Author's Note: Alright, so this update has been a long time coming. I'm in the Real Actual Adult World now, which involves working, and also getting more serious about my actual writing. But fanfic's still a good outlet, and a good writer's block cure, so I've tried to just keep that to oneshots and mental activity but…alas. I had this story all planned out and I don't want to let go of it. And some people still mention it, so…if anyone's still out there, heere's an update.

Important Thing to Keep in Mind: I started this story about three fourths of the way into season one, and I had pretty much planned out the whole thing. That means any information that we found out this season, or in the last few episodes, doesn't apply (primarily in terms of curse breaking, the way magic works in Storybrooke, etc). Some episodes ended up coincidentally proving things I'd thought up right, while completely contradicting others.

Chapter Eleven

I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name
Like a fool at the top of my lungs
Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright
But it's never enough

Cause my echo, echo
Is the only voice coming back
My shadow, shadow
Is the only friend that I have

Emma wins the sheriff election without really noticing. She carries the badge – his badge - around with her, but doesn't wear it, preferring to keep her deputy badge. She stubbornly tells anyone who asks that she's only acting sheriff, just doing the job until Graham gets back, no matter what any official documents say.

Because she knows now that he's alive, and that knowledge has saved her.

In the two weeks since the fire, much to Mary Margaret and David's relief, Emma has lost some of that dazed disconnection with the world around her. Now she's all fierce, determined purpose, obsessively running her investigation like a machine.

Mary Margaret and David have gotten in the habit of going by the sheriff station every night after dinner; Emma rarely returns to the apartment before dark anymore.

Tonight, they eat dinner at Granny's, and cross the street to the station carrying takeout for Emma.

Her eyes flit up when they walk, but the "Hi," she gives them is crisp and perfunctory.

"Brought you dinner," Mary Margaret sits the bag on Emma's desk.

"Thanks." Again, the politeness is cursory, and Emma's eyes settle on David. "Anything?"

He shakes his head. "She didn't even leave the office all morning."

As always, David hates the disappointment that flickers in Emma's eyes. She shakes it off, though, sliding her gaze to Mary Margaret. "This afternoon?"

"Her office to the house," Mary Margaret tells her, tone apologetic.

Emma exhales a sharp, frustrated breath. Ever since Regina essentially revealed she's holding Graham hostage, bringing him food and water alone, Emma's had them all surveying Regina's movements. David, who's been working part time at the animal shelter since Graham disappeared, splits the days with Emma, following Regina from home to her office and keeping an eye on the building. Mary Margaret takes over after school, and once Regina's home, Henry's under instruction to call Emma if she leaves the house before his bedtime.

Emma's eyes flit habitually to the hook where Graham's jacket is hanging. Then, forcing herself to look away, she states resolutely, "Maybe tonight."

Mary Margaret and David exchange a look. Around ten o clock, when Henry goes to bed, Emma's been taking over the watch.

"Emma," Mary Margaret begins tactfully. "You are sleeping, right?"

"I'm fine, Mare-"

"Because I'm pretty sure Regina sleeps."

"I've got it under control, there's a schedule."

Mary Margaret almost smiles. "Oh, well, as long as there's a schedule."

Emma smiles at both of them, weary but genuine. "Thanks for all this. Really."

"Of course."

David taps the bag of takeout food. "Eat this."

"I will."

They exchange goodnights, but they're halfway to the door when David stops abruptly and turns. "Oh, Emma. Something else you might want to know." She looks up expectantly. "The new guy in town, that stranger on the motorcycle…he was hanging around outside Regina's today. He talked to Henry for a little while."

Emma frowns. She's seen the guy, and heard Henry's exclamations over the novelty of someone new coming to Storybrooke. It's stupid, but she feels privately resentful of him, his dark stubble and leather jacket and the timing of his entrance, sweeping in just after Graham disappeared.

"How long's a little while?"

"I don't know, about ten minutes? Until Regina came out."

"And this guy, he was just parked outside the house?"

"Looked like it."

Emma runs a hand through her hair, overwhelmed. The last thing she needs is an entirely new person to worry about, to watch. "Alright, thanks. I'll look into it."

~(OUAT)~

Emma sits behind a wall of shrubbery, across the street and one house over from the mayor's sprawling home. The ground's damp, so she's spread her jacket over the grass. The downside is, she's cold in just a tank top and jeans, so she's shivering and hugging herself in the cool, crisp night.

She used to try parking down the street, alternately borrowing Mary Margaret or David's car (the squad car and her own yellow bug being very conspicuous vehicles) for the watch.

But after nearly two weeks of watching, Emma's grown afraid of attracting attention…as well as less hopeful about needing to follow Regina quickly when she leaves.

None of their watches have turned up anything helpful. Regina moves from her house to her office, with occasional stops by the town hall or Granny's or the grocery store or her father's grave, and back again. There's no sneaking off to some mysterious location, even though she's supposedly been bringing Graham food and water.

There's a voice in the back of Emma's mind that likes to wonder aloud if Regina, having never intended for Emma to know Graham was alive, simply reversed that decision after the fire. She can't think like that, won't let herself.

Besides, if Regina's going to the trouble to keep him as a hostage, there's a reason for it.

Yet it doesn't make sense. They've readjusted the schedule several times, and for at least the past four days, there've been no gaps in their surveillance of Regina. Her house and her office building have been thoroughly searched.

So when is she sneaking off to Graham?

Hunched in the bushes, Emma lets her mind wander, turning over the only possible explanation that's occurred to her: that Regina has help. It's possible she was lying about being the only one who could keep Graham alive, that being the crux of her argument for Emma to save her from the fire.

But who's her accomplice?

Mr. Gold seems the most likely Storybrooke resident to participate in such illicit activity. But he'd just helped Emma beat Regina and her candidate in the election, so he obviously isn't working with her. Unless that was all a ruse to make sure Emma didn't suspect him…

Her head hurts. Paranoia is seeping in.

Sidney. He was Regina's candidate , and seems the closest thing she has to a right hand man. Emma makes a mental note to talk to Mary Margaret and David, maybe switch the surveillance to Sidney for a couple days.

Thinking of her roommate and her boyfriend reminds Emma what David said earlier.

That stranger on the motorbike might be worth investigating, as well.

~(OUAT)~

Graham doesn't sleep much anymore.

At least, not at any regular intervals. His cell is dark, always, and he can't hold onto any sense of day or night, or even time passing. Regina's visits to drop off food and tease him on Emma's current mental state have no semblance of regularity.

It's starting to eat away at him, all that quiet, the long stretch of time that all runs together, the cramped space of the tiny cell. Sometimes, Graham can feel himself losing focus, his sense on reality falling away.

In those moments, he picks a memory to live in, and it brings him back.

Their first date, eating grilled cheese on the floor of his apartment, Emma, soaking wet and wearing one of his shirt, beautiful in firelight.

Emma waking up in his jail cell, the day after they met, disheveled and pissed and so damn amusing.

Her hand on his chest, eyes soft and compassionate and reassuring, showing him the thump of his heartbeat.

Henry hugging him at the hospital after Emma woke up.

Waking up one morning to find Emma, flat on her back in bed beside him, giggling like a child as Prince walked gingerly across her chest.

Graham's terrified of running out of memories, so he calls them up sparingly, only sinking into them in times of real panic. As long as there is more to remember, he can keep going. He can stay focused on why he has to survive this.

~(OUAT)~

Emma goes home to sleep for about two hours, the time between Henry waking up for school and when she has to be at the station.

Prince curls up beside her, an orange huddle on Graham's pillow. Later, when she puts the slowly growing kitten down on the floor of the station, Prince makes a beeline for Graham's desk, hopping onto his chair and settling in, his green eyes wide and reproachful on Emma. It feels like Prince is constantly asking her the same question: where is he?

There's other work to do, other calls to take, paperwork to file (she imagines Graham teasing her about actually having to do paperwork now that he's gone). But as always, Emma feels unsettled when she isn't doing something directly related to finding Graham. Even knowing that David's taken over the watch by now and has eyes on Regina, she feels restless.

Emma picks up the phone and calls him, deciding they should talk about switching their surveillance to Sideny sooner rather than later; it's been over a week, and Regina's routine hasn't varied in the slightest.

He picks up a nanosecond after the first ring. "Emma?"

"Hey, how's it going?"

"She hasn't left her office, but I've got eyes on it."

"Don't worry about it," Emma sighs, the slightest bit of guilt seeping into her tone. They've wasted a lot of time watching Regina. "She's obviously not going to see him regularly…which means she has someone else do it."

"That's a good point. So who should we start watching?" David's reply is immediate, and Emma feels a rush of gratitude toward him.

A month ago, she'd have laughed at the idea of relying so much on David. But he's been a rock through all of this. While Mary Margaret is usually who she goes to for comfort and empathy, David is the best at calming her down, at making her believe that maybe it is going to be okay, of never failing to remind her that she isn't alone in this.

"I thought maybe we'd start with Sidney?" She doesn't mean for it to come out as a question. "He seems to do whatever she says."

"That's a good idea," David replies, and he sounds genuine. "Want to start today?"

"Yeah, can you meet me at the diner? We can figure out how to adjust the schedule and…I really need coffee."

There's a beat, and she can hear the concern in his voice, how badly he wants to ask her if she slept. But he doesn't ask. Instead, he only says, "Sure. I'll meet you in ten minutes?"

"Great. David…" Emma pauses, and there's a heartbeat of hesitation before she adds quietly, "Thanks."

She hopes he knows she isn't just talking about today.

~(OUAT)~

Emma gets to Granny's before David, but her brain is fuzzy and weak and thus crying out for caffeine; she's about to go to the counter and order when she notices who's sitting in the corner booth.

The stranger, the new guy, that dude with the motorcycle. Whatever his name is, people are definitely talking about him, enough to support Henry's claim that visitors to Storybrooke (Emma excluded) are a rarity.

And he's staring at Emma. Not even trying to disguise it.

Annoyance knifes through her, and Emma turns on her heel, changing directions from the counter and approaching his booth. The stranger smiles as if he was just waiting for her to approach him, and that just makes Emma angrier.

"Do you know who I am?" she asks him brusquely, leveling a glare at him.

"Who are you?" he asks gamely, though in a tone that suggests he's only humoring her.

"Emma Swan. Acting sheriff," she grits out in terse phrases.

"Acting sheriff? I thought I read that you were just elected."

Emma ignores that, retorting coolly, "This is the part where you tell me who you are."

He grins pleasantly. "No, thanks. Why are you so interested, anyway?"

"You were talking to Henry."

For a moment, the stranger's face is blank with incomprehension; then, realization strikes. "You mean the little kid who came up to me asking me questions?"

Emma narrows her eyes. Her suspicion and distrust are closer to the surface than ever these days. "What were you doing outside his house?"

"My bike broke down."

She's trying to remember the exact day he arrived. Was it right after the fire? Did Regina call him in, suspecting Emma would start watching her?

"Do you know Regina?"

"Not personally, no. Heard she's the mayor."

Emma grits her teeth in frustration, her eyes roving the stranger and his booth. They fall on the box sitting beside him on the booth; from what she's gathered, it's been the subject of much speculation, as the stranger is never seen without it.

"What's in your mysterious box?"

He scrutinizes her for the moment, far too much enjoyment on his face. He can see that she wants information, badly. Finally, he replies smoothly, "Let me buy you a drink sometime and I'll tell you."

Immediately Emma's face grows hot, a strange fluttering of panic starting in her chest. That's the last thing she'd expected. "I'm…I'm with someone. I'm involved."

"Really? Oh, right, the former sheriff, wasn't it? Thought I heard he isn't around anymore."

The crack of her palm against his cheek is ringing in her ears before she even registers what she's doing. Instantly, though, Emma's in motion, her hands seizing then neck of his shirt, one foot propped against the edge of his booth as she shoves him awkwardly against the wall.

"What the hell do you know about Graham?! Tell me what you know." Emma's voice is raw and loud and inching toward hysteria. The whole diner is silent, watching.

"I-I, n-nothing! I don't know anything!, I swear!" The stranger's eyes are huge, expression genuinely taken aback and a little frightened. "I, I'm a writer, look, I'm just a writer…" He slides his arm under hers and clicks open the box with shaky fingers. There's an old typewriter inside. "When I go to new towns I ask around about the biggest…scandals and gossip. That's all."

Slowly, Emma releases her grip on him and straightens up. Her breaths are harsh and shallow, her whole body shaking with adrenaline. "Your name," she grits out, a demand.

"August," the stranger replies immediately. "August W. Booth. Okay?"

August W. Booth is looking at her like she's insane, and in truth Emma is starting to feel the slightest bit crazy.

A hand comes to rest on her shoulder, and she turns to see David, eyes soft with worry. "C'mon, Emma." He steers her away gently and, glancing over his shoulder, meets Ruby's eyes. "Ruby, can we get a coffee?"

Emma's moving away when she hears David say coldly, "Stay away from her. And stay away from Henry."

They stand by the door and wait for coffee, which Ruby brings out to Emma and tells her not to worry about it when she shakily tries to pull out money. The kindness in Ruby's eyes, and the look she gives David, make Emma wonder how messed up she actually seems; she hasn't looked in the mirror in days.

David follows Emma out of Grannys, and she can feel the weight of his gaze on her. After a moment of scrutinizing, even though he generally leaves these kind of observations to Mary Margaret, he says, "Emma, you need sleep."

"I slept this morning."

"For how long?" When she doesn't answer, David continues, "Okay. Here's what's going to happen. Tonight, I'll take watch on Sidney." Emma opens her mouth to protest, but David raises his voice just a notch and continues, "And this afternoon we'll sit down with Mary Margaret and figure out how we're going to do this. We'll rotate nights."

"David, I can't ask you guys to do that-"

"You aren't asking," he counters firmly. "And neither am I. This is what's going to happen."

~(OUAT)~

Henry walks out of the school and immediately begins scanning for Emma.

Operation Cobra's been busy lately, with all efforts focused on finding Graham. Henry has to be home by the time the Queen gets back, and has to stay there, watching her, until he goes to bed, so there are only a few hours between that and school that he can see Emma.

So she's been meeting him after school, and instead of taking the bus home, he walks to the station with Emma. Sometimes they get ice cream, and Henry hangs out at the station, and for a few hours Emma pretends things are normal.

Today, though, Emma's not alone. David's beside her, and Henry's eyes light up. David's usually still on surveillance duty after school, until Mary Margaret gets there.

He runs toward them, excitement slipping into his voice. "Did you guys find something?"

Emma grimaces a little, but then forces a smile. "No, David just has to talk to Mary Margaret."

David grins down at the boy. "How's it going, Henry?"

"Fine."

"Glad to hear it." He touches Emma's arm. "We'll meet you at the station, okay?"

"Okay." Then, to Henry, she says, "C'mon, kid, let's go."

They start off, and when Emma asks him how school was, Henry has stories ready. He and Miss Blanchard have talked about this. He can ask her or David all the worried questions about Graham he wants, but with Emma, he talks about other things. He is her distraction, the only one that can give her a slight mental break from constant worry.

But today, Emma brings it up when they're nearly outside the station. "Henry, listen…I really, really appreciate what you've done, helping us keep an eye on your mom-"

"The queen," Henry corrects sharply, eyes flashing. He's been even more unforgiving toward Regina since Graham disappeared.

"Right," Emma agrees tiredly. "You've done really well. But you don't have to anymore."

Henry's eyebrows knit together. "What? Why?"

Emma stops walking to look down at him. "I still want you to let us know if you happen to notice her leaving at night or anything but…you don't have to keep watch the whole time."

"How come?"

"Well, she hasn't gone anywhere, kid. Not for nearly two weeks. We think someone else must be checking in on Graham, so…we're going to follow Sidney for awhile."

Henry's eyes light up. "Oh, yeah! That's a good idea…" He starts fumbling around in his backpack, pulling out the bulky storybook. "Cause Sidney's the genie, and he became the mirror…and he'll do whatever the Queen says-"

Emma closes the book gently, her stomach knotting up like it always does when they talk about the curse; it's impossible to hear about fairytales without remembering her last fight with Graham.

"Henry, remember what we talked about? We're not going to focus on the curse for awhile. Not until we find Graham."

"I wasn't…" The slightest bit of hurt fills Henry's eyes, and Emma's throat narrows with guilt. Before she can apologize, Henry lowers his eyes and says, "I know you don't really believe in the curse. Graham said it's a lot for someone like you to take on faith…he said we needed proof."

Emma's whole body goes rigid. "When…when did Graham say that?"

"I don't know. Two weeks before you were in the hospital, I guess? But we talked about it all the time."

Emma feels vaguely dizzy. "All…all the time?"

"Yeah. He remembered, Emma. After you kissed him, he remembered being the Huntsman and saving Snow White and getting his heart taken by the Queen…he didn't know a lot about the curse, because he was her captive the whole time she was planning it, so I told him everything the book said about it, about how you're the savior. He said he'd help me find proof, but we never got to…"

"Hey, guys."

Emma and Henry both turn; Mary Margaret and David have caught up with them, and both immediately give Emma a concerned look when they see her expression.

"Everything okay?"

Somehow, Emma finds her voice. "Yeah, we're good."

Mary Margaret meets her eye. "David said you wanted to work out the new plan?"

Recovering herself, Emma nods, her voice stronger when she replies, "Yeah, let's go inside the station and talk about it?"

"Sure…" Mary Margaret's eyes dart to Henry, questioning.

"Hey, kid…." Emma kneels down beside him, taking both his hands in hers. "I'm sorry about the curse, and the book…I know you're just trying to help."

"It's okay."

Emma smiles at him, and lets go of his hands to ruffle his hair. "Here…" She fishes some money out of her wallet and hands him the crumpled bills. "Can you run across to Granny's and have a hot chocolate while I talk to Mary Margaret and David? And then we can talk some Operation Cobra, I promise."

"It's alright," Henry tells her. "Finding Graham is part of Operation Cobra."

"Good." Emma stands. "We won't be long."

~(OUAT)~

Graham jerks awake after about two minutes of sleep. He's so used to the quiet of the cell, that he's become attuned to the tiniest unusual noise.

Now, the slight creak somewhere above him is enough to alert Graham that Regina will be appearing in a few moments.

Sure enough, she descends the staircase and steps out of the shadows, the usual look on her face: a polite smirk badly concealing her utter glee at having him at this position.

"Huntsman," she greets him, inclining her head.

Graham backs away to the corner of his cell, the muscles in his face clenching tight. He tries not to say much to her anymore, doesn't want to give her the satisfaction.

Regina pushes a tray of food and two bottles of water under the bars. She watches him, seeming to wait for him to approach the food.

Graham doesn't move, even though his stomach feels clenched and aching with hunger.

When the silence goes on for awhile, Regina says, provocatively, "Thought you'd want an update on your replacement sheriff." When he says nothing, she continues, "She's still looking for you. It's sweet, though getting a bit pathetic." Graham digs his teeth into his lower lip. "She won't find you."

There's something about Regina's tone that crawls the length of his spine. Like she's not just taunting him, but letting him in on some knowledge she's been withholding.

Before he can stop himself, Graham lurches forward, crossing the cell in three long strides and gripping the bars, narrowing his eyes at Regina. "If you touch her…"

"Again with the empty threats." Regina smiles, amused. "All I mean is…she can't find you. No matter how hard she looks."

He doesn't want to rise to the bait, but Graham's weak. He's starving for information about Emma, for some sort of hint of what Regina has planned. "And…why…is that?"

Regina chuckles slightly. "Oh, I suppose…I suppose I can tell you. It makes no difference if you know, as there's clearly nothing you can do about it."

And suddenly, Regina waves a hand, a careless, dismissive gesture…and Graham goes hurtling against the opposite wall of his cell, as if some invisible force picked him up and flung him.

Graham stares up at Regina, wide eyed and crumpled in the corner.

She tosses her hair, dark eyes glinting. "This is the only spot in Storybrooke where there's magic left. So I was able to take some precautions." The whites of her teeth flash. "Namely…you can't get in here, or even see that it's there if you don't believe that the magic exists." Regina pauses, letting that sink in. "And we both know, that's not going to happen with your deputy any time soon."

~(OUAT)~

He's waiting for his hot chocolate to cool down when Ruby sets a plate in front of him, too large, warm chocolate chip cookies, which she says are on the house.

Henry thanks her, but his smile falls away immediately, and he props his chin in his hands and sighs.

He misses Graham. And he misses Emma being happy. And the evenings he spent with Emma and Graham, Mary Margaret and David…the warmth of the apartment, the ease and the laughter and the feeling of family.

And Henry feels guilty, every day, because he's the only one who really knows the truth about who they all are and what happened to them, and yet he can't figure out why the queen has Graham.

Suddenly, someone comes up beside him. "You have way too much chocolate in front of you to look so sad, kid."

Henry glances over. Usually, he's curious about this man, the only stranger the town has seen besides Emma, but he's not in the mood. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," he says, tone a little snarky. "And you won't tell anyone your name."

"It's August," he answers easily, sitting on the stool beside him. "And you're Henry."

Henry doesn't ask how he knows this, just stares moodily into his hot chocolate.

"You know, Henry…it's none of my business, but I don't think you're gonna find the answers you want in the bottom of that mug."

"Then where?"

"That book in your bag."

Henry lifts his eyes, suspicious.

"You know I'm a writer. So I'm partial to finding my answers in literary form."

Henry bites his lip, uncertain, and suddenly wary of sharing too much with a stranger. "It's just a book."

"Is it?"

"Yeah."

August pauses, and then his voice drops, heavy with significance. "I think we both know that's not the case."

Henry goes very still, then slowly lifts his eyes to look at August. "What do you know about it?"

"I know it's a book of stories."

"Aren't all books?" Henry shoots back, testing him.

"Stories that really happened," August finishes, eyebrows shooting up.

Finally, Henry's eyes light up, hoope and . "You think my book is real?"

"As real as I am."

"How do you know?" Henry doesn't understand. Graham was able to remember because he was cursed, had been part of the book. But August came from somewhere else, so he'd obviously never been cursed…

"Let's just say that I'm a believer," August says enigmatically. "And I want to help others see the light. That, my friend, is why I'm here."

"But I already believe."

"I'm not here for you, buddy." Henry winces a little at the name, momentarily thinking of Graham. "I'm here for Emma."

"So you want to get her to believe?" Henry clarifies. "What if you just tell her?"

"Well…there are some people, like you and me, we can go on faith. But others, like Emma, they need proof."

"Yeah…" Henry's shoulders drop. "That's pretty much what Graham said."

"Graham?"

"Yeah, he's the Hunstman. The one who let Snow White go?" Henry checks with August, who nods in recognition. "He's Emma's boyfriend, but he's missing. The Queen has him."

"Right, the sheriff." August pauses, considering. "So he…he believed you? About the curse?"

"Belives," Henry corrects tersely. "And yes. He remembered who he is, once he and Emma started kissing."

August arches an eyebrow. "True love's kiss, huh?"

"Yeah." Henry lowers his eyes again. "She's been pretty sad."

"Hmm…." August is quiet for a bit, seeming to consider all of this. Finally, he continues, "Don't worry, pal. I'm gonna work on Emma, okay? And I think once I help her believe…I can help her find Graham…and then maybe even break that curse."

~(OUAT)~

A/N: One more important thing to note, it was always my intention with this story for some actual events in season one to still occur (like August coming to town) but occur differently based on certain circumstances of this AU. For example, you won't be seeing the whole 'Regina frames MM for murder plot" because A) Regina has enough going on what with keeping Graham hostage and B) Mary Margaret and David got together much earlier and without nearly the complication with David's wife. In a similar vein, August will show up, but Emma may respond to him very differently because of what's going on with Graham, and what she's already heard about the curse.

Phew. Now, if you stayed with me through all the hiatus and all the rambling….REVIEW.