila's heart ached for the little boy. She knew his expression. This was a boy like her, with no place to go.

"Where are your parents, Charlie?" She inquired. Tears filled his eyes.

"I don't know. I can't find them." He began full out sobbing. Lila sighed and leaned down.

"Ok, Ok...lets go find them." Charlie looked at her, his blue eyes sparkling. "Really?"

A part of Lila wanted to run far away from the town and never look back. She deserved a new start, right? Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple. Lila had a feeling she would always have a soft spot for lost little boys

"Yeah, kid. Lets go." Lila started walking towards the center of town, which was the place most people would probably go. Charlie walked besides her, his little hand reaching for hers. She hesitated for a second then took his hand. A warm feeling spread from her fingers all the way up her arm. A smile played on her lips and they reached the center of town.

Turns out Lila was right. There was a large group of people gathered there. Mostly people yelling for family members, though there were a few people looking around confused. Charlie got on his tip-toe, trying to look above the crowd with little success. He tugged on her shirt and whispered something in her ear.

"I can't see. Can you lift me up?" Lila sighed and nodded. She hoisted him onto her shoulders. He giggled and scanned he crowd. Lila stood underneath him half impatient and half amused.

"See them?"

Charlie shook with excitement, his head nodding up and down at intense speeds.

"Yes! Mommy!"

Lila almost tripped when he attempted to slide off of her shoulders. She quickly pulled him off and set him down. He set off running while Lila stayed rooted to her spot. She saw a flash of his bleach-blonde hair in the crowd. Arms covered it and she saw someone pick him up in a hug. Smiling, Lila turned to leave.

Suddenly she felt a hand clamp on her shoulder. Without thinking about it she spun around, her hand flying through the air. Once again her reflexes betrayed her. She heard a gasp and a whoosh as her hand barely cleared the hand's owner.

"Woah!" The hand belonged to a tall man. He had blue eyes and blonde hair covered with a blood-red baseball cap.

"Oh gosh...I'm so sorry." Lila's face burned as people around her stared. The man just shrugged and put his arm behind him. He seemed to summon a woman out of thin air. She was pretty, with brown hair and brown eyes. Not small, but not large. She smiled at her and held out a hand for her to shake.

"Hello, my name is Jane. I'm Charlie's mother."

"Oh," Lila said, slowly shaking her hand. "Ok..."

"I just wanted to thank you for helping my son find us." Charlie peeked out from behind his parents and grinned at Lila. She flashed him a quick smile and shook her head.

"No problem, really."

But they were very appreciative. The next thing Lila knew she was sitting in the family's living room, talking to the parents.

It was very strange for Lila. She didn't know what to talk about. They asked questions, but soon realized she didn't want to answer them. They left her alone with Charlie, where she played little games with him. She didn't realize how much she missed spending time with little kids.

It wasn't until hours later, when it was dark, that Lila realized she was wasting time. She had to make a plan. She couldn't ask for anything from the family. They had repaid her in kindness she hadn't received in a long time.

"I better go." Lila exclaimed hours after arriving. Darkness covered the windows, wind beating against the windows.

"Oh no, Joan, You can't leave now. It's dark out and it sounds like there's a wind storm outside..."

"No." Lila insisted. "I couldn't. It's fine. I have a flashlight and I know my way around town."

Lila didn't exactly have a flashlight. She had a tiny light bulb on her key-chain. But it would have to do.

"Ok...if you're sure," Charlie's dad said, uncertainty in his voice.

"I'm sure," Lila said forcefully. "Thank you for letting me hang around here for a couple hours. I really appreciate it."

"Oh, no problem. Anytime, anytime." Charlie's mother smiled at her one more time. Charlie hugged her leg. Lila's heart ached. This was the family she wished she had. Unfortunately, she couldn't have it.

"Bye." Lila said in a final sort of way. The happy family smiled at her and waved as she walked out the door.

The wind hit her like a sack of bricks. She put an arm up to try and block it, but no luck. People ran into homes, yelling as street lights went out. Lila stared, wondering how wind this strong could come from nature.

"What the..." Suddenly a dark shape flew over her, bringing winds that knocked her to the ground. Her head hit the ground with a sickening conk! She stood right up, even though her vision was slightly blurred. The dark shape was hovering near a building. Lila couldn't read the name of the building, but it couldn't get inside, She picked up a rock lying on the ground and hurled it at the shape. It passed right through it, but luckily the shape didn't seem interested in her. It flew into the building and disappeared.

Multiple human sized shapes rushed into the building a few minutes later. Lila had enough sense to leave, getting feeling this encounter was not going to go well. She debated running towards the forest, but that is not a good idea during a storm. Instead she ran towards the nearest business, which was Granny's Diner. The door was locked, but someone opened it from the inside after Lila banged on it for a few seconds.

"Are you alright?" Ruby locked the door again, staring at the flickering light.

"Thank god for generators." Granny muttered, sitting in one of the booths.

"Yeah..." Lila replied. "Do you knows what's going on?"

"Wind storm, obviously," Said Granny.

"I mean...I saw a dark shape...the storm seemed to come from it."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Magic...that makes sense."

Then, with no warning, the wind died down, making the night quiet. Granny looked out the window, pointing a crossbow Lila hadn't realized she had.

Lila left with no announcement. Rosie O'Conner liked to make small talk with Granny and Ruby, but Lila didn't. Being led by the light of her flashlight she entered the forest, found a soft-ish tree and lay down, shivering beneath her jacket. She promised herself she would leave Storybrooke the next day and get a fresh start.

Lila stood in the middle of town, listening to Ruby talking about counselling and cots at the school. She made a note of that in the back of her mind, just in case.

"Terrible news, terrible news!"

Lila was gone once the dwarf mentioned the town line. She ran to it, praying she could find a way out. Half of her wanted to step over and stay Rosie O'Conner. But before she could make a decision she froze, her eyes fixed on one spot. There, just outside of town was a shadow. A very familiar shadow that brought a chill to Lila's blood. She could have sworn it stared right at her before flying straight up to the sky. Shaking, Lila sat down, remembering things she had hoped she would forget.