HELLO! Yes, I'm still alive. No, I'm not going to stop updating this story. And yes, I'm a very horrible person for not having updated in a rather long time...sorry, sorry, sorry *bows head in shame*

I'm not really sure how this happened...I wish I could give a proper explanation as to why I haven't updated this but...I've got nothing. BUT, I'm here now, and I think that makes up for that lack of updates! I've been keeping up with the new season so far of OUAT, and I'm just going to get my fan-girling out of the way. THE FEELS I HAVE! Captain Swan is hitting me so hard already, and we're only two episodes into the series. Now, with that being said, I'm afraid there will be no Captain Swan love in this story...for obvious reasons ^_^ However, I am going to definitely be doing something with Emma, because she's honestly my favorite and because she deserves a happy ending!

Thank you to everyone who's been waiting for this story. I'm sorry to keep you hanging, but like I said before: I'm here now! Hopefully I won't be doing that again (sadly, I won't make any promises). Thank you to those who have reviewed as well! I really am happy that you guys are all liking this story! I've been trying to keep up with reviewers and making sure I say my thanks personally, but I've sort of dropped the ball with that and updating this and everything as a whole, so I just want to make sure you guys know how much I appreciate you and how much I hope you do continue to read this story and like it! I'll be starting over with my review replies with this chapter! Think of this chapter as a refresher LOL.

Sorry, I've babbled enough. Thank you again for sticking around and for all the support! And I'm really, really am sorry about the long wait! I hope you guys like this chapter! I've been workin hard!

Now, on with the reading!

Second Chance

Scarlett was fuming.

Sitting at Granny's, the auburn-haired woman tapped the tip of her fingers against the booth table, her companion watching her with a careful and cautious eye.

Where to even begin with what was wrong with Scarlett?

It had taken a full night to catch Scarlett up on what had been going on in Mary Margaret's life; apparently she had missed quite a bit in the last few weeks. At first, David had sounded pleasant. He sounded kind, thoughtful, charming. But then Scarlett had been told of the man's lack of bravery and his lack of honesty to his wife. He had pledged his love for her best friend, but he couldn't seem to find the courage to be truthful to the woman he was married to in order to really find happiness with Mary Margaret.

Needless to say, when Kathryn and the rest of the town had discovered the scandal, things had not gone well for Mary Margaret.

The man sitting across from the rather livid woman stared at her for a moment with a raised brow before he sighed, swallowing his mouthful of fries. He tried not to chuckle at his friend as she stared at the window of the diner, shaking her head.

"What's got your knickers in such a twist?" Scarlett shot a look at her friend as she shook her head.

"Like you haven't already heard." Of course Jack had heard; everyone had.

Shrugging, the young man took another bite of his sandwich, watching Scarlett carefully. "Well," he said in between bites. "If you're so bloody pissed, why don't you go talk to the bloke about it?"

"If I see him, I might have Emma lock me up for murder," the auburn-haired woman stated as she shook her head. "With the exception of a few speeding tickets, I'd like to keep my record as clean as possible." Jack rolled his eyes as he finished the last of his lunch before wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"Always have to get violent, don't you."

"Shut up." Scarlett smirked as she chuckled and sighed, deciding to finish her chicken wrap.

Jack thought for a moment as he shook his head, leaning forward and speaking in a hushed tone. "The way I see it, the bastard your friend loved has been a huge tosser to not just your friend, but to his wife too." Scarlett nodded as she listened carefully to what the younger man had to say. "If I was you, and you were this Mary Margaret, I'd tell that bloody idiot off." And Scarlett was slightly flattered at how important her friendship with Jack seemed to be.

Feeling a fire suddenly igniting inside of her, the hazel-eyed woman nodded, shoving the last bit of her food into her mouth and nodding at Jack, who smiled and watched her go. "I'll let you know how it goes!" Scarlett called out over her shoulder, leaving the young man to pay for the meal.

Sighing, Jack shook his head as he grumbled under his breath. That had been the sixth time that Scarlett had abandoned him with the check; she owed him quite the feast.

~X~

"Eat."

It had been a day since Rose-Red had woken up from the exhaustion and to her surprise, she hadn't been alone.

His name was Will; Will Scarlet. According to the young man, he had found her lying on the ground unconscious, and being the "gentleman" that he was, he decided to help her until she was well again. When he had asked what had happened, Rose-Red merely answered with a shake of her head, saying that it was better if he just stayed unaware of the situation at hand; that had confused the young man even more than before. Still, he was respectful enough to know when and when not to pry; he'd get his answers from the stranger soon enough.

Rose-Red stared up at Will hesitantly as he held up a piece of roasted rabbit to her. She stared wearily at it as the young man standing before her rolled his eyes, urging the maiden to take the food. "Unless you want to starve—but I take no responsibility in that."

Sighing, the auburn-haired woman took the meat-on-a-stick and nodded in gratitude, her rescuer taking a seat across from her on the other side of the fire he had built. He watched her for a moment as she took another large bite of her food before swallowing, looking up at him with a raised brow. Still, she said nothing; she hadn't said more than perhaps ten words to Will since she had awoken.

"Quiet one, aren't you?" Rose-Red glanced up at the man who had saved her as he glanced over at her with a curious sort of expression as he took another bite of his food. "You've been nearly silent this entire time" he pointed out as the young maiden across the way shrugged her shoulders.

"I suppose I'm not looking for small talk," she stated evenly as she looked down at her food and continued eating. Will watched her for a moment before his gaze softened.

"…Mind if I take a guess?" The young maiden raised a brow as she looked up and met the young man's gentle stare. She hesitated before she nodded her head, wiping her lips with the back of her head.

"You've lost someone, haven't you?" Will watched carefully for a reaction as Rose-Red stared at him with wide eyes. She blinked before she cleared her throat and turned her attention back down to her food; he had been right.

"Didn't mean to pry," Will stated as he began to eat once more. "I was just curious, s'all. After all, you could be some sort of crazy person or killer—"

"Well I'm not!" Rose-Red suddenly snapped, catching the young man before her off guard. The auburn haired woman sighed as she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"It's alright. I understand," Will said, watching as the stranger nodded her head. She continued to eat, no noticing the way her companion watched her; she seemed to be so guarded around her.

"Had any brothers or sisters?" Rose-Red blinked as she looked up at Will with a confused expression, the young man giving her a curious stare. She sat silently for a moment as she eyed the brunet, the innocent gleam in his eyes slowly relaxing her.

"…I had a younger sister. No brothers though," she stated. Will nodded as he finished up his food, tossing the remnants of the rabbit to the side. Wiping his hands on his trousers, the thief stood to his feet and grabbed a few pieces of wood he had gathered and tossed them into the dying fire.

"Must've been nice. Never had siblings. Didn't have much of a family, myself," he explained casually, puzzling the maiden even more than before.

It wasn't that Rose-Red didn't like Will. He seemed like a friendly young man, but after everything she had been through—all the people she had lost and missed, it was safer to keep him at an arm's length. And yet, here he was talking to her as if they were acquaintances; it seemed he had a similar, friendly demeanor—much like Snow White.

"…My sister passed away a long time ago." That had caught Will completely off guard. He blinked with wide doe-like eyes as he stared at Rose-Red, who stared into the fire, avoiding his gaze. "Mother had already passed long before that, so losing my sister was…" She didn't bother finishing her sentence; she was sure that Will understood what she was trying to say.

"It wasn't all so bad when she left," Rose-Red said quietly as she smiled at the fire, the dancing flames reflecting off of her hazel eyes. "It was a bit lonely…but then he came." Will hadn't missed the way the young woman's eyes suddenly began to glow and the way her smile suddenly brightened at the mention of the man she spoke of. "Everything was so much…better with him around."

"What was the lucky fellow's name?" Will asked lightheartedly as he smiled at his companion. The young woman looked up and fully met her savior's gaze for the first time since he had helped her. Her lips curved up into a smile as Will watched her, surprised at how different she had become; it was almost like he was speaking to a completely different person.

Before the young maiden could answer her companion's question, the sound of shouts filled the silence, surprising the pair as they quickly stood to their feet. Will cursed under his breath as he glanced at Rose-Red, the young woman looking back at him with a grimace. "They've come for me."

"Looks like it."

"You should run while you can. It's not—"

"Runnin' away isn't really my style." Will smirked widely as Rose-Red frowned, growing frustrated with the young man. She watched intently as knights in black armor appeared from the trees and shrubs, surrounding the pair. Will continued to smirk as his companion tried not to grimace.

"By the Queen's rule, we have been ordered to apprehend the enemy of the kingdom." Enemy of the kingdom was a bit of an exaggeration.

The lone man glanced at Rose-Red as said maiden hesitated, waiting for the stranger to make his move. She watched him carefully as her fingers twitched for the dagger hidden in her boot; one false move from him and she would have to attack. To her surprise, Will merely shrugged as he pulled out his sword from its sheath.

"Sorry, fellows. But I'm afraid if you want the girl then you'll have to go through me first."

"Will!" Rose-Red snapped as the young man before her glanced over his shoulder with a playful smirk.

"Don't be so—whoa!" The young man quickly ducked, dragging Rose-Red with him as one of the knights swung his sword around.

"We bring the woman back alive, kill him."

"I haven't had a proper fight in ages!" Will smirked as Rose-Red gave her companion an incredulous stare.

"Are you completely insane?!" Rose-Red's exclamation went unnoticed as the knights and Will began to battle, sword against sword. The wanted maiden frowned as she shook her head, leaning down and pulling the dagger from out of her boot. She smirked to herself as she watched her companion look over his shoulder at her. His brows rose and fell in a quick motion before he aimed a wink towards her and turned his full attention to the knight he had kicked in the gut. The auburn haired woman chuckled before she quickly span around and blocked a knight's sword with the edge of her dagger.

She supposed she wouldn't go down; not without a fight.

After all, a person unwilling to fight for what they want deserves what they get.

XXX

Scarlett wasn't sure how long it had been. She had spent most of her afternoon searching, and by the time she had found the person she had been looking for, it was already time for dinner.

It seemed since the adulterous relationship had been found out, David Nolan had been one hard man to find—of course, with good reason. Still, Scarlett had been relentless with her search, for she had much to say to the man who continuously broke her best friend's heart. She had checked all over town, but it wasn't until the young woman walked past the empty park that she realized that it wasn't as empty as she had originally thought it was.

She had been nearly ready to give up when she walked through the park. She stopped her stroll for a moment as she stared down at a rose bush. Her gaze softened as she felt her heart jump into her throat for a moment before she knelt down and plucked a flower from the bush. A smile appeared across her lips as the sweet scent of the red rose floated up to her nose, the familiar scent sending her back to a place she didn't know. It sent her to a calm and tranquil sort of getaway; a forest and perhaps a small cottage.

The sound of a solemn sigh caught Scarlett's attention as she turned her head to the right and her eyes widened. Just a couple feet away had been the man she had been searching for, yet the very moment her eyes fell upon him, her anger had disappeared. He seemed to be overcome with fear and sadness—which was well deserved. It seemed he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in days from what the young woman could tell; the bags under his eyes were the obvious indicator. Every horrid, cruel word Scarlett had been planning to say to the man had vanished, for although he had been the cause of Mary Margaret's pain, it seemed he was the cause of his own pain as well. And for Scarlett, that was punishment enough.

Still, she couldn't just leave after finally finding him.

"David Nolan?" Said man looked up as he blinked, watching as an unfamiliar yet all too familiar face approached him.

"Yes, that's me. Can I help you with something?" he asked as he went to stand up, but the stranger waved him off, taking a seat beside him on the bench.

"…I'm a friend of Mary Margaret's." At the sound of her name, David's heart clenched. "I was originally looking for you so I could tear you a new one, but it looks like you're already doing a pretty good job of that for yourself." Scarlett had seen that same look of shame and guilt on her face before.

David said nothing as he stared out at the empty park. He locked his hands together as he leaned against the back of the bench, releasing a heavy sigh. "…There isn't a moment I don't wish I could take everything back."

"You don't really mean that." David's eyes widened as Scarlett smirked playfully at him.

"I've been there. I've screwed up royally before," she said gently as she shook her head. "And even now, I don't regret it."

"How?" David asked; though this woman was a complete stranger to him, if Mary Margaret and her were as close as she said, then he trusted her. "I just…I should have been braver, for both of them. I should have done the right thing, but…I was terrified." It seemed it was finally time for David to get everything off of his chest; it was time for him to finally say the truth.

"…Someone wise once said that 'life's not about the things you did perfectly, but about the things that you couldn't do before but overcame later.'" David was completely moved by whoever had spoken the wisdom. He stared at his companion as she sighed and looked back at him with a small smile. "You screwed up. Now the question is, are you going to let it rule you or are you going to get up and try again?" For Mary Margaret's sake, she hoped.

David couldn't stop from staring, his eyes piercing through the stranger's; there was something about her. "What's your name?"

"Scarlett, Scarlett Jones." David couldn't help but raise a brow at that.

"Well, thank you, Scarlett. It's good to know Mary Margaret has a good friend like you."

"She's got a lot of people," said best friend stated. She looked over at David and smiled.

"Things will be ok."

"…I hope so."

Turning his head, David watched as Scarlett sighed, standing to her feet and stretching. She began walking away but stopped as she looked back at David one more time. "…You're braver than you think. You just have to find it inside of you." And although that had been her first time meeting him, there was something about the charming guy that made him oh-so familiar.

And, of course there was. They had met before.

~X~

"I didn't know you had it in you!" Laughter filled the air as a pair of runaways slowly appeared from the thick of the forest and into a clearing. The young man released another breathy laugh as he shook his head and sheathed his blade, the woman beside him grinning before slipping her dagger back into her boot.

"Now you know."

Will smiled contently as Rose-Red nodded to him, feeling better than she had in days.

"I never gave you a proper thank you for helping me."

"No need to thank me," the swordsman said as he sighed, deciding he could relax; his adrenaline was still buzzing from the fight prior.

"You didn't have to. And now you know that the Evil Queen is after me."

"What for?" Will asked curiously as the two began gathering wood for a new fire.

"I aided the princess, Snow White."

"I think I've heard of her," Will said with a nod as he began making preparations for their source of heat. "And what does the old Evil Queen want with her?"

"Not sure. Whatever happened between them seemed very personal," Rose-Red explained as she sat beside Will, the man staking the twigs and logs they had gathered together.

The two sat in a relaxed silence after the flames began roaring. Will stared into the fire as Rose-Red leaned back against a tree trunk, pulling her legs close to her chest. Her hazel eyes roaming up to Will's young face as she took a moment to examine his features.

He was young, a bit younger than her, and there was a brightness in his eyes—a life that Rose-Red recognized, for she had seen it once in another. She smiled at the thought as she continued to gaze upon her helper, his blue eyes shining from the light of the fire.

"So then, Will," the young maiden began with a small smile. "What brings you out here?"

The one in question sighed as he shrugged. "Tryin' to scrounge up a bit of money for me and a friend of mine." Rose-Red immediately noticed the way the young man's face softened and his lips curved upwards in a content smile.

"This friend of yours, is she—well—a she?" Rose-Red chuckled at that.

"Quick with a dagger and sharp. I'm learning all about you today," Will said with a smirk as he nodded his head.

"Her name's Anastasia…tryin' to make a living for the both of us is hard, but I'm doin' my best."

"The effort is what matters," Rose-Red assured with a kind and reassuring smile. Will shrugged as a more disappointed expression fell upon his face.

"She comes from a wealthier place than me," he said as he gazed upon the dancing flames. Rose-Red watched him carefully as she frowned; from the looks of things, it seemed he was unwelcome where Anastasia came from.

"Does she love you?" Will smiled at that as he nodded. The auburn haired maiden revealed her own smile in return as she shook her head. "Then that is all that matters."

"It's complicated," Will assured with a chuckle as he sighed and leaned back against his forearms, lying in the grass. He glanced over at Rose-Red as she waited patiently for him to continue. Although he was sharing rather private information with a stranger, there was an air around Rose-Red that brought him comfort; he knew she was trustworthy. "…I want to give her what she deserves…but here, I'm nothin'. I'm just a thief looking for his next job…" Rose-Red stared at him as she frowned and shook her head once more. He reminded her of another man she knew; he just needed to believe in himself again.

"…What if I told you there was a way for you to jump to other worlds and start over with Anastasia." Will blinked as he raised a brow and looked up at Rose-Red.

"I'd say you're bloody mad."

"But I'm not! There is a way," Rose-Red said with a confident smile. "You see, there's this mirror…"