Basically a different take on the pilot. David=Neal, just so you know.

Disclaimer: The writers of OUAT wrote most of this story, I just tweaked it a bit.

Emma Swan stumbles into her apartment in a slim red number and black pumps. Exhausted from her bail bonds chase, she slips off the torturous black heels and enters her kitchen with a small take-out box in hand. She lays the box on the island and opens it, revealing a white cupcake that resides inside. With gentle precision, takes the pastry out of the box, places a blue star candle in the center of the cake and lights it. Breathing out a sigh, as she leans against the counter and places her chin in her folded arms.

"Another banner year." She whispers to herself. She closes her eyes, imagining all the times she has been in this same position, wishing the same wish that she wishes now. She allows the image to fill her mind as she ponders on an alternate reality. With her eyes shut, she blows out the candle.

Within moments, before she can think of anything else, the doorbell rings. She looks down at the cupcake with slight confusion, but heads to the front door. She hastily opens it to reveal a small boy standing behind it wearing a coat and striped scarf.

"Uh…can I help you?" She asks him.

"Are you Emma Swan?" He retorts.

"Yeah. Who are you?" She leans against the door frame.

"My name's Henry. I'm your son." He smiles innocently. She is taken aback. Her son?

"Uh…" but before she can answer, a tall figure appears behind the boy and her eyes widen with recognition. A man with blonde hair styled in a simple casual manner, wearing a coat and scarf as well. Both adults look into each other's eyes, Emma in pure shock and the man with a smirk. "David." She lets out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"Em." He responds, he lifts his eyebrows in a mischievous manner. "It's been a while."

"What are you…?" She begins.

"I found him and made him bring me here." Henry interjects, ducks under her arm and enters the apartment without further explanation.

"Whoa. Hey, kid. Kid. Kid!" She trails behind him, and David follows while shutting the door. "I don't have a son. Where are your parents?"

The boy stops in the center of her kitchen and faces her with a calm expression. "Ten years ago, did you give up a baby for adoption?" She simply stares at him, dumbfounded. It couldn't be. "That was me."

She looks around the room, not knowing exactly how to proceed and internally panicking. "Give me a minute."

Shortly afterwards, she shuts herself in her bathroom, leaving the pair in the kitchen. She feels her throat closing up and her chest tightening, as she mentally coaches herself on how to breathe. She quickly tries to figure out how to handle what has been sprung upon her, when she hears the boy call out, "Hey, you have any juice? Nevermind. Found some."

After a beat, she exits the bathroom to find the boy chugging the entire bottle of mango nectar that a few moments ago was in her refrigerator. The man seated on a bar stool beside him, chuckling to himself. The boy detaches the bottle from his lips and looks at them with a smile.

"You know, we should probably get going." He tells them.

Emma folds her arms and says, "Going where?"

"What she said." David echoes.

"I want you both to come home with me." He grins. Emma shakes her head.

"Okay, kid. I'm calling the cops." Emma tells him, speeding towards her house phone and picking it up.

"Hey…" David begins, ready to defend Henry.

"Then I'll tell them you kidnapped me." Henry responds quickly. David turns his head towards him with wide eyes and approving nod.

"And they'll believe you because I'm your birth mother." She sighs, hitting the 'end' button.

"Yep." Henry says.

"Man, this kid is good." David tells Emma with his usual charming smile.

"Shut up." Emma barks. She turns to Henry and says, "You're not going to do that."

"Try me." Henry smirks in return.

"You're pretty good, but here's the thing. There's not a lot I'm great at in life, but I have one skill. Let's call it a superpower. I can tell when anyone is lying, and you, kid, are." She hits the 'talk' button and begins to dial. David's eyes soften and he opens his mouth to say something.

"Wait." Henry says softly. "Please don't call the cops. Please. Come home with me."

"Where's home?" David asks him.

"Storybrooke, Maine." He tells them.

"Storybrooke? Seriously?" Emma says, with a shake of her head.

"Mm-hmm." Henry nods. David and Emma look at one another and lock eyes, having a silent conversation before Emma replies.

"All righty then. Let's get you back to Storybrooke."

Moments later, the trio pack into Emma's yellow buggy before they take off. Henry quickly takes the passenger seat and David opts for the back.

"What are you even doing here?" Emma looks into the rear-view mirror to at the man behind her.

"Hey, you're kid came and found me at the bar while I was working. He confidently sat on the bar stool and ordered a Coke. I looked at him like he was nuts and asked him where is mother was. He said 'That's why I'm here. I need your help to find her.' I was extremely confused until he told me that his mother was you. I didn't believe him at first, but after explaining that he has been on a mad search for you…I couldn't just throw him out on the street, so I brought him here." David hastily explains. "Hey, put your heater on will ya?"

Emma rolls her eyes, but used her free hand to turn up the thermostat. "That's just like you. You don't ever assess a situation, you just act impulsively. What if he wasn't my son?"

"But he is isn't he?" David argues. "Who else would know to find me to get to you? Plus he knows us by name."

Emma shakes her head disapprovingly and sighs. She looks over at the boy in the passenger seat, who seems enthralled by a large storybook. "What's that?"

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

"Ready for some fairytales?" Emma smirks.

"They're not fairytales." He says. "They're true. Every story in this book actually happened."

"Of course it did." Emma answers. David smiles to himself, appreciating the boy's innocence.

"Use your superpower. See if I'm lying." He tells her. She takes her eyes off the road for a moment to look at him, and is puzzled because the boy seems to be without a doubt confident in what he is telling her.

"Just because you believe something doesn't make it true." David pipes up from the back, sensing the exact same thing Emma is feeling towards the boy.

"That's exactly what makes it true. You guys should know more than anyone." He tells them.

"Why is that?" David asks.

"Because you're in this book." He deadpans.

"Oh kid." Emma sighs. "You've got problems."

"Yep. And you're gonna fix 'em." Henry smiles.

Both Emma and David stare at the boy with utter confusion, but opt for silence. They remain in silence the whole way to Storybrooke, and David leans over Emma and reaches for the dial to turn on the radio. The music blares loudly out of the speakers, as Emma scoffs disapprovingly, reaching for the dial and lowering the volume.

David leans back in his seat and stares out the window. Henry remains reading his book, and Emma continues driving with a worried expression on her face. What has she gotten herself into?

~.~

It begins to rain as they enter the town, and drive through abandoned streets. It looks almost like a ghost town.

"Okay, kid. How about an address?" Emma pipes up.

"44 I'm-not-telling-you street." Henry sasses. Exasperated, Emma hits the brakes extremely hard and stops the car. She irately gets out of the Bug and slams the door shut, followed by Henry and David. She leans against the car as the boys round it and look at her.

"Look, it's been a long night, and it's almost…" She looks at the clock tower and her face morphs into confusion." 8:15."

"That clock hasn't moved in my whole life." Henry tells her. "Times's frozen here."

"Excuse me?" Emma says. David walks over to Emma and stand behind her, in order to get a better look at the boy.

"The evil queen did it with her curse. She sent everyone from the enchanted forest here." Henry explains.

Emma opens her mouth, but David says, "Hang on. An evil queen sent a bunch of fairy tale characters here?"

"Yeah." He nods. "And now they are trapped."

"Frozen in time and stuck in Storybrooke, Maine…that's what you're going with?" Emma asks, quirking an eyebrow.

"It's true." Henry insists.

"Then why doesn't everybody just leave?" David asks. Both Emma and David with their arms crossed, conserving heat.

"They can't." Henry shakes his head. "If they try, bad things happen." The adults look at the boy intuitively, but are pulled away by a man calling Henry's name. They look over to see a man with spectacles and an umbrella, walking his dog in their direction.

"What are you doing here?" The man asks. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine, Archie." Henry tells him. Archie looks up and inspects the adults leaning against the car.

"Who's this?" He asks Henry.

"Just someone trying to give him a ride home." Emma explains. David rolls his eyes and elbows her in the ribs, but she simply smacks his arm.

"Oh, she's my mom, Archie." Henry states. "And that's my uncle." He points to David.

"Oh. I see." Archie is taken back.

"Do you know where he lives?" David questions the man.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Just, uh, right up on Mifflin Street. The mayor's house is the biggest one on the block." Emma and David look down at Henry accusingly, while Henry quickly looks down at his shoes.

"You're the mayor's kid?" They both say in unison, then glare at one another.

"Uh, maybe." Henry quietly responds.

"Hey, where were you today, Henry?" Archie interjects. "Cause you missed our session."

"Oh, well, I forgot to tell you, I went on a field trip." Henry looks up at him. Archie sighs and looks up at the adults who are observing the interaction, before kneeling down to Henry's level.

"Henry…" He warns. "What did I tell you about lying? Giving in to one's dark side never accomplishes anything."

"Okay!" David interrupts. They begin to look at Archie very uncomfortably.

"Well, we really should be getting him home." Emma tells Archie.

"Yeah, sure." Archie stands to his full height. "Well, listen, you have a good night and, uh, you be good, Henry." He smiles at Emma and David, who smile back. As he walks away, both of their smiles drop and they watch him walk away before turning back to Henry.

"So that's your shrink?" David lifts an eyebrow.

"I'm not crazy." Henry argues.

"Didn't say that." He says. "Just…He didn't seem cursed to me."

"Maybe he's trying to help you." Emma adds.

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

"That he's a fairytale character?" Emma clarifies.

"None of them do. They don't remember who they are." Henry says, as he rounds the car.

Emma sighs. "Convenient. All right. I'll play. Who's he supposed to be?" They all enter the car once more.

"Jiminy Cricket!"

"Right. The lying thing." David nods.

"I thought your nose grew a little bit." Emma smiles, turning on the ignition.

"I'm not Pinocchio." Henry rolls his eyes.

"Of course you're not because that would be ridiculous." David sasses. They soon drive off.

~.~

Later, after being introduced to whom they found to be the odd mayor, locked up in the town jail for running into a pole after trying to dodge a wolf and working together to track Henry's online history, they find themselves in a classroom. Regina has just stormed out of the classroom, and the pair look back at the innocent looking school teacher. They quickly crouch down and help her pick up the books that had been dropped on the ground, after Regina threw them when the teacher explained that Henry was lonely so she gave him a storybook to cheer him up.

"Sorry to bother you." Emma tells the woman, who had been ID'ed as Mary Margret.

"No, it's…" She looks at the both of them intently. "It's okay. I fear this is partially my fault."

"How's a book supposed to help?" David asks politely.

"What do you think stories are for?" Mary Margret smiles. "These stories…the classics? There's a reason we all know them. They're a way for us to deal with our world." Both Emma and David follow Mary Margret as she walks out of the classroom and into the hall.

"A world that doesn't always make sense." She continues. "See, Henry hasn't had the easiest life."

"Yeah, she's kind of a hard-ass." Emma scoffs.

Mary Margret shakes her head. "No, it's more than her. He's like any adopted child. He wrestles with that most basic question they all inevitably face 'why would anyone give me away?'" Emma takes a deep breath and David adopts a why did you say that? face. Mary Margret quickly turns to them, realizing what she just said.

"I am so sorry." She apologizes. "Im so sorry. I didn't mean in any way to judge you."

Emma nods and looks up at her. "It's okay."

"Look, I gave the book to him because I wanted Henry to have the most important thing anyone can have," She says. "Hope. Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a powerful thing."

"You know where he is, don't you?" David asks her.

Mary Margret nods. "You might want to check his castle."

They quickly depart from the school, jump into the bug and drive off.

~.~

"Do you know where it is?" David asks Emma.

"Roughly." She responds. David places a secure hand on the dashboard, as Emma drives a bit wildly.

"What are you planning on doing?" He looks at her intently. "Are you staying here with him?"

"I don't know yet." She grips the steering wheel firmly. "But you, you should go."

"What? Why?"

"You have a life David. Back in New York, you have a life. You live a bachelor's dream, working in a bar, living in a nice apartment, and probably screwing a new girl every night. You don't want to stay here with me. You made that pretty clear ten years ago." She responds. "Just take the next train back home. I'll be fine."

"Hell, no." He argues. "I'm not leaving."

"That has never stopped you before." Emma answers, her voice rising slightly.

"It's not like that now. We aren't eighteen anymore, Emma." He places a hand on her shoulder. "We are adults now, and it seems like your life…our life, has now been thrown in a whirlwind. I'm not leaving." Emma scoffs and shrugs his hand off her shoulder.

"Our lives were in a whirlwind back then, and you left. Why should I trust that you will stay now?" She shakes her head and purses her lips.

"Because I've changed, Em." He says softly. "I am your twin brother. I am not just going to abandon you like that, not again."

"David, cut the crap." She purses her lips.

"Emma please."

"Look. I will be civil." She explains. "I will talk to you, make polite conversation, and let you tag along. The moment you start to act up, like I am sure you will, you're gone."

"I'm trying to make everything right." He begins, picking invisible lint off his coat.

"Bull."

"Whatever." He sighs in defeat. Emma says nothing, she simply keeps her eyes on the road.

Emma and David approach the castle and climb it, ultimately perching themselves on either side of Henry.

~.~

"You left this in my car." Emma says, handing the boy the storybook she had in hand. Henry grips the book tightly, and looks out at the small town and fixates his gaze on the clock tower. Emma pushes a lock behind her ear and David shoves his hands in his pockets.

"Still hasn't moved, huh." David asks him.

"I was hoping that when I brought you back, things would change here." Henry softly explains. "That the final battle would begin."

"We're not fighting any battles, kid." Emma quickly states. Henry looks from David to Emma.

"Yes, you are. You're here because it's your destiny." He eagerly explains. "You're gonna bring back the happy endings!"

"Can you cut it with the book crap?" Emma tells him, exasperatingly.

"You don't have to be hostile. I know you like me. I can tell." Henry smirks. "You're just pushing me away because I make you feel guilty. It's okay." He nods. "I know why you gave me away. You wanted to give me my best chance." Tears fill Emma's eyes and she turns to the water front, trying to blink them away.

"How do you know that?" She asks him.

"It's the same reason Snow White gave you away." He looks from her to David, whose eyes widen.

"Listen to me, kid." Henry turns back to Emma. "We are not in any book. We are real people and we are no saviors. You were right about one thing, though." A tear streams down one of her cheeks. "I wanted you to have your best chance, but it's not with me." David frowns slightly, and reaches over to squeeze one of his sister's shoulders comfortingly. Henry looks up at her sadly, and swallows hard.

"Come on. Let's go." Emma jumps off her perch, as her brother follows. Henry stands up and climbs to the other side of the castle.

"Please don't take me back there." He argues. "Just stay with me for one week. That's all I ask. One week, and you'll see that I'm not crazy." He bounces on the balls of his feet desperately.

"Em." David coaxes.

"I have to get you back to your mom." Emma tells Henry.

"You don't know what it's like with her." Henry cries angrily. "My life sucks!"

"Oh, you know what sucking is?!" Emma cries. "Being left abandoned on the side of the freeway. Our parents didn't even bother to drop us off at a hospital." Her voice begins to waver as she allows tears to stream freely down her face. David looks at Henry, then away as he stares intently at the water front with his eyes furrowed. "We ended up in the foster system and we had a family until we were three, but they had their own kid, so they sent us back. We spent our lives from house to house, sometimes together and other times apart." She sighs and gets down to his level.

"Look…Your mom is trying her best." Emma says, as David returns his gaze to them. "I know it's hard and I know sometimes you think she doesn't love you, but at least she wants you."

"Your parents didn't leave you on the side of the freeway. That's just where you came through." Henry explains.

"What?" David asks, as his ears perk up.

"The wardrobe." Henry grips the book tighter. "When you went through the wardrobe, you appeared in the street. Your parents were trying to save you from the curse."

"Sure they were." Emma chuckles endearingly. "Come on, Henry."

She gestures for him to follow, and he bites his lip before obliging. She turns and walks back towards town, with the boys in tow. Henry follows, and quickly slips his little hand into hers.

~.~

Hours later, after having an interesting altercation and being threatened by Regina, Emma and David purposefully push past large bushes and make their way towards an old colonial inn.

"You're out all night, and now you're going out again." They hear a woman authoritatively yell in the distance.

"I should've moved to Boston!" Another woman shouts back. The voices direct their gaze to their right as an elderly woman and punk young woman come stomping down the stairs.

"I'm sorry that my heart attack interfered with your plans to sleep your way down the eastern seaboard." The elderly woman argues. Meanwhile, the younger woman takes offense and storms out of the room.

"Excuse me?" David tentatively says. The elderly woman turns to face them with a surprised expression.

"We'd like a room." Emma explains. The younger woman reappears, apparently their words strike an interest in her.

"Really?" The elder woman asks in disbelief. When she realizes that they are serious, she suddenly perks up and purposefully walks into the adjacent room which seems to be an office of some sort.

"Would you like a forest view or a square view?" She searches the desk. "Normally, there's an upgrade fee for the square, but as rent is due, I'll wave it."

"Square is fine." David says. They both look at one another and smile.

"Newlyweds?" She asks them excitedly, as she makes her way back into the room. Immediately they look at her extremely disgusted, and do a sideway step away from one another.

"Twins." Emma explains.

"Oh sorry." She laughs. "I shouldn't have assumed."

"It's fine." David grumbles.

"Now…what's the name?" The woman asks, as she stand behind the registration desk.

"Swan." He answers.

"Emma and David Swan." Emma clarifies.

Both women look up as they hear a voice behind them say, "Emma and David." The twins whip their heads around to see an elderly man with a cane standing right behind them.

"What lovely names." He smiles.

"Thanks." Emma says. He smirks. The elderly woman opens a draw and takes a wad of cash out, holding it out to the man.

"It's all here." She trembles.

"Yes, yes, of course. Yes, dear, thank you." He grabs the wad from her, as the twins watch the interaction. He takes a pause before turning to them.

"You enjoy your stay…" He tells them. "Emma. David." They look at him with confused expressions, but say nothing, feeling the atmosphere becoming very eerie. He smiles tightly at the younger woman before leaving out the front door. Then, the twins turn back to the elderly woman.

"Who's that?" Emma nonchalantly asks her.

"Mr. Gold. He owns the place." The younger woman explains as she cautiously peeks out the front window.

"The inn?" David asks.

"No. The town." The elderly woman says. There is a glimpse of fear that shine in her eyes, before she shakes her head and adopts a calm expression. "So how long will be with us?"

David opens his mouth, but Emma immediately answers, "A week. Just a week." David rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

"Great!" She tells them, reaching into cubbies and handing them very old-timey looking keys. "Welcome to Storybrooke."

Meanwhile on the other side of town, Henry leans against his bedroom window, gazing out at the clock tower. He stares intently, encouraging the hand to move. "Come on, come on," he mentally encourages it. After what seems like an eternity, the unexpected occurs. The minute hand moves! Henry's eyes brighten and a large grin spreads across his face.

"I knew it."

Thoughts?