p align="center" /p
p align="center"It wasn't long after that first meeting that Regina began to try and force August and Emma to leave town any way that she could. She wasn't sure how they had broken the enchantment that kept Storybrooke from the prying eyes of the outside world, but she would find the hole and fill it so they could never return. However, she underestimated how stubborn Emma Swan truly was. The more she tried to make them leave, the more determined she was they would stay. After all, Emma didn't have any real ties in Boston. Her apartment was rented, and her job wasn't exactly contracted. She could afford to hang around here for a little bit longer. Sure, August wasn't dropping the whole curse thing, but he seemed better here. Maybe being here for longer might even help him come to terms with the fact that he was talking nonsense. That there was no curse and they were simply orphans./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"Regina suddenly decided that people with criminal records were not allowed to have rooms in public buildings like Granny's diner. Emma didn't know how she found her record, but that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to dealing with Storybrooke's chilling mayor. Emma wasn't going to be put off that easily though, much to August's relief. Mary Margaret had seen the pair trying to sleep in Emma's tiny car. She happened to have a spare room, and Regina was not in charge of her rent, Mr Gold was. As wary of Regina as Mary Margaret was, she got the feeling she was just as wary of Mr Gold. With good reason. August hoped spending so much time with her mother might help jog Emma's memory, but it seemed not. She just saw Mary Margaret as a friend. The best friend she had never really had. August was happy they were at least forming some kind of relationship. When Emma did eventually break the curse, that might be useful for both of them. August had used his powers of deduction to find out Emma's dad was in some kind of coma in the hospital. He would work on a way to wake him up to see if he was the final piece in the puzzle to make Emma break the curse./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"Emma quickly got a job as the town's depute. She thought she had a connection with the sheriff, even if Regina did have her claws into him deep. So after his mysterious death, Emma knew Regina was behind it, and was determined to get Graham the justice he deserved. She didn't understand why Mr Gold had been so helpful in helping her take his place as the town's sheriff, but gratefully took his help if it meant getting one up on Regina. August wasn't so keen on that. He of course knew that Mr Gold was really Rumplestiltskin, and Neal Cassidy's father. He could never know that Emma had been his son's girlfriend. He was not happy that Emma owed the imp a favour. Owing Rumplestiltskin a favour was never a good thing./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"Meanwhile, August had found his own father. He went by Marco here, and worked as a handyman. August knew his father was too old to be working such long hours, so happily took a job as his apprentice. He had missed his father so much. It was of course hard being so close to his father and not being able to tell him everything, but like everyone else here, Marco didn't have his own memories. Right now, this was as close to him as he could be, and August was content with that. He discovered that his father was still great friends with Jiminy. It was strange seeing him as a human here. He was the town's therapist, and he went by Archie here. Actually, it was his father that helped August move out of Mary Margaret's spare room and into Archie's. He knew he was cramping Emma's style sharing the small room with her. Now that he wasn't so worried she would run away, it was better for them both to have their own space here. Emma was blossoming here. She couldn't see it, but she was already putting little cracks in the surface of the curse. She was helping restore the happiness to the people of Storybrooke. Reuniting loved ones Regina had separated. Time had started moving again. The old clock tower in the centre of town had apparently been broken for as long as anyone could remember. It miraculously started turning again the night Emma Swan arrived in Storybrooke. She even helped wake her own father up. She was helping Mary Margaret out with one of her volunteering sessions at the hospital. She came into the little private cubicle the "John Doe" was being kept in. Mary Margaret had never actually got this close to him before. Whenever she got anywhere near, a nurse normally appeared and ushered her away. She'd always been curious. There was something that drew her to this man. Even Emma felt there was something oddly familiar about him. Why did she keep feeling that here? August must be rubbing off on her. Only, as soon as Mary Margaret touched the man's hand, his monitor sprang into life. Emma had told her brother all about it as they met for dinner later that day at Granny's. August fought hard to contain his excitement. Regina had clearly kept the prince asleep to try and keep Snow White and Prince Charming apart, but now her plan was crumbling around her. Emma was going to break the curse./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"*/p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"Regina was becoming more and more desperate. She was trying everything to force both August and Emma from Storybrooke. She tried to frame Mary Margaret for the murder of David's wife under the curse. All that did was bring the lovers closer together. She tried to insist that Emma was illegally taking the role as the town's sheriff and forced a sham election. All that did was prove how much the people of Storybrooke loved Emma. Everything Regina tried just left Emma more determined to stay. She would never tell her brother, but she adored this weird little town. She'd spent her whole life running, and she finally felt like she'd found a place she didn't have to run anymore. Things were mending with August. She was remembering why they had such a strong bond in the first place. Not only did she have a brother here, but she had the best friend she'd been searching for since she was a child in Mary Margaret. She felt an immediate connection with the school teacher. She was even beginning to warm to her boyfriend David. She was forming the family for herself that she never got the chance to have as a child. Then it all went wrong./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"Regina realised she was going to have to pull out the big guns to get rid of that pest Emma Swan once and for all. She knew that if she got her hands dirty and killed her, then she would die too. Instead, she had to go after the so-called brother. She had no problem killing the puppet./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"Pulling together all the resources Regina could, she reached back into the past with a magic hat to retrieve one of her own poisoned apples. The very one that put Snow White into a sleeping curse to begin with. She highly doubted that even a man with tree for brains would be stupid enough to bite into an apple in this town knowing what he knows. No, Regina had to be sneakier this time around. Instead, she squeezed the venomous juice from the apple and turned it into cider. Well, a cider with a bit more kick than other varieties./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"With a bit of jiggery pokery, Regina managed to slip the drink to an unaware August. She grinned with wicked delight as he collapsed onto the Rabbit Hole's floor. She was sure now she would finally get rid of Emma Swan for good./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"*/p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"August was rushed to hospital immediately. They drew blood, they tested his oxygen levels, they performed all manner of tests on him to try and work out what had caused him to collapse. Emma knew immediately that Regina had to be behind it. She wasn't shy in admitting it, either. Emma would have no proof if she tried to convince anyone Regina had been involved. Instead, she made Emma a promise. If she left town that night, she would provide her brother with an antidote that would cure him. Of course she was lying, only true love's kiss could break the curse, but once Emma left Storybrooke she would never be able to return and seek any kind of revenge. Emma had to admit defeat. She wouldn't let this crazy woman take her brother from her. Emma might have grown to love Storybrooke, but this was goodbye. Before she left, she went to August's cubicle to say goodbye, to promise him that she wasn't running, that she was doing this to save him. She smiled when she saw his bag on the chair by his bed. His storybook poking out./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center""You sure put a lot of effort into this." She said, her voice wobbly. "Into convincing me that I wasn't just another orphan, that I was special. That really, I was a princess, and I would save everyone one day. I'm sorry bro. The only person I can save now is you." She said. Emma went to pick up August's book to quickly flick through the pages and look at the beautiful illustrations her brother had penned in. As soon as the book was in her hands, it was like a lock turned inside her head. Emma gasped as the memories came flooding back. Playing with her mother in the courtyard. Dancing with her father in the empty ballroom. Running around with her auntie Red both as a human and a wolf. Pretending she was mining with her uncles the dwarves. Playing tag with Pinocchio…August. He was right all along. He wasn't mad. She had just forgotten. Everything in this book was true. Everything he said about their home…she was really the Saviour. Now she had an Evil Queen to throttle./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"Even when Emma stormed into Regina's office and told her that she knew August was right about everything and that he was under a sleeping curse, she didn't back down. The only problem was that, even under the extreme stress, Emma thought too quickly. She'd been told her parents' story several times. She knew there was only one way to break a sleeping curse: true love's kiss. She couldn't do that without proper magic in town. Fortunately for Emma, luck was on her side. Once again, she found herself in a reluctant alignment with Mr Gold. Or, as she now realised he truly was, Rumplestiltskin. He of course had his own reasons for wanting the curse broken and magic restored in town. Emma wasn't sure Rumple being awake and having access to magic was exactly a good thing, but she didn't have time to find another way. She was stuck working with the Dark One./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"That was how Emma found herself deep in the pits of Storybrooke with only her father's sword for protection. Sure, she knew she had magic, but she had never really had a chance to use it. It had only just begun to show itself a couple of months before Regina's curse struck. She couldn't so much as brew a cup of tea with her powers, let alone defeat a dragon. So Emma's only hope was that she had some natural ability when it came to sword fighting. After all, her dad was one of the bravest knights in the entire kingdom and was known all over for his sword skills. Hopefully some of that had made it through to Emma. Otherwise she was going to quickly become a pile of ash./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"Emma wasn't really sure how she managed it, but she did manage to defeat the dragon and retrieve the golden egg Rumplestiltskin had told her about. The egg that contained whatever he needed to bring magic to Storybrooke. Although Emma should have known better than to trust the Dark One. As soon as he had the egg within his clutches, he abandoned Emma at the bottom of the mine. Of course he didn't care about Pinocchio. He had bigger fish to fry./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"Emma might have been running on empty, but she didn't have time to be tired. Her brother was dying. He needed her. With Geppetto still cursed, she was his only hope. Using what little energy she had left, Emma hauled herself out of the mine. She then sprinted to Storybrooke General as fast as her legs would carry her. But she was still too late. She arrived just as Dr Whale was turning off August's life support machine./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center""We tried to contact you." The doctor said regretfully. "I'm sorry, Miss Swan, but there was nothing we could do." Emma's eyes were filled with tears. Of course there was nothing any of them could have done. How could they cure a magical curse when they had no magic? Emma walked over to where her brother lay. He looked so peaceful. Almost like he was just sleeping./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center""I'm so sorry." She wailed. "I tried, Auggie, I really did. I believe you now. I know it's all real. I'm so sorry I never got to thank you properly. You looked after me all those years. You made sure I knew who I really was even when I wasn't ready to believe it. You tried to bring me home. I promise I will keep trying to break this curse. I will make sure Regina does not get away with your death. I'll do right by your papa as well…I love you, Auggie." Emma bent down and placed a watery kiss on her brother's cheek. A wave of magic shot out from both of them. It rippled through the entire town, washing over everyone. August suddenly took a deep breath, sitting up in the bed. Emma stared at him in shock. What had just happened?/p
p align="center" /p
p align="center""I knew you'd do it." He said, grinning at her. "I knew it Em!"/p
p align="center" /p
p align="center""Do what? Auggie, I don't understand. You were meant to be…"/p
p align="center" /p
p align="center""Dead? Nah, just sleeping. Sleeping curses really knock you for six. The curse, Em. You've broken the curse!" August got up carefully out of the bed and pulled his sister into a bear hug. Emma was still in total shock. He looked at her, waiting for any kind of reaction./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center""Em, this is it. We finally get our happy endings. Your parents, they're out there. They're waiting for you." August reminded her. Emma felt her heart stop for a moment. Her parents. It had been so long since she'd seen them. Well, she saw them earlier that day, but it had been so long since she'd seen them as her emparents. /emAugust gently squeezed her shoulders./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center""They're gonna love you. They already do." He told her. "You just have to give them a chance." Emma swallowed./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center""Alright." She croaked. "I guess I should go properly introduce myself."/p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"emAnd that is where my rambling ends lol. From here on out, I'll put out my own oneshots of Charming family moments I'd like to see from this universe, as well as accepting any from you. There will be no particular time order from here on out. Just to clarify, although I used August/Pinocchio to get to this point, I will not be taking requests heavily focused around him. Hope you enjoyed! /em/p
p align="center"It wasn't long after that first meeting that Regina began to try and force August and Emma to leave town any way that she could. She wasn't sure how they had broken the enchantment that kept Storybrooke from the prying eyes of the outside world, but she would find the hole and fill it so they could never return. However, she underestimated how stubborn Emma Swan truly was. The more she tried to make them leave, the more determined she was they would stay. After all, Emma didn't have any real ties in Boston. Her apartment was rented, and her job wasn't exactly contracted. She could afford to hang around here for a little bit longer. Sure, August wasn't dropping the whole curse thing, but he seemed better here. Maybe being here for longer might even help him come to terms with the fact that he was talking nonsense. That there was no curse and they were simply orphans./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"Regina suddenly decided that people with criminal records were not allowed to have rooms in public buildings like Granny's diner. Emma didn't know how she found her record, but that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to dealing with Storybrooke's chilling mayor. Emma wasn't going to be put off that easily though, much to August's relief. Mary Margaret had seen the pair trying to sleep in Emma's tiny car. She happened to have a spare room, and Regina was not in charge of her rent, Mr Gold was. As wary of Regina as Mary Margaret was, she got the feeling she was just as wary of Mr Gold. With good reason. August hoped spending so much time with her mother might help jog Emma's memory, but it seemed not. She just saw Mary Margaret as a friend. The best friend she had never really had. August was happy they were at least forming some kind of relationship. When Emma did eventually break the curse, that might be useful for both of them. August had used his powers of deduction to find out Emma's dad was in some kind of coma in the hospital. He would work on a way to wake him up to see if he was the final piece in the puzzle to make Emma break the curse./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"Emma quickly got a job as the town's depute. She thought she had a connection with the sheriff, even if Regina did have her claws into him deep. So after his mysterious death, Emma knew Regina was behind it, and was determined to get Graham the justice he deserved. She didn't understand why Mr Gold had been so helpful in helping her take his place as the town's sheriff, but gratefully took his help if it meant getting one up on Regina. August wasn't so keen on that. He of course knew that Mr Gold was really Rumplestiltskin, and Neal Cassidy's father. He could never know that Emma had been his son's girlfriend. He was not happy that Emma owed the imp a favour. Owing Rumplestiltskin a favour was never a good thing./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"Meanwhile, August had found his own father. He went by Marco here, and worked as a handyman. August knew his father was too old to be working such long hours, so happily took a job as his apprentice. He had missed his father so much. It was of course hard being so close to his father and not being able to tell him everything, but like everyone else here, Marco didn't have his own memories. Right now, this was as close to him as he could be, and August was content with that. He discovered that his father was still great friends with Jiminy. It was strange seeing him as a human here. He was the town's therapist, and he went by Archie here. Actually, it was his father that helped August move out of Mary Margaret's spare room and into Archie's. He knew he was cramping Emma's style sharing the small room with her. Now that he wasn't so worried she would run away, it was better for them both to have their own space here. Emma was blossoming here. She couldn't see it, but she was already putting little cracks in the surface of the curse. She was helping restore the happiness to the people of Storybrooke. Reuniting loved ones Regina had separated. Time had started moving again. The old clock tower in the centre of town had apparently been broken for as long as anyone could remember. It miraculously started turning again the night Emma Swan arrived in Storybrooke. She even helped wake her own father up. She was helping Mary Margaret out with one of her volunteering sessions at the hospital. She came into the little private cubicle the "John Doe" was being kept in. Mary Margaret had never actually got this close to him before. Whenever she got anywhere near, a nurse normally appeared and ushered her away. She'd always been curious. There was something that drew her to this man. Even Emma felt there was something oddly familiar about him. Why did she keep feeling that here? August must be rubbing off on her. Only, as soon as Mary Margaret touched the man's hand, his monitor sprang into life. Emma had told her brother all about it as they met for dinner later that day at Granny's. August fought hard to contain his excitement. Regina had clearly kept the prince asleep to try and keep Snow White and Prince Charming apart, but now her plan was crumbling around her. Emma was going to break the curse./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"*/p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"Regina was becoming more and more desperate. She was trying everything to force both August and Emma from Storybrooke. She tried to frame Mary Margaret for the murder of David's wife under the curse. All that did was bring the lovers closer together. She tried to insist that Emma was illegally taking the role as the town's sheriff and forced a sham election. All that did was prove how much the people of Storybrooke loved Emma. Everything Regina tried just left Emma more determined to stay. She would never tell her brother, but she adored this weird little town. She'd spent her whole life running, and she finally felt like she'd found a place she didn't have to run anymore. Things were mending with August. She was remembering why they had such a strong bond in the first place. Not only did she have a brother here, but she had the best friend she'd been searching for since she was a child in Mary Margaret. She felt an immediate connection with the school teacher. She was even beginning to warm to her boyfriend David. She was forming the family for herself that she never got the chance to have as a child. Then it all went wrong./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"Regina realised she was going to have to pull out the big guns to get rid of that pest Emma Swan once and for all. She knew that if she got her hands dirty and killed her, then she would die too. Instead, she had to go after the so-called brother. She had no problem killing the puppet./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"Pulling together all the resources Regina could, she reached back into the past with a magic hat to retrieve one of her own poisoned apples. The very one that put Snow White into a sleeping curse to begin with. She highly doubted that even a man with tree for brains would be stupid enough to bite into an apple in this town knowing what he knows. No, Regina had to be sneakier this time around. Instead, she squeezed the venomous juice from the apple and turned it into cider. Well, a cider with a bit more kick than other varieties./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"With a bit of jiggery pokery, Regina managed to slip the drink to an unaware August. She grinned with wicked delight as he collapsed onto the Rabbit Hole's floor. She was sure now she would finally get rid of Emma Swan for good./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"*/p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"August was rushed to hospital immediately. They drew blood, they tested his oxygen levels, they performed all manner of tests on him to try and work out what had caused him to collapse. Emma knew immediately that Regina had to be behind it. She wasn't shy in admitting it, either. Emma would have no proof if she tried to convince anyone Regina had been involved. Instead, she made Emma a promise. If she left town that night, she would provide her brother with an antidote that would cure him. Of course she was lying, only true love's kiss could break the curse, but once Emma left Storybrooke she would never be able to return and seek any kind of revenge. Emma had to admit defeat. She wouldn't let this crazy woman take her brother from her. Emma might have grown to love Storybrooke, but this was goodbye. Before she left, she went to August's cubicle to say goodbye, to promise him that she wasn't running, that she was doing this to save him. She smiled when she saw his bag on the chair by his bed. His storybook poking out./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center""You sure put a lot of effort into this." She said, her voice wobbly. "Into convincing me that I wasn't just another orphan, that I was special. That really, I was a princess, and I would save everyone one day. I'm sorry bro. The only person I can save now is you." She said. Emma went to pick up August's book to quickly flick through the pages and look at the beautiful illustrations her brother had penned in. As soon as the book was in her hands, it was like a lock turned inside her head. Emma gasped as the memories came flooding back. Playing with her mother in the courtyard. Dancing with her father in the empty ballroom. Running around with her auntie Red both as a human and a wolf. Pretending she was mining with her uncles the dwarves. Playing tag with Pinocchio…August. He was right all along. He wasn't mad. She had just forgotten. Everything in this book was true. Everything he said about their home…she was really the Saviour. Now she had an Evil Queen to throttle./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"Even when Emma stormed into Regina's office and told her that she knew August was right about everything and that he was under a sleeping curse, she didn't back down. The only problem was that, even under the extreme stress, Emma thought too quickly. She'd been told her parents' story several times. She knew there was only one way to break a sleeping curse: true love's kiss. She couldn't do that without proper magic in town. Fortunately for Emma, luck was on her side. Once again, she found herself in a reluctant alignment with Mr Gold. Or, as she now realised he truly was, Rumplestiltskin. He of course had his own reasons for wanting the curse broken and magic restored in town. Emma wasn't sure Rumple being awake and having access to magic was exactly a good thing, but she didn't have time to find another way. She was stuck working with the Dark One./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"That was how Emma found herself deep in the pits of Storybrooke with only her father's sword for protection. Sure, she knew she had magic, but she had never really had a chance to use it. It had only just begun to show itself a couple of months before Regina's curse struck. She couldn't so much as brew a cup of tea with her powers, let alone defeat a dragon. So Emma's only hope was that she had some natural ability when it came to sword fighting. After all, her dad was one of the bravest knights in the entire kingdom and was known all over for his sword skills. Hopefully some of that had made it through to Emma. Otherwise she was going to quickly become a pile of ash./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"Emma wasn't really sure how she managed it, but she did manage to defeat the dragon and retrieve the golden egg Rumplestiltskin had told her about. The egg that contained whatever he needed to bring magic to Storybrooke. Although Emma should have known better than to trust the Dark One. As soon as he had the egg within his clutches, he abandoned Emma at the bottom of the mine. Of course he didn't care about Pinocchio. He had bigger fish to fry./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"Emma might have been running on empty, but she didn't have time to be tired. Her brother was dying. He needed her. With Geppetto still cursed, she was his only hope. Using what little energy she had left, Emma hauled herself out of the mine. She then sprinted to Storybrooke General as fast as her legs would carry her. But she was still too late. She arrived just as Dr Whale was turning off August's life support machine./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center""We tried to contact you." The doctor said regretfully. "I'm sorry, Miss Swan, but there was nothing we could do." Emma's eyes were filled with tears. Of course there was nothing any of them could have done. How could they cure a magical curse when they had no magic? Emma walked over to where her brother lay. He looked so peaceful. Almost like he was just sleeping./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center""I'm so sorry." She wailed. "I tried, Auggie, I really did. I believe you now. I know it's all real. I'm so sorry I never got to thank you properly. You looked after me all those years. You made sure I knew who I really was even when I wasn't ready to believe it. You tried to bring me home. I promise I will keep trying to break this curse. I will make sure Regina does not get away with your death. I'll do right by your papa as well…I love you, Auggie." Emma bent down and placed a watery kiss on her brother's cheek. A wave of magic shot out from both of them. It rippled through the entire town, washing over everyone. August suddenly took a deep breath, sitting up in the bed. Emma stared at him in shock. What had just happened?/p
p align="center" /p
p align="center""I knew you'd do it." He said, grinning at her. "I knew it Em!"/p
p align="center" /p
p align="center""Do what? Auggie, I don't understand. You were meant to be…"/p
p align="center" /p
p align="center""Dead? Nah, just sleeping. Sleeping curses really knock you for six. The curse, Em. You've broken the curse!" August got up carefully out of the bed and pulled his sister into a bear hug. Emma was still in total shock. He looked at her, waiting for any kind of reaction./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center""Em, this is it. We finally get our happy endings. Your parents, they're out there. They're waiting for you." August reminded her. Emma felt her heart stop for a moment. Her parents. It had been so long since she'd seen them. Well, she saw them earlier that day, but it had been so long since she'd seen them as her emparents. /emAugust gently squeezed her shoulders./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center""They're gonna love you. They already do." He told her. "You just have to give them a chance." Emma swallowed./p
p align="center" /p
p align="center""Alright." She croaked. "I guess I should go properly introduce myself."/p
p align="center" /p
p align="center"emAnd that is where my rambling ends lol. From here on out, I'll put out my own oneshots of Charming family moments I'd like to see from this universe, as well as accepting any from you. There will be no particular time order from here on out. Just to clarify, although I used August/Pinocchio to get to this point, I will not be taking requests heavily focused around him. Hope you enjoyed! /em/p
