For the past two weeks Emma Swan had been living in a convent. Every morning as she took in her reflection at the mirror she snorted slightly, 'just another normal day in the life of Emma Swan.' she thought, '...here at this nunnery.' True, they weren't actually nuns. But the fairies all seemed pretty intent on remaining in their nun habits. 'For the sake of structure.' Blue had said. Emma soon realized that structure was indeed, very important to the fairies. 'From structure comes order and peace and harmony.' Blue had informed Emma on her first day there. She had insisted that Emma take up residence at the convent for her own safety... 'And the safety of others.' she had added with a vague raise of her eyebrows. Emma didn't need a reminder. She had been informed that the young couple who had been in the car were lucky and none of their injuries were life threatening. But this still did little to sooth her. So Emma did not argue with the order to stay at the convent. As bizarre as staying in a convent seemed to her.

The life style didn't exactly mesh well with her, but on a positive end, the calmness of the atmosphere had helped her control herself more. It was all early to rise and early to bed, and slow footsteps down long echo-y hallways and quiet rooms of contemplation. It wasn't really what she wanted, but maybe it was what she needed. And every day in the afternoon Mary Margaret and David came to visit her. 'Your parents are here.' One of the fairies would inform her every time. This never stopped seeming insane to Emma. She had parents... that were here.

They'd come in all hushed whispers and friendly smiles. David continued his proud father face, beaming at her. Every time ensuring her, 'You made the right choice. You'll see. You'll be a hero.' He seemed to particularly enjoy the idea of her being a hero. But Mary Margaret would give him a warning sad smile every time he pushed it too much. Mary Margaret indeed did less beaming than David. She'd take Emma's hands and ask how she was doing, always putting emphasis on how she was 'feeling.' She always seemed specifically interested in Emma's eyes, as if she was searching for something. This only left Emma confused. One day when David went to have a talk with Blue, Mary Margaret had leaned in and said 'I just don't want you to lose your 'Emma-ness'.. you know.. your spark.' She'd given her a huge encouraging hug and smile before heading out after David. It would take some time before Emma understood.

There were also conversations about Henry, Emma asked about him every day. Both would falter slightly when it came up, giving obviously practiced answers of 'He's great! Just fine.' 'He hates me doesn't he?' Emma would counter. 'Nooo..' Mary Margaret would insist while Emma gave her that I-know-you're-lying look. 'Well..maybe he's a little afraid ... not of YOU exactly.. but afraid of what happened.' 'Right.' Emma would sigh. 'He just needs time.' Mary Margaret would insist.

Besides visits from her.. parents. Emma spent most of her time sitting with various fairies throughout the day learning to focus her breathing.. focus her thoughts... focus her emotions...and ultimately focus her magic. 'The goal' Blue had informed her, 'is to create magic that is harmonious to the world around you as opposed to against it.' 'So not giant balls of dangerous purple fire?' Emma had dryly responded. 'Yes.. perhaps not that.' Blue seemed very serious. Emma wondered if she'd ever truly laughed at anything.

Emma worked with the fairies to move her magical energy through her fingertips slowly, as opposed to all at once in a rush. After the first week she had already succeed at creating some gentle long purple glowy ribbons in the air. They swam from her fingers and then drifted upwards in a spiral. During her second week she succeed at using the purple ribbon to spiral around an unbloomed flower till it slowly blossom...which made Emma smile..till it burst into flames.. which made Emma scowl. 'With time..' The fairy who was sitting with her had insisted. Emma only had gritted her teeth.. patience was not one of her virtues.

So those were her days. In and out they flowed almost as harmoniously as the gentle fairy footsteps through the hallways. 14 days passed as easily as the sun across a lazy afternoon sky. Emma could almost feel herself becoming serene as well... almost.

Then in her third week there, Emma and a number of the fairies started practicing something daily that Blue referred to as a 'Magic Circle.' They would stand in a circle and hold hands. Emma was to focus all her energy into her right hand and then focus her magic through it. The goal was for the magic to move safely around the entire circle, hand to hand, till it returned to Emma through her left hand. 'This helps you with focus and concentration.' Blue explained. Emma always gritted her teeth and kept her eyes firmly shut, finding the exercise to be quite the challenge. After these exercises, Emma felt herself so drained she had to retire to her bed at the convent. A heavy sleepiness taking over her and weighing her down. Something in the sensation reminded her of being sick, almost the feeling of hot tea and Nyquil. But when she awoke she always felt lighter and thought nothing of it.

Emma was slow to realize the eerie calm her life had taken on. But things started to feel off to her slowly. There was a slight off kilter feeling to the serene harmony of the fairies. It started to register to her one day when she happen to open her eyes during the daily 'Magic Circle.' She noticed the blissful smiles on the faces of the fairies. They raised their heads high and breathed deep. As if... as if... they were being fed something. Something long missed. Something they were eager to have back. Was it her magic? Were they feeding off of it? Emma only briefly wondered before the exhaustion took over again. Always that sleepy exhaustion afterwards.

Then there was the change in the behaviors of the fairies. They had moved slowly and quietly through the hallways when she first arrived. She was beginning to realize an energy seemed to exist to them that didn't before. Their footsteps were less slow, a lightness seem to take over them. Their whispers were less hushed and sometimes... sometimes Emma almost swore she heard light moments of laughter drifting from rooms far off down hallways. At first Emma thought they were just excited about the growing prospect of returning to their world. But then noticing the growing ways in which they looked at her, she was beginning to feel more and more uneasy. Something in their looks was hungry. To took awhile for her to put her fingers on it... but that's what it was. A hunger. Emma found herself looking forward to the 'Magic Circles' less and less, while the fairies seemed more and more delighted to take part. More and more fairies joined the circle everyday, and Emma was feeling more and more drained.

And then the nightmares started.

Her dreams were a tornado of voices. Gold's voice angrily spat, "The fairies know nothing that can help you!" Mary Margaret's concerned voice, "The fairies can sometimes be too far removed from humanity.." Then Gold's angry echo, "They will only try to turn you into one of them. Soulless!" Mary Margaret gentle, "I just don't want you to lose your 'Emma-ness'.. you know.. your spark." But then David's proud voice, "Fairies are good and helpful..." And his, "You'll be a hero!" Then Blue's overly calm voice, "You and your ability must be protected and fostered" Memories of the overwhelming bright purple fire and the overturned car filtered throughout her dreams. A screaming sound in her head...echoing loudly even when she awoke. The last thing ringing in her ears as she bolted upright breathing heavy, was Gold's angry voice..."They were never human!"... "They were never human... " Emma numbly repeated to herself one morning while looking in the mirror but not really seeing herself. And that was the day that everything changed.

Emma had taken to staring out windows. Watching from a distance as the people of Storybrooke moved about their days. Children with backpacks running to catch the bus. People with bags of groceries moving down sidewalks. Other's greeting each other with waves and calls of hello. She tried to imagine them all living in another world. Living other lives. Lives full of magic hats, wishes on stars, ogres, unicorns, sword fights and horsebacks. Yet they all seemed pretty peaceful here. Emma sighed and leaned her forehead against the cool glass. 'Would it really be so bad..' She wondered for the thousandth time though she hated to admit it '..would it really be so bad to stay here. Can't this be our home?'

"The grass is always greener, huh?" A voice awoke her from her daydreaming.

Emma turned quickly, slightly alarmed to be spoken to so directly from out of the blue. Standing beside her with a small smile was one of the fairies whose name Emma had learnt was 'Nova.' Emma had noticed that Nova tended to hang back a lot and didn't seem to be as much of a joiner as the others. As a life long loner herself, Emma had begun to feel a sort of kinship to the fairy, although this was the first time she had ever spoken to her directly.

"Oh sorry! I didn't mean to startle you. You just looked so lonely.." Nova nodded at her gently and then smiled hopefully. None of the fairies had smiled at her so directly. It was like they all looked at her.. but without seeing her. A feeling of being seen suddenly washed over Emma.

"Uh no.. it's fine. Really. I could use.. like.. a real conversation." Emma cleared her throat and looked away from the window. "But shouldn't you be off somewhere having... i don't know.. quiet thoughts about the beautiful gifts of the world.. or something?" Emma couldn't help her usual dryness and silently worried she would offend this fairy who seemed so genuinely friendly. But she was surprised when Nova just shook her head and laughed a little.

"Oh that's a lot of poppycock!" She waved her hand in dismissal. "Blue puts such importance on our structured days.. personally I think we should all have a bit more freedom." She whispered this last part looking both scandalized and amused by this idea.

"Yeah it does seem a bit excessive." Emma replied crossing her arms. "All this monotony. It's really started to tire me out. I've been feeling so exhausted..."

To her shock Nova started chuckling. "Well that's no surprise, I mean considering how-" And then she stopped abruptly. Her eyes wide with her mistake.

Emma felt herself snap to life more then she had at all in last several weeks."What..? What do you mean? Considering what?"

Nova just shook her head stubbornly. "Oh. Nothing. No. Don't listen to me. I'm full of nonsense... ask any of the other fairies." She gave a nervous sad laugh.

"No. Wait. Something is going on? Isn't it? Something is not.. totally as it seems. I've been sensing it. Don't tell me I'm crazy!" Emma frantically reached out to Nova's arm.

Nova tried to pull away but then a look of sadness came over her as she took in Emma's face. She sighed then and shook her head at the ground. Then looking around quickly for sign of the other fairies she silently pulled Emma closer into a corner and whispered. "Before you overreact you should know that we HAVE been helping you Emma. Everything you have been taught was indeed for your own benefit.. to help you control and use your power safely. But what you don't really know or understand is that magic to the fairies.. particularly the elder fairies like Blue.. magic is very important. For them to exist without it.. is almost like what it is to be a fish without water. So they have been helping you Emma... but they have also been... helping themselves to you."

"What.. you mean..like..feeding off me?" Emma's nightmare suspicions suddenly crashing into the daylight gave her goosebumps down her arms

Nova nodded solemnly. "Don't worry. You are fine. They can't take it away from you. It's like you... are a car in this world. A car that has perpetual access to gas. And when they feed off your magic.. its like they are leaving your engine running for extended periods and this lowers your energy. Hence your sleepiness. To refuel. The elders are so drawn to it.. it's almost like they can't help themselves..." Nova looked quiet for a moment. "You can't really blame them."

Emma just shook her head silently trying to understand.

"Don't worry!" Nova tried a cheerful expression and reached out to squeeze Emma's arm. "Soon we'll all back in our world and all us fairies will be restored with our natural magic again!" She said this with all the enthusiasm of a well trained salesman.

"When?... we haven't even started trying to figure out how to..." Emma stumbled through her words.

"Oh! Soon!" Nova insisted happily. "In fact I overheard Blue just the other day saying to the other elders that we didn't have to worry about him breaking the balance because your progress was so great that-"

"Whoa Wait!" Emma cut her off. "What do you mean? Worry about HIM breaking the balance? Who is him? What balance?"

"Oh noo.." Nova squeaked a bit. "No. No.." She shook her head and appeared to be speaking more to herself. "My big stupid mouth... I really am the worst..Blue is always right about me.."

Emma sighed and just tried to level with the fairy. "Look if you were me.. wouldn't you want to know?"

Nova looked up seeming confused by the idea of being anyone other then herself. Then she looked to ponder that. "Yes. I suppose I would."

"Then.." Emma gave her a hopeful look.

"Ooooh." Nova looked very upset with herself as she looked around again to see if any other fairies were hanging about. "Fine." She pointed in her face though. "You never heard this from me. I'm not even sure I'm suppose to know but because I'm such a curious busybody... I overhear things. Anyways.. the 'him' is Rumpelstilskin. Legend has it that many many years ago the Blue Fairy sent something very important to him away. Sent it here. To the world without magic. Rumpelstiskin was furious and ever since has been trying to find a way to get this world. To find his very important something. To get it back.."

"Which is why he made this curse in the first place..." Emma whispered with new understanding.

Nova nodded. She had to admit, she loved a good story. "But, apparently Blue doesn't want this to happen. That if Rumpelstilskin was indeed reunited with his very important something... it would somehow throw off the balance of the worlds. So you see, Blue is very motivated to break this curse completely and send us ALL home to our world.. including Rumpelstilskin.. to prevent this unbalancing from happening."

Emma nodded slowly trying to understand. "Do.. do you know what his... 'very important something' is?" She asked in a quiet whisper.

Nova shook her head and responded equally as quietly "No one knows for sure... but I have heard some legends claim.. it is his son."

Emma felt like she had been slammed with a ton of bricks in her stomach. Rumpelstilskin.. Gold... was looking for his son? His son. Her mind drifted back to the day she had confronted him at the pawnshop. His angry insistence that he knew what it was to have loved ones. Then later his insistence on having personal business outside of town. Then the way he'd stuck his finger in her face insisting it was none of her business. Was it his son? He would do all this... to get back his son? Then the realization started to hit her harder. Of course he would. She remembered being in the other world.. thinking of Henry left behind in this world. Her main motivation to get back had been him. Being away form him was painful. Being apart from him was a cruelness to endure. She fought. Fought harder then she'd ever had in this world. Fought to return to him.

"Can you imagine..?" Nova broke into her thoughts with her dreamy wonderings and a sad far away look on her face. "Loving something or someone that much..that you would fight for that long.. to that extent.. just to be reunited...?"

It hit Emma hard. "Yes" She stated. "Yes I can."

And then she turn and ran.