Disclaimer: I do not own the Once Upon a Time franchise.

Chapter One:

Phoenix, Arizona

Eighteen-year old Emma Carter looked down at the little white stick in her hand.

Plus Sign.

She felt tears forming and did her best to blink them back. Ripping off her glasses, she tossed them next to her on the little bunk in her jail cell and rubbed the heel of her hand against her eyes. Now was not the time to break down in tears. She had to think clearly through what had just happened. Or rather what had happened at least a month before. Pregnant and alone. Emma had never intended to have kids. After her time in the system she thought it was better if she was never allowed to parent a kid. The universe seemed to have a different plan for her. And it was a twisted plan. She was pregnant and alone and in jail for ten more months. It hit her at that moment that she would give birth while she was still in jail.

My baby is going to wind up in the system. . . if I keep it at all. . .

This time Emma did let a small sob slip out. She knew in that moment that she couldn't do this alone. She couldn't let this child wind up in the system. Being in the system is what ultimately led her here. . . to loving the wrong person and winding up in a jail in Phoenix, Arizona. The system taught you that you needed to do whatever it took to survive, no matter how legal it may be. And it taught you that you couldn't rely on anyone. And it made bad decisions look like good decisions. In short, the system ruined people, it didn't build them.

A guard appeared at her jail cell in that moment, most likely to find out the result of her test. "It looks like you're going to have to get set up with a doctor." The guard gave her a tight smile that Emma couldn't return. She didn't even know what to say to the fact that she needed a doctor. Never in a million years did Emma think she'd wind up in this situation. I should've known "trust me" wasn't sensible birth control.

Emma looked up at that. "A letter." She murmured, "I need to write a letter."

The guard looked at her desk and noted that there didn't appear to be any paper on top. "I'll get you a new pad. Do you know the address?" Emma nodded blankly and waited, still clutching the little white stick in her hand.

A few minutes later the guard appeared with a legal pad and a pen. "Thank you." Emma murmured. Very carefully, Emma pulled the chair out at the small desk in the corner of her cell and sat down. Almost reverently she laid the little white stick at the top of her desk. Clicking open the pen, Emma took a few deep breaths to steady her shaking her hands before she began writing:

August,

I know it's been a while since we spoke last and that it wasn't good. I'm so sorry for the things I said to you, and I have no right to ask anything of you, but I need your help. You were right about Neal, and now I've found myself in a prison in Phoenix, Arizona. I don't know what happened to Neal. He set me up for his crime and left me with watches he'd stolen a few years ago. I still have ten more months to go. And I just found out I'm pregnant.

I don't know anything about being a mother, but I do know what it's like to be in the system. I know you understand what I mean when I say that I can't let that happen to my child. I need help finding my child a home for the first month of his or her life while I finish out my sentence. A home that isn't a government found home. Is there any way you can help me? I have no idea if there's anything that can be done, but I have to try. I can't let another child end up like me. Like us.

Thank you for everything you've done for me. You're the only person who has ever truly been there for me and I'm sorry I took that for granted.

Emma

Emma folded up the piece of paper and jotted down the last known address she had for August Rogers. She just hoped he still lived in Boston and would get her letter. And she hoped that she really could raise this baby she'd decided to keep.

Boston, Massachusetts

20-year old August Rogers tossed his motorcycle helmet and leather jacket on the countertop of his small studio. Grimacing, he twisted his arm a bit and rubbed his shoulder. It didn't seem like he had any broken bones or anything dislocated. And he certainly couldn't afford a trip to the hospital at the moment, he'd just paid rent. The latest guy had put up a bit of a fight and they'd had a tussle, but he was in jail and August was home. And he had his payment. Sometimes being a bail bondsman wasn't all that glamorous. In fact, it usually wasn't, but it paid. With a sigh, he pulled out a glass and filled it with water before plopping down on the tattered sofa in the living room area of his place.

He flicked through the mail he'd picked up from his mail box absently. It was mostly bills. Bills he could barely afford. A long white envelope caught his attention. It was addressed to him, but the return address was a Phoenix women's correctional facility. Frowning, he racked his brain to see if he knew anyone in jail who he hadn't turned in himself. He couldn't recall anyone, especially anyone in Arizona. He'd never even been to Arizona. Ripping the envelope open, August glanced down at the short letter. Before he even read the signature line, he recognized her handwriting and grimaced. As he read the letter, he found himself getting angrier and angrier. He knew Neal was a bad guy, but he didn't know he'd stoop to letting the girl he supposedly loved go to jail. Bastard.

And now Emma was in some big trouble.

Standing up, August went through his apartment, packing everything up. It didn't take long. The place had come sparsely furnished and he ate off of paper plates and out of plastic cups. It was mostly just his clothes and a couple of books, and he could fit all of those into his backpack and one small duffle bag, which fit nicely in the trunk compartment of his motorcycle. Zipping up the duffle, August grabbed up the bills so he could call and cancel anything he needed to before once again picking up his leather jacket and helmet and going downstairs to the landlord's apartment. He had to get to Phoenix.

Four Days Later

Emma sat on her bunk quietly reading a book of fairytales she'd requested out loud. The sonogram of her baby was on the bed next to her. She wasn't sure if her baby could hear her or not, but she was certain there was only one person who read to her as a child, and it wasn't until she was a toddler. No one read to her as a baby.

"Carter!" Emma looked up as a guard appeared in front of her cell. "You've got a visitor. Let's go." He didn't give Emma a chance to respond, just unlocked the cell and waited, cuffs in hand, to move her to the phone bank.

Emma felt a bit confused, her brows coming together in a frown. No one had ever visited her in the month she'd been here, and she didn't expect anyone to. . . unless. . . she didn't want to get her hopes up. Instead she nodded and put her wrists behind her back to take the long walk to the phone bank.

When she and the guard finally walked through the doorway, Emma's eyes instantly connected with a pair of blue ones. He was here. When she was uncuffed, she took a seat and picked up the phone. For a moment, Emma didn't know what to say, finally she found her voice and spoke, "You came."

August felt his eyes cloud over at Emma in the gray prison outfit, recently uncuffed. If he ever got his hands on Neal he was going to kill the bastard. He was going to wrap his hands around the slimy bastard's scrawny neck and squeeze until he turned blue. "Of course I came, Ems, I'll always come. You know that."

Emma dropped his gaze and cleared her throat awkwardly, "I didn't know, though. I said some awful things to you when you told me how you felt about Neal. And you were right about him. I thought I might've lost you for good." She looked back up, her green eyes swimming with tears, "I should've called you months ago. I'm sorry I waited until I needed something." She pressed a shaking hand to her still flat stomach and August's eyes followed the movement. He never thought he'd have anything to do with any kids and now it looked like that was about to change.

August wanted to reach through the glass and yank her into his lap and rock her like he'd done when she was a baby, but he couldn't. "Emma, it's forgotten. Please don't worry about it. We're family, we'll always be here for each other no matter what." He pressed his hand up to the glass, waiting for her to do the same thing. Once she did, he tried for a smile. "I've got your back, Ems." He told her honestly. "I'm not sure what I can do, but I'll figure something out. You just take care of yourself and that baby. Is there anything you need? Anything I can send you in here so that you feel better?"

Emma shook her head, "No, I'm okay." She promised. "Just knowing you're here is enough."

"And I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here in Phoenix when you get out. I'm staying. I'll visit every day." He promised.

"You don't have to do that." Emma felt a flush rise up her neck at his support. The way his blue eyes flashed reminded her of why she had such a crush on him growing up. She was glad they'd never crossed that line, though. She would've hated losing him. Then she'd really be alone. And if her life had taught her anything, it was that love, particularly true love, didn't exist. It always crumbled, leaving her alone and broken.

Rolling his eyes, August snorted, "Yeah right, Ems. I'm not leaving you in here alone. In fact, I'm not leaving you alone ever again so you might as well deal with it. You're stuck with me. Now," he paused, waiting for her took look at him, "I've given the jail my contact information, but they need you to list me as an emergency contact." When Emma nodded, he continued, "if you'll do that, then they'll let me know if you have any problems and then you'll have my address and phone number. Call any time. I'm going to see what I can do about keeping the baby out of the system, or at the very least keeping tabs on where he or she winds up." He paused, "I've got some ideas that may work, but I need to get in front of an attorney to see if they're legit."

Shaking her head, Emma replied, "August, I can't afford to pay an attorney and I can't ask you to – "

"You didn't ask. I told you what I was going to do. I'll figure it out." August wasn't sure how he was going to afford an attorney either, but he would figure it out. This was too important to not figure it out. "Just try to stay calm and get some rest and I'll see you tomorrow." He promised.

Emma pressed her hand once again against the glass, wishing she could hug him. "Okay, and August," he hummed a response, "thank you. You're the best."

Scratching the back of his neck with a little bit of embarrassment, August replied, "Thanks."

When Emma made her way back to her jail cell a few minutes later, she felt a bit lighter. August was here. She wasn't alone anymore. It made her feel like she could do this. She could finish her sentence out and raise a baby.