The Disclaimer: I don't own this. Don't own Once Upon A Time, nor any of its characters: I just play with them. Which is a pity, because I would have tried to direct the series in other direction. The idea on itself is quite great, though, and I wish I had developed it before. If any characters in this story do not appear in the series, it's because they are mine.

Chapter 2 – That Moment When Things Get Bad

As she loads up the washing machine, she unconsciously touches her rounded belly, and bites her lip in order to not cry. She knows that she must be about to give birth, and she knows that she will lose her baby soon after she is born. She made a deal with Mr Gold, and she cannot go back on it, no matter how many times she has asked him to do it. She hates the fact that she does not seem to have a way to secure a future for herself and her baby, and now she is not sure of what to do.

She awaits for the washing machine to finish, and meanwhile her mind wanders to Sean. Ever since the moment she told him she was pregnant, she has been unable to see him. She knows that this is the making of his father, who also forbids her from trying to see him, but she still hopes that he will return to her soon.

She reminds their first night together. He had been so sweet, so nice with her. A bit awkward, because it was the first time for both of them, but by the end of the night... it was amazing. She had never thought about it before, given how mistreated she was when she lived with her stepmother and stepsisters. She misses her father so much... he would have certainly helped her with her current situation.

The door opens, and a woman enters, just as the washing machine finishes. She opens it, and is horrified to see that all of the white bedclothes inside have turned pink.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" she says, crushed at the fact that she has ruined the sheets.

"Hey, calm down. Anyone can have an accident," the woman says, taking off her shirt and picking another. "And they can be fixed with some bleach."

"I know, but Granny needed these today, and now it will take too long to fix them. And, well..." she turns around, and she sees the woman is surprised at the fact that she is pregnant. She sits on a stool, knowing that Granny might fire her, and if it happens then she does not know what to do.

The other woman approaches her. "Look, if what I know about Granny is enough, it will not matter to her. She is not going to fire you over this. She will just pull other sheets and tell you not to repeat this mistake."

"I hope so," she says.

After a moment of silence, the woman speaks.

"What's your name?"

"Ashley. Ashley Boyd."

"Nice to meet you, Ashley. I'm Emma. Emma Swan."

"Nice to meet you, too."

Emma stands next to her, while she tries to rest.

"So, what brought you to work here?"

"This is the only job I could get with my baby coming. And I think he is coming soon. I felt some contractions last night, and the doctor said the baby could come any day now."

She does not know why she is telling all of this to a complete stranger, but she really needs to vent her frustrations to someone, anyone. Emma smiles, a bit bitterly.

"That's great."

"No, it isn't."

"Why's that?"

"I have no one to help me. And, well... when the baby comes... no one thinks I can do this. No one thinks I can actually do anything. Maybe they are right."

Emma moves, and stands next to her.

"Screw'em."

She turns around, surprised.

"What?"

"Screw. Them. How old are you, Ashley?"

"Nineteen."

"I was eighteen."

"When... you had a kid?"

"Yeah. I'm sure you have seen him around. It's Henry, the mayor's kid."

"Oh."

"I know what it's like to be like this. Pregnant, stuck in a bad situation, and thinking you won't be able to take care of yourself, let alone a baby. Everybody telling you that you can't do this or you can't do that. Some people love to do that, especially when there's a kid involved. The one thing you need to know is that, ultimately, whatever you consider to do or to give up, is only your choice."

"It's not exactly how you think it is."

"It never is. Your entire life is going to be full of people saying who you are, or who you are supposed to be. You just have to punch them back and tell them 'This is who I am'. If you want people to look differently to you, then it's gotta be yourself that has to do it. If you want to change things around, then go out there and change them yourself, because this is the real world, and there are no fairy godmothers out there."

She smiles a bit. In the last eight months since she discovered she was pregnant, few people have been this nice to her. Granny and Ruby have been about the few to do that, and she suspects it is mostly pity. She can tell that Emma is actually giving good advice, and that it is not for pity, but something else.

Besides, she is right. She needs to take charge of her life. And she begins now.

-OUAT-

As he starts to close his shop for the night, Mr Gold – or, as he was better known in the Fairy Tale Land, Rumplestiltskin – can say that he is quite satisfied. The first part of his plan, bring himself and most of the Fairy Tale Land people to the world without magic, has been successful. He is sure that Baelfire must be somewhere out there, and when Emma Swan breaks the curse, he will be able to go find him.

He thinks of the only thing that mars his happiness. Belle. He thinks bitterly of his mistake, of how he rejected her and kicked her out of his castle. He loved her, and she loved him, but in his fear of losing his powers, his only possibility of finding his son, he had chosen to believe that it was all a ploy of Regina's. And now, because of that, because of his stupidity, he has lost her forever. And the only thing he keeps from her is the teacup she accidentally dropped when he made that awful joke.

Now, the only thing he lives for is finding Baelfire. And, hopefully, he will be able to do it soon. Because he does not know how much time Baelfire has spent in this world. For him, it was centuries. Did Baelfire arrive to this world the same moment he entered through that portal? Did he first travel to some other place with magic, and from there to this world? Had the same time passed for Baelfire? If that were so, Baelfire would have died already, and, then, there would be nothing else in the world for him but his deals.

Trying to cast away those thoughts from his mind, he also thinks on the deal that he is about to be able to collect on: Ashley's daughter, or, to be more exact, Ella's daughter. When he made the deal with the desperate girl, he knew that the important thing was not the baby, but the actual deal on itself. His ability to see the future told him that the deal would net him an important thing, but unfortunately it was not very precise due to the fact that it would not pay off until after the curse was cast. Still, he knew it would pay off soon.

He is so deep in his thoughts that he only hears the glass breaking by pure chance. It comes from his shop, actually. Without missing a stride – although still hobbling, and wishing that he was able to heal his injury with some magic – he turns around and walks towards the shop.

When he reaches the door, he finds that the glass next to the handle is broken, and that the door is open. He pushes the door, and sees something he would have not guessed would ever happen. Not even with his powers of divining – which sadly do not work in this world.

Ashley Boyd, uncovering the safe where he keeps most of his important documents.

"What are you doing, Ms Boyd?"

She turns around.

"I'm changing my life."

The last thing he sees is the can of spray the girl is holding in her hand.

His world dissolves into pain when she sprays him with the contents of the can.

By the time the pain recedes, Ashley has disappeared, but the safe is still closed.

The key to it is on the ground, next to him.

He does not need to open the safe to know what she has taken. He is sure she has taken the adoption papers she signed months ago, forced by Mitchell Herman and her own despair.

Well, she is sure to try and hide, now. He will have to find a way to encounter Ashley, but he doubts he will be able to. Anyone helping the girl would see him a mile away, and warn her to hide. She will not be able to do that eternally, but he wishes to deal with this as fast as possible.

In other circumstances, he might have gone to the sheriff, but he is under the control of Regina and does not see it worth it to let the Queen learn the truth about one of his deals, especially since he thinks she is starting to suspect that he remembers.

He then realizes that there is other possibility. He could ask someone that is more likely to be able to do this, and that hates Regina.

Someone trained in finding people, and with knowledge of the world outside Storybrooke, Maine.

Someone that is very likely to commiserate with the poor maid, because she already went through the same situation.

Emma Swan.

The daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White.

The Savior.

He smirks, and shakes his head. It is quite impressive, and a bit hilarious. His plans are so good, that they catch even him unaware of the possibilities.

Yes, a favor from Miss Swan does seem far more interesting and powerful than Ella's first daughter. Yes, indeed.

He hobbles towards the small bathroom in the back of his shop, and cleans his face to eliminate the last residues of the mace and the injury in his forehead, then closes his shop again and moves towards his car, to retire for his house and begin planning.

It is time to take the rust off one of his best abilities.

Dealing.

-OUAT-

When Mary Margaret opens the door, she does not expect for Gold, the town's pawn-broker, to enter the apartment she is sharing with her new friend. She can see the man has a gash on his forehead, and, although she cannot tell from the distance, she thinks his eyes are a bit too red.

"Greetings, Miss Blanchard. Is, per chance, Miss Swan here?"

"I'm here, Mr. Gold."

"Oh, good. I am glad that you remember me. I have a proposition for you, Ms. Swan. I am looking for someone, and you are my best chance."

"Really?"

A moment of awkward silence passes, until Mary Margaret breaks it.

"You know what? I'm going to jump into the bath!"

Mary scurries away before she can reply.

Traitor, she thinks. She raises an eyebrow at Gold.

"Well?"

"I have a photograph here."

He takes a photo out of his pocket and gives it to her. She tries to not show any surprise when she sees it is Ashley, the girl she met a few hours before.

"This is Ashley Boyd. She took something of mine from my shop and I would like to recover it as soon as possible."

"I guess that there is a reason why you ask me to do this, and not Sheriff Graham."

"Well, I have been informing myself about you, Miss Swan, and what you worked as before arriving here to Storybrooke. I know you are quite capable at the task of finding people that are missing or have run away. As for why I do not want to involve the police... well, Miss Boyd is a good girl, pregnant, alone and scared, but beset by poor decisions, those made by herself and her remaining family. Thus, I do not wish to ruin her life and her future, which might happen if the Sheriff gets involved. The only thing I want is my property returned, in the most discreet way possible."

"What is this object she stole?"

"It is important to me, dearie, and let's leave it at that."

She raises an eyebrow, but let's it pass. Either way, she is going to learn what that object is soon.

"When did you see her last?"

"Last night. That's when I got this." He points at the gash. "It was quite... unlike her. She broke the door and entered the shop, and when I caught her she was rambling about 'changing her life', before she sprayed me with mace. Miss Swan, help me find her. After all, if I get the police involved, there is a chance she might be forced to give birth in jail, and I doubt anyone would want that, do they?"

She wonders how much, exactly, Gold knows about her life. The fact that he stressed the part about Ashley giving birth in jail was a big clue that pointed towards that. And, maybe, that he was the one to handle Henry's adoption by Regina. Either way, he seems to know a little too much for her taste.

"No, they wouldn't."

"So, you'll help me, then?"

"I will help Ashley."

"That is good..."

The door opens suddenly.

"Hey, Emma, I was thinking..."

"Good afternoon, young Henry, how are you?"

Another awkward silence follows. Henry's face could be described as deer-in-the-headlights. Now that she thinks about it, his expression is nearly identical to that of Mary Margaret.

"Ooo-kay," Henry answers, awkwardly.

"Good. Give them my regards to your mother. When you see her, of course. Good luck, Miss Swan."

Gold leaves, and Henry looks after him.

"Do you know who that is?"

"You mean, in your book? No."

"Oh. I hoped you did, because I am still trying to find out."

"You'll find him, I'm sure." She smiles at him. She still does not believe in Henry's wild idea, but there's been too many coincidences already. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"My mom's gone till 5, and I thought we could hang out."

"Aw, kid. I wish I could, but there is something I have to do."

She picks the keys for her car and leaves the apartment, moving for her bug. Henry follows her.

"I could help you."

"No, you can't. This could be dangerous, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Is the pregnant maid dangerous?"

"She broke into Gold's shop and then hit him."

"Wow, that's cool."

"Henry, this is not a game. Ashley's desperate, and she may make something she will regret."

"How do you know that?"

She breathes, as she opens the bug.

"Believe me, kid, I know."

"OK, let's find her before she does that."

"No, Henry. There is no 'let's'. You cannot come with me."

"If I can't go with you, I'll just go look for her myself."

"Then I'll find you and bring you back to your house."

"You would not be helping her, then."

"I am trying to be the responsible one here."

"Well, I am trying to spend time with you."

Henry takes advantage of her surprise to get into the car and put on the seat belt.

"You are not playing fair, kid," she mutters, and gets into the car.

-OUAT-

Since Emma is gone, she decides that she might as well go to the hospital. It isn't as if she has anything better to do. And maybe she can check on John. David. Whatever. She gets her bag, her coat and her keys and leaves the apartment, closing behind her.

The walk between her home and the hospital gives her enough time to put her thoughts in order. Should she really continue to do this? David is a married man. She should not keep trying to speak with him. But she cannot keep him out of her mind. He has invaded her entire world.

The last night was full of dreams with him. Some were strange, with both of them wearing leather armor and fighting knights with bow and sword. Some were more beautiful, with both of them walking beside a river, or riding horses. Once, there was even a situation in which both of them were watching the sunset, and she was pregnant. And a couple were very intimate, and those were the ones that woke her up twice in the night, needing some sort of release before she was able to go back to sleep.

And then, the whole morning had been a struggle to keep him out of her mind. Even as she taught to the 4th grade kids, he kept popping in her mind. It was really hard to concentrate on what she was doing, when all she could think about was David.

Maybe, if she goes see him, she might be able to find a way to stop this. But she is not sure it will work. Well, even if it does not work, it might actually help. Or just give her more fuel for her dreams. Who knows.

She enters the hospital and greets the receptionist, before starting to look for David. He is not going to be in the same place he was when she kissed him awake, so she guesses he will be in one of the private rooms.

She walks slowly, trying not to miss where David is, when a noise slightly startles her. She sees a ball bouncing out of a door, and she rushes to catch it before it goes too far.

"Hey," someone says.

She turns, and smiles when she sees David, laying on his bed. He looks really tired, but he has a smile on his face, the same weak smile he had when he awoke. Nope, nothing has changed: it still makes her knees weak.

"Hey," she replies, shyly. "You dropped this?"

"More or less. The doctor said I should strengthen my muscles, so he gave me that ball. As you can see, I have no luck."

She approaches the door. "Can I..."

"Sure," he says before she can finish the question. She smiles, and enters the room.

"Here you are, David," she says, giving him the ball. "It is nice to see you awake again."

"I have to thank you for that, actually."

"Huh?"

"You found me."

She cannot stop herself from blushing. Fortunately, she can keep it down. "It was actually Graham and Emma that did it."

"I still want to thank you. You were the one that saved my life."

"Yeah, well, someone had to do it..." she replies.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Hmmm?"

"You have saved me twice, and I still don't know your name."

She giggles. "It's Mary. Mary Margaret."

"Mary Margaret... that's a beautiful name. Like you."

There go her attempts to not blush like a teenager. At least, she can smile at his compliments.

"Well, aren't you a charming man?"

"I try."

A moment of silence falls. She wishes she could hold his hand again, remembering how well their hands fit together, but she does not. She fights the wish as best as she can.

"How are you holding up?"

He sighs. "Bad. Too many tests. And Kathryn spent all of yesterday's afternoon trying to make me remember what we had, and the same this morning."

"Why is it bad?" she asks.

"I feel nothing for her. Every time she mentions something, there is a blank for me. And everything is just so... confusing. Like there is some kind of veil in front of me."

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault. Besides... the only moments when the veil lifts... is when I think of you. Or now."

She bites her lip. She feels conflicted. On the one side, something within her is jumping in joy, because, even if she has only known David for a day and a half, she feels an intense connection to him, of the kind she, perhaps, could identify with love. On the other side, he is married, and she does not want to be the one to break that marriage, nor to cause pain to someone else, even if a small part of her wishes Kathryn stepped aside.

"David... I... I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"I shouldn't be doing this. You are married. And I don't have the right to put myself between you and her."

She stands up, but David moves fast and grabs her. He is still weak, but to her it is as if she has been caught by a strong claw.

"Don't leave, please."

"David, we can't let this continue."

It was amazing how it sounded like they were carrying an affair, when they have only shared a few words and the most intimate thing that has happened between them was the kiss she stole from him right before he awoke.

"Mary. Out of everything that has happened to me since I woke up, you are the only thing that is clear."

His grip on her weakens, and his hand slides down her arm until it finds refuge in her hand. She squeezes by instinct, and he squeezes back.

She knows this is not a good idea, but the feeling of his hand in hers, the pleading tone in his voice, and his blue eyes, break down any resistance she has for this. She cannot say no to him, not to those blue eyes of his.

"OK," she says, softly. And when David smiles at her, it really makes her day.

-OUAT-

He cannot stop grinning. He is with his birth mom, and he is helping her find someone. That was her job before she arrived to Storybrooke, and now he gets to see her in action. And if he finds something else about this person Emma has to find, he might be able to show her more proof that the fairy tales are real, and that their characters live in the town.

Their first stop is Granny's, where Ashley works. When they arrive, Ruby is on the street, watching as her car is brought down from a tow truck.

"Hi, Ruby," Emma says.

"Hi, Emma, Henry," Ruby replies.

"What's happening?"

"My car had a bit of a problem, so I brought it to Marco's and Billy just brought it back."

"Great. Look, I need to ask you something. Have you seen Ashley today?"

"No." Ruby looks at Emma with suspicion. "Have you been talking with Gold? He was here a few minutes ago, asking exactly the same."

"Yeah. He asked me to find her, but I am trying to help her."

"You'll help her more if you just stay out of this."

"Look, Ruby, I am really trying to help her. Gold says that she stole something from him, and it is already looking bad for Ashley. If I don't find her, Gold says he will involve the police, and she could be sent to prison."

"Emma, I..."

The tow truck drops her car, interrupting her.

"Hey, hey, hey, Billy, be careful! You nearly shattered my wolf amulet."

"I'm sorry, Ruby, but, look, it is fine."

"Ruby, I'm a bit pressed for time. Anything you can tell me to find her will help her. Does she have a boyfriend, or family that might help her hide?"

Ruby snorts.

"Boyfriend? I'd say ex-boyfriend. He was so sweet to her when they were together, but as soon as they discovered she was expecting, he left her on the lurch and hasn't spoken with her since. And about family, I'd say they would be more likely to drop her straight into Graham's office. She has a stepmother and two stepsisters who hate her, and who she does not talk to at all."

Hey, that sounds just like Cinderella, he thinks.

"Wait, stepmom, stepsisters and she works as a maid?"

"Henry, please, not now."

"Look, Emma, I'm not sure of what Gold, or someone else, might have told you, but Ashley's really taking charge of her life. She's got a job, she's taking night classes, she's really doing a lot better than most people think. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, I do. I actually went through that once," Emma replies, and Henry knows that she is talking about him. He grabs her hand, and she squeezes back.

"Try her ex. She might have gone to find him, even after all of this."

"Thanks. What's his name?"

"Sean Herman. He lives with his father."

"Thank you."

Emma gets into the car, and he follows after her.

"Henry, do you know where the Hermans live?"

"Yes. They live on the 431, same street as me."

"Great."

As they drive away, Emma looks at him.

"What were you going to say there, kid?"

"I think that Ashley could be Cinderella. Because, you know, step-family, maid, and all of that."

"Huh. Could be a coincidence, though."

"It's not a coincidence, Emma."

"Well, OK, let's say you are right. What happened to Cinderella in your book?"

"She made a deal with... Rumplestiltskin," the difficult name rolled uneasily in his mouth, "so that she could attend a ball, and there she met her prince. They married, and then Rumplestiltskin said he wanted her first child, so Cinderella's prince and a few others trapped him, but then Cinderella's prince disappeared, and Rumplestiltskin said that, until the deal went through, the prince would remain missing."

"So, you think that Sean Herman might be Cinderella's prince? Because he is not actually missing."

"Of course he is not missing. It would be difficult to do it in this world. Right now, he is just missing from Cinderella's life. As soon as Rumplestiltskin, whomever he is, gets what he wants, the prince will probably be able to find his way back into her life."

"Hmm. Well, let's hope it doesn't come down to that."

-OUAT-

When he hears the door, he wonders if it has to do with the thing that has been in his mind for the last months. Ashley. He has been unable to approach her, either because his father is always keeping a watchful eye on him, or because he does not have the time... and most of the time, because he is a coward, unwilling to go against his father's orders.

That does not mean he is not keeping an eye on her. As much as he can, he tries to keep up on her status through common friends and the gossip going around the town. And a couple of times, he watches her from afar. He knows that she is heavily pregnant, and working really hard to live by herself. From those few times he has seen her, he knows that she is as beautiful as the day he met her. And that is what pains him the most, that he is not with her to constantly tell her the truth.

He opens the door, and sees a blonde woman at the other side, wearing a red jacket and jeans and with a determined attitude in her face.

"Can I help you?"

"Are you Sean Herman?"

"Yes, and you?"

"I'm Emma Swan. I've been told you have probably not talked for months, but I hope that you have seen Ashley Boyd."

His heart skips at the mention of his former girlfriend.

"Can't... can't say that I did. Did something happen to her?"

"She could be in trouble, and I hoped that she may have tried to take refuge here."

"I wish she had tried, but... my father wouldn't allow it."

"Your father?" She looks at him. "Is your father the reason why you broke up with Ashley?"

"Yeah," he replies, softly.

"Why?"

"He forbade me to be with her. Said he wasn't going to let me 'throw away my entire life'."

"How old are you, kid?"

"Twenty."

She shoots a withering look at him.

"When do you plan to become an adult, then?" she asks, scathingly.

"I am an adult!" he replies.

"Well, thank god for that," she says sarcastically. "Kid, being an adult isn't just about being older than eighteen. It's about taking the right actions, making the correct decisions and accepting the consequences, whichever they are. Me, I've made many mistakes, but when I had to, I made a decision, and took what happened, good or bad. And I certainly did not let others dictate my actions. And Ashley is determined to have your child, however she can."

He blinks, and remains silent, ashamed. She is right. He knows that.

"Look, Sean, I am going to ask you one thing. Do you love Ashley?"

"Yes." It is automatic. Almost as natural as breathing. Even if they have been more than eight months apart, he still loves her more than anything else. "But what can I do?"

"You can begin by taking charge of your life. See if you can get Ashley to forgive you. If she is willing to take you back, you tell your father that you are going to be there for Ashley and your child whether he wants it or not. If he actually loves you, he will support you. If he doesn't, then you are better off without him. And if he is a total jerk and disowns you, you find a job and support your family."

"But, what about Mr Gold? He never goes back on a deal."

"What does Gold have to do with this?"

"You mean, you don't know?"

"Know what?"

He does not know what to say. It is shameful, at least. What his father did to make sure he would never be able to approach Ashley is something he hates, because he let it happen.

"My father made a deal with Mr Gold. He got him to convince Ashley to put the baby into adoption, and Gold would pay her for that."

He sees something in her eyes, and for a second he really, really wishes that he is not the objective of that glare.

A car then arrives. It is his father's. Looks like the meeting ended.

"Who are you?" his father asks.

"Emma Swan. I was talking to your son about Ashley Boyd. You know, the girl you forced him to leave?"

"And what if I did that? It was for the best of Sean! I was not going to let him throw away everything I have done for him for a girl that has never shown any evidence of being responsible."

"Maybe you have not been checking around lately. But believe me when I say that you disgust me. Forcing her to sell her baby?"

"You make it sound so... crass. I found someone willing to find the child a happy home, and she will be paid very well. Everyone will be happy, then."

"You obviously do not know Ashley well if you think that," Emma replies. "Good night."

"Good night. Get in the house, Sean."

As Emma leaves, he obeys his father, but he starts to think. Emma was right. He needs to take charge of his life. And he has to begin today. He goes to his room and looks around. He has to make a plan. And this night is going to be the longest in much time.

-OUAT-

"Why didn't you tell me that Ashley sold her baby?"

She turns around, and sees Emma for the second time today, still accompanied by Henry.

"I thought that you knew already about it. Besides, I wasn't sure if it was that important."

"Considering that that's probably the reason she is running away, I'd say it is quite important."

"Look, Ashley is my friend, OK? I want to help her, and I sure as hell hate that other people judge her."

"Ruby, I know what Ashley's going through, and she is in big enough trouble as it is. Now, please, tell me where..." Emma spots her wolf amulet, the one that normally hangs from her car's rear-view mirror. "You gave her your car, didn't you? You sent me to talk with Sean to give her a head start."

"Yes," she replies. It is not as if there is any more need to hide it.

"Where is she, Ruby?"

She looks at Henry, warily. "I can't talk in front of him. He's the mayor's kid."

"Hey! I'm on your side!" Henry replies, angrily. Before he can continue, Emma kneels next to him and whispers something in his ear. Henry nods, and leaves the diner.

"OK, Henry's gone. Please, Ruby, tell me where Ashley went, before something bad happens."

"Alright. I gave her my car. She's leaving town. Said she was going to try Boston, thought she could disappear there."

"How long ago did she leave?"

"Twenty, thirty minutes."

"Thank you, Ruby. I'll see you later!"

She sees Emma rush towards her yellow car, and as the bug leaves, she hopes that she did the right thing.

-OUAT-

She keeps driving, concentrated in her task. Ashley has half an hour of advantage over her, but she still can catch up. She probably has little experience in driving, and if she has not left her town in her life she will probably go slowly to avoid missing the way towards...

"What did she tell you?"

The only reason she does not swerve is because she has too much experience at this. She looks at the rear mirror and sees Henry is in the back seat, smiling. Another painful memory of Henry's father, of how she met Neal when she stole the bug while he was hiding in the backseat.

"Henry! Would you mind not giving me such a scare! And what are you doing back there?"

"I wanted to help!"

"Well, kid, this is not something you can help me with. I'm going to Boston, you can't come with me."

"You can't go to Boston! She won't be able to leave, bad things happen to anyone that tries!"

"There is no time to argue about the curse, Henry, I have to leave you at home!"

"We're wasting time! If you do that, you'll never catch up with her, and then she'll get hurt, and Mr Gold will call the police and she will be sent to jail!"

She sighs. He is right. Again. Damn, he's really smart.

"Buckle up, then, kid, we're in for a long ride." She then mutters to herself, "Ashley, what did you get yourself into?"

The car rushes along the almost deserted roads, and she pays little attention to the fact that she is probably breaking about every speed limit in the town, but she could care less about it. She is after a girl to prevent her from making a mistake, and to help her keep her baby.

The possibility that she may catch the attention of a certain sheriff does not have any bearings in her decision at all. None at all. Seriously.

Okay, maybe a bit.

Anyway, she does not get any attention from others. Just as the sun starts to go down, she can see the Welcome to Storybrooke signal she smashed against a few days ago. Has she actually spent so little time in the town? It certainly feels a lot longer.

"There she is!" Henry shouts, pointing at the roadside. She can see that Ruby's car is stopped at the side, and some smoke is floating from the engine. She parks right behind the car and gets off.

"Henry, stay in the car," she says while she approaches Ruby's car.

There is no one in the driver's seat. But then someone screams in pain. A woman.

She rushes towards the screaming, and finds Ashley, lying on the ground.

"The baby... she's coming!" Ashley says.

She does not doubt for a second and grabs her.

"Come on, I'm not going to let you give birth in the middle of the forest."

"No, no, don't take me to Storybrooke," Ashley cries.

"I can't take you to Boston, Ashley, you won't be able to hold up for four hours," she replies.

"But Gold..."

"You let me take care of Gold," she says, opening the door, "and worry about you and your baby. Henry, help Ashley with the seat belt."

"Hi, Ashley!" Henry greets the girl.

"Aahh!" she screams, again in pain, and perhaps a bit because Henry scared her.

"Don't worry, Ashley, you'll get your happy ending soon," Henry says.

She hopes that he is right, because she does not know how that will happen.

-OUAT-

He slowly approaches Storybrooke General Hospital. He knows that Ashley Boyd has been brought here just a few moments ago, in the middle of giving birth to her daughter. One of his contacts called him as soon as that happened, and he knows she is a good contact. After all, he is helping pay for her son's treatment.

As he enters, he sees Miss Blanchard – or, rather, Princess Snow White – coming downstairs, from the private rooms. He has no doubt that she has come to the hospital to see David Nolan – Prince Charming, indeed – as part of her volunteering.

Excellent, he thinks, the curse is breaking down.

Like him, she is approaching the screams of pain that are coming from the Emergency Room. That is where Miss Boyd is being kept for the moment, before she is transported to the Maternity Wing.

Out of the ER, to his surprise – or not so much, since he did ask her to do this – comes Emma Swan, straight at him and with a really angry face. She looks quite similar to her mother when she is angry, in fact.

"Emma," Miss Blanchard says, "what's..."

"Not now, Mary, I have to get a few words with Mr Pawnbroker here," Miss Swan replies. "You are going to come with me now, Gold, and you'd better give me some good answers."

She grabs him by the shoulder and pulls him towards the cafeteria, both to his surprise and that of the few people that are in either the hall or the cafeteria. He has never been handled this way since the time before he became the Dark One. However bad the memories are, he feels amused by her daring. If she is not scared of him, she certainly is not scared of Regina. And that means that the next weeks, or months, until she breaks the curse and beyond, will be quite... interesting.

"There is no need to push me around, Miss Swan."

"Well, then you'd better start walking."

She leads him to one of the tables and takes seat in one of the chairs, while looking at him. He obliges, and sits down on the chair right in front of her.

"Now that we are together, would you kindly tell me the reason why you felt required to behave this way, Miss Swan?"

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me that you wanted Ashley's baby?"

"I felt that you might not take the work if I told you the entire truth, that it might be better if you learned about it on your own. After all, given your previous experiences, I thought that you would understand what she is going through. Believe me when I say that my intentions, as I told you, are sincere."

"Well, Ashley's changed her mind. She wants to keep her baby, and now she wants to break the deal."

"Dearie, I cannot break the deal. I felt it was quite fair for Miss Boyd, given that, as she is alone, a judge might consider her incapable of taking care of a child and retire the custody from her. This way, at least she can give her child his or her best chance, and I would find the baby a good home with loving parents, instead of being lost in the system."

He sees a light of recognition in her eyes. He can almost imagine the wheels going around within her brain. After all, there were enough clues now to see how it was him that handled young Henry's adoption by Regina, even if he was still under the curse at the time.

"Well, that baby is certainly going to get at least a loving mother, and that's going to be Ashley. Break. The. Deal."

"I can't do so, dearie. It is not as if we can break deals just like that," he snaps his fingers to illustrate. "They are a fundamental part of civilization, after all. If we broke deals left and right, well, it might lead to a collapse."

"Every deal can be broken, Gold. For example, that deal you made with Ashley? I'm sure that I could take it to court and argue that it was accepted by Ashley under duress, and thus make it void. Besides, I am sure that all the attention brought upon you over this matter would not exactly shine well upon you, because I suspect there is more to you than just a simple pawnbroker and tenant. Are you willing to bet on that?"

He smiles again. Yes, not only spirit, but mind. She will be indeed a powerful enemy for Regina.

"Miss Swan, do please not take this as an insult, but either you are monumentally brave, or monumentally stupid, and I can tell that, stupid, you are not. As I said, I can't break the deal I made with Miss Boyd and Mr Herman. However, I like your charm, and I would like to have you on my side, so I might be amenable to make a deal with you, if you are willing."

"What are your terms?" Miss Swan asks, clearly suspicious.

"I would be willing to give the baby back to Miss Boyd in exchange of, say... a favor from you."

"Just like that? No traps, no small letter, no hidden terms that will come to bite me in the ass?"

"Oh, please. I am an honest businessman, and every deal I make is quite clear in its terms. If people sometimes choose not to read before signing, well, that's not my problem."

Miss Swan stays silent for a moment.

"Then I say you have a deal."

"Excellent." He stands up with the aid of his cane, and waits for Miss Swan to do the same. "You may tell Miss Boyd that she has to fear no more from me. Oh, and maybe you should come by my shop one of this days, you may find something of interest there."

"I'll see," Miss Swan replies.

He smiles on his way out. It is not every time you get a great deal without someone else knowing it.

On the hospital door, he nearly crashes with young Sean Herman. He does not see him, but he can see that he is carrying a small bag, and a determined expression in his face.

Huh. He did get out of his father's control sooner than he expected. Not to mention the fact that he obviously moved before his deal was made. Well, he does not mind. Today has been a good day. Or night. Anyway, one happy ending will be reached tonight. And he is a step nearer to his.

-OUAT-

She screams in pain as she feels another contraction. When the contraction finally recedes, she lies down again on the bed, while one of the nurses applies a cold compress over her face.

"You are doing well, Miss Boyd," Doctor Samuel Stone – a bearded, genial man, whom many people just called 'Doc' – said. "A couple of extra minutes, and you should be able to begin pushing."

"Why," she says, tired and in pain. "I'll lose my baby as soon as she comes out."

"Don't worry about that now, Miss Boyd. Just think of getting through this moment."

The doors of the delivery room open.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" one of the nurses asks.

"I am the father."

She looks up, and sees Sean coming in, wearing scrubs.

"Sean?" she asks, tiredly.

"I'm here, Ash." He grabs her hand. "I'm not going to leave you. Never. I should have never left you."

"But, your fa-"

"I'll tell him that he can either help us or leave us alone. But there is no way I'm going to be separated from my girl and our baby."

She has another contraction, and it rips through her. But, somehow, this one hurts a little less than the others.

"Very good, Miss Boyd. I think you are ready. As soon as the next contraction begins, start pushing."

"Sean..." she says, weakly. "The deal..."

"It's void, Ash. You know Emma Swan?"

"Yeah."

"She convinced Mr Gold to void the deal. We are going to have a baby, and we will be able to take care of her."

A tear drops from her eyes. Emma did it. She did as she promised, and helped her when hardly anyone else would do it.

"Sean..."

"Ashley, I should have never left you. Can you forgive me?"

"Yes."

She smiles, and Sean kisses her softly.

"Miss Boyd, prepare to start pushing."

"I'll be here with you, Ash. Always."

When she feels the contraction, she starts pushing, and she screams in order to find some release, to gain some strength. And Sean is there with her. For her.

The contraction stops, and she leans back once more.

"Very well done, Miss Boyd. Only one more push, and the baby will be out."

"I love you, Ashley. You and our baby girl. And when you leave the hospital, you will be ready to move into a house, where we will all live together, without anyone telling us what to do."

"And what about your future? Your studies?"

"Ash, if it doesn't have you, then it's not worth it. I already told you, if someone has a problem with us, then that someone can swallow their pill and shut up, because I'm never going to leave you."

"Push, now!" the doctor says, and she feels another contraction begin. She pushes again, and she screams again, but this time is different, because she has Sean next to her and he loves her and he is not going to leave her nor their baby. She is not going to lose her baby. And that makes all the difference.

She finally manages to push out her baby out of her body. For a few seconds, she fears that something may have gone wrong, but then the baby cries out, and to her it is one of the most beautiful sounds she has ever heard. She barely notices as Sean gets to be the one to cut the umbilical cord, and when they take their girl away she almost has a panic attack, but then they bring her back to her, and she cannot stop looking at the tiny baby she has held in her bosom for nine months, and that is now with her.

"She is a very beautiful girl," the nurse that has given her the baby says.

"Just like her mum," Sean says, and she chuckles. The two of them are brought to a room, where they will be able to rest. They do not speak, they just bask in the fact that they are together with their daughter, that he has apologized, that no one will take this baby from her.

Someone knocks on the door.

"Hey." It is Emma. "You guys OK?"

"Hi, Emma," she says, smiling. "Sean says that you made a deal with Gold."

"It was no problem. I couldn't let a pretty baby like this end up in his hands." She approaches and looks at the baby. "How are you going to call her?"

"Alexandra," she replies. It is a name that just popped into her head, and it is beautiful.

"A pretty name," Emma says. Then, she looks at Sean. "I'm glad you thought about what I said."

"Yeah. So did I. I certainly needed that kick in the ass, but I could not see it until you pointed it out. Thanks for that."

"You take care of your girls and I'll call it a deal."

"Gladly," Sean says.

"Oh, don't forget this," Emma replies, handing Sean a bag.

"Thanks for keeping it."

Emma leaves, giving them a thumbs up.

"What's in the bag?" she asks, curious.

"Well, I thought I might have to beg you to let me back, so I decided to buy something."

He pulls something out of the bag.

A pair of white baby shoes.

She laughs.

"It's perfect," she replies, and he kisses her.

Henry was right: she's got her happy ending all right.

-OUAT-

He finally starts to organize things around his house after Regina's last visit. He hates this. He hates sleeping with the woman. He has never felt anything for her. But, whenever she calls, or she comes, he follows her orders and has sex with her. He does not know why. It is as if she is controlling him somehow. He does not know how, but she must be doing it. It is the only thing that explains how, even though he hates it, he still comes to her.

However, now the worst is knowing that, eventually, he is going to get caught. If Emma ever catches Regina coming out of his house, or him out of hers, she will kill him. Or worse. At least, if she kills him, he will not have to deal with this anymore. No, she is going to ignore him. She is going to hate him. And that is much worse to him, because she is the best thing that has happened to him.

How is it possible that a woman he has met just a few days before is having such an influence on him? Since she arrived to Storybrooke, he has been happier than ever. He laughs more, he smiles more, and she is constantly in his dreams. His, well, obsession with Emma Swan has gone to the point that, when he sleeps with Regina, he has to imagine it is Emma in order to fake everything.

His phone rings. He wishes to hell it is not Regina. He does not want to go back to her, nor does he want to hear her at all today. But when he sees it is Emma, he almost wishes it is Regina, because right now, with the recent sex still in his mind, he is not sure he will be able to talk with Emma normally. Especially when he still feels the need of showering to clean Regina off him.

He makes a choice. He prefers to hear her voice. If he has her voice in his ear, he will be able to sleep thinking about it, and with some luck it will ward off any nightmares.

"Hello?" he asks.

"Graham, it's Emma. I was thinking that maybe having some roots in this town would not be bad. Is the deputy job still open?"

"Of course."

"Then I'll see you on Monday. Won't Regina get angry with this?"

"It's my department that handles this thing, so, if she gets angry, it's not my problem."

"Good. See you, then."

Emma hangs up, and he treasures this moment. Ever since she came into his life, Emma has become a light that pushes back the darkness that comes from Regina. And if he loses that, then he does not know what will happen.

A/N: Well, I hope you liked this chapter! This is the equivalent of chapter 4. Of course, things are a bit different from the series, with the biggest difference being Sean arriving while Ashley is giving birth. Also, I am laying it a bit thick on the Gremma front. Honestly, they deserved a whole lot of more screen time. Thank heavens we have fanfiction, or else we would feel worse. (I STILL think that Graham should have been revived, or just not killed!)

Next chapter will take some time to be up. It is already written, and I'll be deviating further from the story while remaining relatively close to it. I do hope that you like the style the story is being written (if you have read my Castle fanfic "As She Lays Down", you'll see the similarities).

I am still looking forward to getting more reviews from you guys and gals! Those are one of the best love to see some more reviews from you guys. Reviews are the thing that make me happier to keep writing. Don't forget to tell your fellow OUAT lovers to read this story, too!

Also, as a bit of a thing I want to do, I wish to present you some of my fave OUAT fics, as recommendation to you guys. If you haven't read them, do it, put a review and tell the author it was me that recommended them (also suggest them to read & review this story, it is a bit tough trying to get more readers without looking like a stalker :P ).

My first rec is "Once Upon A Time And Again" by KayleeThePete (StoryID: 7557528). The fairy tale characters from an Alternate Universe in which things went a bit differently start to have dreams about the counterparts we already know. It currently stands at 17 chapters + 1 prologue + 2 M-versions of 2 chapters, and it is a very, very delicious to read fanfic, because KayleeThePete takes care of building up the background for both the realm and the different characters. It has hilarious moment, romance, drama, and even a couple of spicy scenes. When you review that story, tell KayleeThePete to get moving with chapter 18!

Once more, I hope that you liked this chapter, and that you'll keep tuned for the next!