Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT, just my OC Alice.

True North

"What are you reading?" Henry glanced up to see a blonde girl about his age.

"The Hulk versus Wolverine," he answered a little taken back at how pretty she was, his eye found Paige's as she joined Henry's side, biting back a giggle when she saw his panicked look.

"I'm Ava," The blonde introduced as she looked at them; "I kept seeing you two around the school. You're both in Miss Blanchard's class, right?" The two friends exchanged confused looks before smiling and nodding at the stranger. A boy about their age as well walked up to them.

"Almost ready, Ava?" The boy asked joining the girl's side

"This is my brother Nicholas." She nodded at him. Paige gave him a warm smile.

"Hi," He said briefly before turning to his sister, "Come on, let's go." Ava turned back to the other two.

"You wanna come hang out?" Ava asked. Paige suddenly became slightly alert as she watched Ava.

"Henry I don't think-" She tried but Henry agreed and picked up his back. He looked at her and nodded towards the other two kids, urging Paige to join them.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" The clerk stopped the three kids, Paige still standing in the same spot, before sneezing and pointing at Henry, "Open up your bag."

"What?" Henry asked clearly confused at his demand.

"Don't think I didn't see you robbing," He accused and Paige watched suspiciously as she saw the two siblings exchange worried glances, "Open your bag."

"But, I didn't take anything," Henry exclaimed looking at Paige for help. Paige quickly came by his side just as Mr. Clark reached into his bag and pulled out a couple chocolate bars.

"A liar too," Mr. Clark looked at the kids in disappointment.

"That's why you talked to us," Paige concluded looking at Ava in disbelief, "So your brother could put the stuff in Henry's bag."

"Henry, I'm shocked," Mr. Clark said looking between the two innocent kids before turning on Ava and Nicholas, "And you two, just who do you think you are?" Paige was wondering the exact same thing.

"A fine specimen," The woodcutter commented as he stood over the fallen tree. Gretel and Grace soon joined him. It had been months since both her parents had been gone, when her mama had promised she'd bring papa back. The nice lady, Glinda had found her a temporary family to stay with until her parents returned, "The wood it provides will keep our family's hearth for warm this winter."

"Can I try the axe?" Grace piped up as Gretel gave her a confused look. That was hardly lady like, but Grace grew up in a family that raised her to never be afraid of speaking your mind.

"Huh?" He looked at the girl with a mixture of amusement and confusion as well.

"You did want our help yes?" Grace confirmed with a tilt of her head.

"That I did," He laughed at the young girl's wit, "Here's your task ladies, take the cart, go fill it with kindling, the drier the better."

"Okay," Gretel nodded, grabbing Grace's hand towards the cart.

"And Gretel, have your brother accompany you two," He added.

"Okay," Gretel said walking side by side with Grace, who pushed the cart.

"Wait," He called out as he walked closer to his daughter. Grace stood aside watching sadly, "Take this." He placed a compass around Gretel's neck. Everything always reminded her of mama and papa, and this compass was no different. Even though she was with a new family, it was no home. There may have been Hansel and Gretel, but Grace had never felt lonelier then with this family.

"Your compass?" Gretel smiled, oblivious to the teary eyed girl behind her; Grace quickly wiped the single tear that fell before trying to put on a strong face.

"So you won't get lost," He smiled down at his daughter with adoration, "A family always needs to be able to find one another." At that Grace let a sad smile appear. She truly hoped that that was true.

"Go. Be safe," He looked at the three, bringing Grace into his attention as well. Grace pushed the cart as hard as she could as Hansel and Gretel followed.

"It's getting late," Grace took notice, papa usually had her inside after sunset, and "We should head back." Hansel paid no attention to the girl as he toyed around with his sling. Gretel took notice of this and yanked the toy out of her brother's hand.

"Hey! Give it back!" He protested, "Come on, Gretel, give it back."

"No Hansel, Grace is right; we need to get back to father." Gretel argued and her brother looked at the two girls in defeat.

"Fine," He said. Gretel took the compass into her hands and lead the way.

"Follow me," Hansel looked at Grace, hoping she shared the same annoyance for his sister as he did. Grace gave him a meek shrug before pushing the cart after Gretel. Hansel let out and annoyed huff before following the two.

The three returned to the spot where the father should've been, only it was empty.

"Where's your father?" Grace asked, not liking how the sinking feeling began to form in her stomach.

"This is where we left him," Gretel said worriedly as she looked around in confusion.

"So why isn't he here?" Hansel asked looking at his sister for guidance.

"Father?" Hansel and Gretel began shouting for their father when Grace heard something in the distance.

"Guys," She urged them to follow her in the direction of the noise as they continued to call out for the missing man. The three ran out thinking they heard him and stopped when they reached the road of the Enchanted Forest. Gretel quickly backed up and Grace noticed something behind her.

"Gretel watch out!" Grace warned as she fell before two of the Queen's knights. Gretel looked up in fright as Hansel and Grace joined her side. She looked down and noticed that the compass broke in her hands. How was she ever to find father now? The knight ran to their side pulling the two kids up and shoving them towards Grace.

"Get up!" Grace placed both hands on their shoulders as they tried to balance themselves after being man handled by the dark man. Another knight came off his horse grabbing Hansel and Gretel by the sleeves of their shirts and the other grabbed Grace by her collar. Both men pulled the three children towards the black carriage before letting them go to open the door. Grace felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up when she realized it was the Queen who was in the carriage. The Queen looked at the two strange kids in disgust when she noticed the other familiar girl with the very, very familiar brown eyes.

"What are you doing in my forest?"

"I'm sorry, madam mayor, but your son was shoplifting." Mr. Clark informed Regina as she and Alice stood in the shop. Paige had Mr. Clark call Alice, knowing the kind woman would always come for her. Her foster parents were always too busy with work to give her the slightest bit of attention since they adopted her. Alice stood behind Paige with two comforting hands on her shoulders.

"Were you?" Regina looked at Henry for confirmation. Henry quickly shook his head.

"Well, look for yourself," Mr. Clark pointed at Henry's backpack, along with the goods that were taken. Alice shook her head in disbelief.

"I highly doubt the mayor's son would have the need to steal candies," Alice defended before Paige piped up, "Henry's better than that." Regina looked at the two with a blank expression before grabbing Henry's backpack and zipping it up.

"It's obviously those two," Regina looked at them with slight disgust, "We're going." Just as she and Henry were about to leave, Emma entered the pharmacy.

"Henry," She said in shock as she looked back up at Regina, "What happened?"

"Miss Swan, must I remind you that genetics mean nothing," Regina started and Alice rolled her eyes at her lecture. She's pretty sure that this was what? The tenth time Regina's recited this, "You are not his mother and it's all taken care of."

"She's the sheriff," Alice said blankly as Grace concealed her smile at the woman's bluntness, "She's supposed to be here." Emma felt a little smug as Regina realized.

"Oh that's right." Regina recalled, "Go on, do your job." Emma brushed passed her, "Take care of those miscreants." Emma looked at Alice and down at Paige.

"I'll take her home, don't worry about it." Alice said. Emma nodded as the two made their way towards the door. Paige looked back one last time and she could've sworn the two siblings gave her a look of help and desperation.

"We didn't mean to disrupt your journey," Grace apologized first. She remembered mama and papa talking about how dangerous the Queen was. Crossing her was the one thing you did not want to do.

"Please forgive us," Gretel pleaded, "We're just, we just lost our father." The Queen tore her eyes away from Grace and looked at the other two in fake sympathy.

"Two helpless children, lost and alone, a family asunder," She turned to the black sheep of the three, "And the lonely love child, left alone in such cruel world. Such a sad and moving story." Grace felt her heart clench at that. "Guards," Grace reached for the sling in Gretel's bag as the Queen turned their back on them. She was her parents' child; she had picked up a few tricks up her sleeve when it came to making an escape, "Seize them."

"Both of you run!" Grace shouted as she pulled out the sling as the two siblings ran. She managed to launch a stone at one of the guards before following after the two siblings who waited for her at the edge of the forest. The three made their escape as the Evil Queen stopped her guards and watched after them.

The three thought they had made their escape before a cloud of purple smoke blocked their path. The Evil Queen appeared before them, laughing.

"Running from me is foolish," The Queen laughed as she smirked at Grace, "I thought you're parents taught you better than that." Grace stood in her spot, knowing it was useless to even attempt to escape again, but Hansel and Gretel made a run for it only to be caught by tree roots controlled by the Queen.

"Foolish, but also brave," She smiled wickedly as she made her way towards the two siblings, "And that bravery, may just have saved you and your family's lives." She removed the tree roots. Grace stared at the evil woman in confusion. Her papa told her that the Queen had been good once, but at this very moment, she doubted the Evil Queen had done this out of the kindness of her heart.

"You, you're letting us go?" Gretel quickly glanced at Grace in confusion before returning her attention to the Queen.

"Oh, I am doing so much more than that," She smiled as the two got back up on their feet, "I am going to find your father."

"You are?" Hansel asked in hope.

"Why?" Grace asked, genuinely curious.

"Because the three of you are going to do something for me." Grace knew it. Part of her wanted to tell the others just leave and keep away from the Queen, but the other part of her knew that if this was her papa or mama, she would go to the end of the world to bring them back home.

"And then, you're going to take us home," Gretel said hesitantly. We'll see about that.

"Please don't take me home," Paige suddenly begged as the two walked out on the sidewalk.

"Paige," Alice exclaimed in shock, "You're parents are probably worried. Did you even tell them where you were going after school today?" Paige looked down at her shoes. Alice bent down and lifted the young girl's chin to get her to make eye contact.

"Hey," She said softly, tears brimmed in Paige's eyes which worried her even more, "Is everything okay Paige?" Paige shook her head strongly.

"It doesn't feel like home with them," Paige cried, "They may be my foster parents but they don't feel like family. You do, you're my family."

"Oh Paige," Alice pulled her into a tight embrace, "Don't say that. You're parents love you."

I love you. Alice tensed for a second. It took all her self-control not to take Paige back home and away from her parents. No Alice, her family is her family, even if it's by law. Family doesn't leave each other. Her heart gave a slight tug at that and she couldn't help but feel immensely guilty. She pulled away from Paige before wiping the young girl's tears with her sleeve.

"I'll take you back to my place for some tea okay. But straight home afterwards alright?" Paige felt her spirits being lifted as she nodded and smiled at Alice.

"Do you know them? Do they go to your school?" Emma asked Paige as the two, Mary Margaret, and Alice stood a few feet from the two siblings. Paige held the warm mug of tea in her hands and shook her head.

"I've seen them around," Paige shrugged, never taking her eyes off the two kids. Something about them seemed so familiar. Emma turned to Mary Margaret who shrugged.

"I had no idea, no one ever did," She answered glancing over at Alice and Paige. Mary Margaret knew the two were close but now that they were standing side by side, she was awestruck. If it was anybody else looking at them, they would've assumed that it was a mother daughter duo. The intense glassy eyed look they shared at the moment as they stared at the siblings was so similar; it made Mary Margaret slightly uncomfortable. They were so alike and she didn't know why.

"Ava and Nicholas Zimmer," Emma read the profile, breaking Mary Margaret from her little analysis, "So their mother was someone named Dory Zimmer. She died a few years ago," Mary Margaret and Alice shared a solemn look, "No one seems to know her of remember her."

"Their father?" Alice asked, hoping that there was a more hopeful answer.

"There isn't one," Emma said, making Alice shake her head sadly, "at least not one that they know."

"What is that? What does social services say?" Mary Margaret questioned. Emma paused, looking between her and Alice.

"You didn't report them," A voice came from below them. The three women looked at Paige who had yet to tear her eyes away from the other two kids. Her tone was not judgmental nor was it chastising. It almost sounded like she was hopeful that Emma didn't report them. Mary Margaret and Alice broke their shocked gaze from Paige and directed a pointed look at Emma.

"I report them, I can't help them," Emma whispered, "They're going to the system."

"The system that's supposed to help," Mary Margaret argued.

"Yeah, says the woman who wasn't in it for sixteen years," Alice noticed the desperate look in Emma's eyes, "Do you know what happens? They get thrown into homes where they earn a meal ticket, nothing more. These families get paid for these kids and as soon as they're too much work, they get tossed out and all starts over again."

"But then not all are like that," Mary Margaret tried, but even she didn't sound so certain.

"No," Paige piped in making them look at her, "I haven't gotten thrown out yet."

"Paige," Alice started softly, but Paige quickly diverted her attention to the cup in her hands.

"I wanna look for their father," Emma said gazing sadly at the girl before her, "They don't know him. He may not know they exist."

"And you think if he knows, he'll take them back," Alice concluded, her hand rubbing Paige's back in a comforting motion.

"I don't know," Emma said uncertainly, "But what I do know is that it's hard enough finding foster families to take one kid that isn't theirs, let alone two. It's the best shot, or…"

"…we're gonna be separated?" A voice came from behind them. They all turned around and noticed tears in Ava's eyes.

"No, that's not gonna happen." Emma started. Ava looked conflicted as she looked between her brother and Emma.

"Please," She begged, "please don't let it."

"What is that?" The Evil Queen asked looking down at the lighter blonde. Gretel held the compass in her hand.

"My father's compass," She answered, "He gave it to me so I can find him. But now it's broken."

"When are you gonna tell us where we're going?" Hansel asked. Grace was starting to wonder the same thing.

"This is close enough," The Queen said slowing down.

"Close enough to what?" Grace asked as she looked at their surroundings.

"Much too like your mother," The Queen muttered under her breath before turning to the three children, "The home of the Blind Witch." The three exchanged a glance.

"That doesn't sound good," Gretel commented worriedly.

"She has something of mine and I need you to get it back," The Queen answered.

"What is it?" Grace asked once again. The Queen held back and eye roll. No the child was doing it just to annoy her.

"Something I need to defeat a very wicked and powerful enemy. It's kept in a black leather satchel inside her house."

"How come you can't get it yourself? Why do you need us?" Grace questioned turning to face the Queen.

"Because the house is protected by magic little girl, I can't enter," The Queen said in a condescending tone, "But luckily the spell doesn't work on children. You'll have to wait here until nightfall, and then once the witch is asleep, you can sneak in." The Queen waved her hand and stared at Grace, "You're your father's daughter, I'm sure you know how this goes." Grace narrowed her eyes at that.

"And if we do this, you promise you'll find our father?" Gretel asked.

"Oh, indeed I will," She promised, causing Gretel to nod along, "But there's one more thing. The witch's house is, unique. And because of this, you have to take a special precaution once you're inside."

"Like what?" Gretel asked hesitantly.

"No matter what you do, no matter how you're tempted, don't eat anything." The queen pushed away a leaf branch to reveal a large gingerbread house surrounded by candy.

As the three children got closer and closer to the witch's house, Gretel noticed Hansel swiping cream on his finger and went to stop him. Grace glanced back at the two and gestured them to follow her through the open window. Inside lied a room full of candies and sweets.

"Can you be sure she's sleeping?" Hansel whispered.

"I can't," Gretel responded just as quiet before chastising her brother, "You remember what the Queen said? Not even a lick."

"Guys, I found the satchel," Grace whispered pointing at the leather bag by the witch, who was sound asleep in a chair near the fire.

"What'd do you think is inside," Hansel asked as Grace slowly, but cautiously approached the satchel.

"Doesn't matter," Gretel answered as she watched her friend, "All that matters is getting it to the Queen so she can find father." Grace continued moving closer to the leather bag as Hansel moved out of the two girls' sight and closer to the cupcake. Grace paused in fright when the Witch let out a snore but continued when no further movements came from her. Grace quickly snatched the satchel away successfully and Gretel let out a small sigh of relief. The two girls turned around and to their horror, they see Hansel take a bite out of the cupcake. Gretel moved to her brother's side to stop him from continuing but it was too late. The Blind Witch was awake. Grace turned and saw what looked like human bones in front of the fireplace and her eyes urged the other two to run. As the three attempted to make their escape, the doors and windows locked.

"I smell dinner."

"Hello," Alice picked up the phone.

"Hey it's me," Emma answered, "I need you and Mary Margaret outside right away."

"Emma what's going on?" Alice asked in concern. She lowered her voice so she wouldn't catch the two sibling's attention, but Mary Margaret quickly caught on and hurried to her side.

"Is everything okay?" She whispered, but Alice merely shrugged. She looked back and saw that the four kids were enjoying themselves, completely oblivious.

"Don't say anything to the kids, but no, it's not," Emma voiced. Alice and Mary Margaret exchanged worried looks and went to meet Emma outside, not even noticing one child sneaking off.

*
"He doesn't want the kids," Emma told them.

"And you're not gonna tell them," Alice figured out.

"I can't. Because all I'll be telling them is that false hope I gave them isn't exactly that," Emma argued.

"The truth can be painful, Emma, but it can also be cathartic." Mary Margaret countered.

"I agree in the painful part," Emma added.

"It can't be that different from what you told Henry about his father, he handled that pretty well," Alice added, only she frowned when she saw a guilty look flash on Emma's face.

"I didn't tell him the truth." Emma confessed.

"What?" Mary Margaret asked in confusion.

"Henry's father was no hero and trust me, he does not need to know the real story," Emma answered honestly, "Maybe we can hide the kids, just until we can find a family for them, someone to take care of them."

"Emma, I don't think that's the idea," Alice admitted. As much as she wanted to find a good home for these kids, it was out of their reach.

"You have a better idea?" Emma turned on Alice.

"Emma, maybe there isn't an idea," Mary Margaret tried deflecting the tension, "Maybe you just have to…"

"Sheriff, shouldn't you be on the interstate?" Regina interrupted.

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked, her mood dropping even lower.

"Seeing to whether you do your job," Regina answered.

"You know that you don't have to check up on me. I know what I have to do," Emma said.

"Really?" Regina doubted, "Because those kids are supposed to be on Boston tonight."

The Blind Witch locked the gate of their little prison and attempted to grab one of them between the metal bars.

"Where are you?" The Blind Witch sang as she got a feel of Hansel's arm, "Oh, yes nice and tender. Succulent roast you'll make." She left to go check on the oven. Hansel turned to the girls terrified.

"God, she's going to cook me. We gotta do something quick." Hansel panicked and Gretel looked at Grace in help, hoping she had a solution to their problem.

"Calm down, I'm going to get us out of here and back to your father okay?" Grace whispered and the two siblings nodded, ready to follow her lead, "When she opens the cage, don't show any signs of struggle." Grace kept her eye on the Witch, who was cutting up extra ingredients, "Grab her keys and throw them to us through the bars." Just as she finished her plan, the witch moved towards them.

"She's coming, she's coming," He panicked, "I can't do it. I'm gonna die."

"Our only hope of getting out of here is you Hansel," Paige said in a soft spoken manner. Clearly knowing her brother couldn't bring himself to do it, Gretel pushed him out of the way and moved in his place. She gave Grace a weak smile and nod.

"Gravy or butter, which shall it be?" She asked, Grace wasn't sure if she was asking them or herself. The witch reached out and touched Gretel and Grace pinched Hansel to get a response out of him. Clearly convinced, she opened the gate and pulled Gretel out.

"Come with me, little boy," The witch sang. Gretel sneakily took the keys from the witch and throws them to Grace. As Grace pulled the door open, Hansel ran out and up the stairs in order to find a weapon to defend them with. The witch tied Gretel's hands together as Hansel found a cane, but he tripped on the way down the stairs. Grace's insides froze as the witch turned her head in the direction of the noise.

"Gravy or butter? Gravy or butter?" She hurled Gretel to the front, "How should I baste you?" Hansel attempted to hit the witch, but she used her magic to fling it out of his reach. Grace quickly put on the satchel, a plan brewing in her head. Hansel took a step back from her but his back hit the wall. Grace quickly reached Gretel's side, untying the knot around her hands.

"Butter it is, time to cook," The witch grabbed onto Hansel as he struggled in her grip. Gretel removed the rope around her hands and got back on her feet as Grace pushed the witch onto the tray.

"Hurry Gretel," Grace urged as the two girls pushed the witch into the oven and Gretel closed the oven door.

"Lock her in guys," Hansel said as the witch cried out. Gretel looked at Grace to see if she got the satchel and Grace responded with a nod. The three left through the door, leaving a burning witch in their midst.

"My dear children, were you successful in your task?" The Queen asked as the three children reached her.

"Yes, your majesty," Gretel answered politely.

"But we were almost dinner in the process," Grace tried to sound as polite as possible, but she knew the Queen knew that she was putting their lives at stake.

"Oh, how barbaric," The queen feigned shock as she signaled the guard to leave them in private, "Now, if I could have my satchel." Grace pulled the satchel out, handing it to her in a hesitant manner. "I've waited for a very long time for this. Let's hope you didn't let me down. Oh, you did it." Grace furrowed her eyebrows. They were almost cooked and eaten for an apple?

:

"Yeah, we did." Grace said, her tone sounded unsure now.

"You truly are your parents' daughter," Regina said, lifting the young girl's chin to look into the warmth of her brown eyes.

"We did all that, for an apple?" Hansel voiced Grace's thoughts.

"Oh, trust me, dear; this is not just an apple. It's a weapon," Grace suddenly felt very sick, she couldn't believe they went through all that trouble to obtain a weapon, a deadly one if what the Queen said was true, "a weapon for a particular and devious enemy, one who still under the delusion that she's safe." The Queen stored the apple in the containment box.

"We did what you asked, will you please return us to their father," Grace asked as politely as she could.

"Of course, to reunite your family so you can live happily ever after. You were left alone in the woods. You deserve better than a father who'd abandon you," She walked over to the two siblings before turning to Grace, "Or parents for that matter." Grace kept her head down, not wanting to respond. Her parents didn't abandon her, they were coming back. Mama had promised.

"But he is all I have." Gretel responded sadly.

"Perhaps it doesn't have to be." The Queen knelt down to their level.

"What do you mean?" Gretel asked confused.

"The three of you have impressed me. You aren't the first children that I've sent into that sticky, sweet house. But you are the first to emerge. And as a reward, I've decided to invite the three of you to live with me, here." The Queen offered.

"You mean that we get to live in a castle?" Hansel asked.

"Yes, you would have your own rooms of course, personal carriages, valets, too. All of your dreams could come true." A small hoped built up in the Queen.

"No. We want our father back. He would never abandon us. And even if he did, we would never want to live with someone as terrible as you," Gretel responded as The Queen started to get angry. Gretel glanced at Grace but saw a solemn look on her face. Why was her friend not defending them?

"Is that so?" The Queen asked, a cold mask appearing once more.

"Yes. We're going to find him, with or without your help. And when we do, we're going to prove you wrong." Gretel stood strong against her.

"We'll see about that," The Queen let a form of black smoke surround the two siblings before they disappeared.

"No!" Paige protested, running over to the spot where they were just a second ago.

"What ungrateful children," She sneered before towering over the shell shocked Paige.

"Where'd they go?" Paige cried before standing up, "What did you do to them!?"

"No harm has come to your little friends," The Queen reassured before taking a step closer to her, "They'll just be a little lost." Paige didn't like how she said that. "But you, you didn't say anything my dear. Why?" The Queen would be lying if she said this young girl didn't fascinate her.

"I," Paige hesitated before thinking of her family, "I do need a favor from you, your highness." Her hands curled a bit at the title but she knew she needed to stay calm for this to work.

"And what's that?" The Queen asked amused. Paige swallowed before looking directly into her eyes.

"I need your help to find my parents."

Paige sat in Mr. Tillman's passenger seat, her heart beating in anticipation. She fondled the metal car piece in her coat as she watched the road in front of her. After eavesdropping on the three older women, Paige had pulled something out of Emma's car. I hope it wasn't too much damage, she didn't know what exactly she pulled out, but she hoped it was enough to call for Mr. Tillman's help.

To make sure it worked, Paige asked for a ride home from Mr. Tillman, hoping to catch a phone call from Emma to see if she was successful. He had apologized for needing to make a quick stop on the way, but Paige just smiled it off. God, once Alice knew what she was up to, Paige didn't know if she'd be proud or angry for intervening. She knew for a fact her foster parents didn't care what she was doing as long as it wasn't illegal or going to stop the checks from coming in.

She could see Emma's sheriff car as the car stopped and Mr. Tillman stepped out. Paige hesitated before stepping out as well; she glanced at the two siblings who shared the same shock as Emma when they noticed her.

"You're taking them to Boston?" Mr. Tillman asked as he looked at his children for the first time.

"She doesn't have to," Paige said moving over to Emma's side.

"I don't have to," Emma confirmed. He looked at her before glancing back at the kids.

"No you don't have to," He said moving closer to the car. Emma and Paige smiled brightly before giving each other a fist bump. Paige then remembered.

"Oh, sorry about that," She said pulling out whatever the piece of metal was from her pocket. Emma looked at it in confusion as she placed it in her hand before realizing and laughing in disbelief.

"You little," Emma laughed, "Alice is gonna have a ball." The two moved over to the yellow bug, not realizing they were being watched.

"I can't believe you did that Paige," Alice said in disbelief as she walked the young girl home.

"I couldn't just do nothing," Paige shrugged, "I would want someone to do the same for me one day." Alice couldn't help but smile, she was just so wise beyond her years. Alice wrapped an arm around her.

"Well, I'm really proud of you Paige," Paige couldn't but beam at that, but her mood dropped a little when they reached her house. "I better get going; I don't think your parents would be too thrilled to see me right now." Paige frowned before wrapping her arms around Alice's waist in a tight embrace. Alice returned the embrace, instinctively placing a motherly kiss in her hair.

"I love you," Paige murmured. Something in Alice's heart broke. Maybe it was the fact that she knew, no matter how much she wanted it, Paige would never be hers. Alice brought one hand up to her face to wipe away the single tear.

"Goodnight Paige," Alice struggled to say, nudging the girl towards the door before giving a quick, but warm smile and walking away. Alice couldn't help but feel as if someone had torn her heart out and stomped all over it.

A/N

Morning babes!

Daaaaaaaang. This was probably the longest chapter I've ever written, 15 pages! I thought since Alice is a major character when it comes to the story plot, I need to amp it up with Paige as well. We never did get to see what happened to her after Jefferson left or who she was left with in Storybrooke.

I got to get out of school early yesterday cause of the little snow we got here in Texas, but I'm not complaining!

You guys will probably hate me for this but I'm planning for Regina to "intervene" with their family. *please don't kill me* I'm only doing this because, we see Regina placing Jefferson alone and away from his family. The price of him staying in a mansion with his memories is not being able to unite with his family. And since he and Alice have gotten closer, Regina might notice it *wink wink*

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Ode to a Fangirl: I'm so glad to be your first oc/Jefferson fanfiction. Popped that cherry for you ;) And I know what you mean girl, he was such an interesting character, it makes me upset that they didn't take advantage of that and give him a bigger role. You have no idea how much your review means to me! I'm glad I could capture Jefferson perfectly in your eyes!

Lady Syndra: I hope this chapter is to your satisfaction!

LostGirl97: My friends have tried to get me to watch arrow! I don't know which one to pick, that or Flash.

Ollie: I'm really happy you're enjoying this! I've been a bit stuck on how to continue it but people like you keep me moving forward! And yes I can't wait to see how Peter and Alice would interact since they're such two contradicting characters.

Instarlightinanotherworld: Thank you! I'm really flattered you think so! And thank you for having the time review as well!

TheUndeadPlayer: Yupp! I'm updating right now and the week before! AND I AM BACK WOOHOO!

HeavensWeatherHellsCompany: I'm so glad you think so! I'm getting back on my feet with this story and I'm really glad you're enjoying it!

Starrat: I'm happy that you like it! Thank you for reviewing!

MissLizziebeth: Thanks! You're feedback is motivating me to keep writing!

Stellar Nymph: And I love you for reviewing lol!

Kira Tsumi: No apologies necessary! I'm just glad you had the time to review at all! I can't wait till then either, that's whats getting me through the few filler chapters!

Guest: HAHAHA I laughed way too hard at that!

And I do apologize for not responding to reviews last chapter guys! I was caught up in the excitement of updating again XD! Forgive me my loves, it won't happen again!

xo