TemperanceTales: I do not own Once Upon a Time in anyway shape or form and I give full credit to the creators.

Chapter Two: Time Clicks Forward.

Autumn was swinging when someone spotted her. He was standing by the fencing near the old swing set. Frowning, he wondered why Regina asked him to look into this child. I mean, it wasn't as if she had any criminal background. In fact, when he looked at her file she didn't have much of anything. Which wasn't much of a surprise, most of the children here didn't. But Regina kept insisting, so here he was.

"Hey Sheriff Graham."

"Oh, hey Ruby," Graham said as the waitress approached. She looked over at Autumn and said, "Enjoying spying on her?"

"What-?" Graham started but Ruby said, "It's fine, what the mayor asks you to do isn't my business. It's only natural that she would ask now that Autumn is spending so much time with Henry. I just don't want Autumn getting hurt."

"Nobody is hurting anyone, Mayor Mills just curious about her is all," Graham said, firmly. Ruby nodded and watched Autumn with a smile. Autumn still seemed unaware that Graham had been watching her. The breeze picked up, making Ruby pull her jacket shut.

"So," Graham finally asked, a little relieved that Ruby wasn't going to berating him for spying on a ten-year-old girl, "What do you know about her?"

"She lives on the outer part of town, down past the stables," Ruby said, "Autumn's really a good kid, she grows her own vegetables and fruits. Granny buys a lot of her fruit for our pies. She likes being outside a lot too and she'll hang out at the diner a lot in the afternoons."

"So do you know who she lives with?" Graham asked and Ruby shook her head, "She never told me and I never thought to ask. Granny usually talks to her mom, not me."

"Right," Graham said, nodding, "Thank you."

"You know," Ruby said, with a smile, "She doesn't have anything to hide Graham. I'm sure if you asked she would tell you anything you needed to know."

She left Graham with that statement as he watched after her for a minute. Then he turned back to see Autumn slow down on the swing. He was quiet for a moment but then felt his pager go off. Hurrying off, he barely noticed that someone had started walking towards Autumn.

"Hello Miss Autumn," Gold said, stopping by the swing set. Autumn came to a complete stop and said, "Hello Mr. Gold."

"Finished your rounds for the day?" Gold asked sitting down on the swing next to her and she nodded.

"So it seems Mayor Mills is having the sheriff look into me," Autumn said and Gold said, "Well maybe if she knew you better she wouldn't."

"Maybe, maybe not," Autumn said with a shrug. Gold let out a chuckle and said, "What is the reluctance with talking with her?"

"She has that fake smile," Autumn stated, "I hate them, it's discomforting. She doesn't exactly give off the I wanna be friends vibe either."

"While it is true the Mayor is a hard woman to get along with, try working that sweet yet persuasive charm of yours. I'm sure she'll come around in the end dearie."

Autumn nodded slowly and grabbed her bag. Gold patted her shoulder before standing up. Autumn looked at Gold with a smile and said, "How do you deal with it?"

"Deal with what?"

"That fake smile," Autumn said, "how do you deal with it?"

"I shine one right back at her," Gold said, mockingly and Autumn couldn't help but laugh. Autumn adjusted her bag and Gold said, "Heading home?"

"Actually no," Autumn said, after a thought crossed her mind, "I think I'll go into the lion's den. That way you can't follow me to try and find out where I live."

"Well there goes that plan," Gold said and Autumn looked up saying, "I told you where I live."

"Miss Autumn with your description of where you live, no one would ever find your home," Gold said, as he began to make his way back to his shop. Autumn giggled and said, "Why do you always call me Miss Autumn?"

"You've never given any complaint to being called such, dearie," Gold said and she said, "Well I'm telling you to call me Autumn from now on!"

"I don't get a say in the matter?"

"No, you really don't," Autumn said and Gold then said, "Well aren't you fearless."

"Hm?" Autumn said as they came over to the fence. He opened the gate and said, "Everyone in this town is afraid of me, more so than they are of the mayor. Yet, you still talk to me more than you talk to anyone else."

"That's because Mayor Mills doesn't go around emptying people's pockets," Autumn said with a jesting smile, "I, have no reason to be afraid of you."

"Oh?"

"No," Autumn looked up with those sincere blue eyes, "I don't."

Autumn didn't know why, but he looked away with a tense look and said, "Go on, dearie. Go into the lion's den and conquer."

Autumn took off down the street and towards the Mayor's mansion. The looked Gold had on his face still bothered her. But she knew better than to pry, she knew exactly where that would lead. Looking at the gate in front of the house for a minute, Autumn then finally pushed it open and walked up to the door. Giving it a knock, she waited.

The door opened to reveal the Mayor herself. Regina looked surprised as she saw who it was.

"Ah, Autumn. Henry isn't here yet," Regina said and Autumn said, "I actually come to see you, Mayor Mills."

"Oh?" Regina actually looked a little intrigued, "Well come in, dear."

Autumn promptly walked inside and looked around. The house was nice; most kids would die to live in a house like it. But Autumn wasn't impressed with hollow materialistic things. She preferred things with meaning, but she didn't say that. Instead, she allowed Regina to lead her into the living room. Regina said sitting in an armchair, "Come sit, dear."

Autumn sat across from her and Regina wasted no time in asking, "What did you want to see me about?"

"Why did you ask Sheriff Graham to follow me?" Autumn said, innocently. Regina smiled and said, "I wasn't going to. But when I saw how little there was on you with the file, I was curious."

"I see," Autumn said, "All to protect Henry?"

"Well yes, I am his mother," Regina said as if it was obvious.

"My mother doesn't have her boyfriends tail people I'm friends with," Autumn with a plain voice.

"Well, I'm mayor," Regina said, "And I just want to make sure my son is safe."

"Fair enough," Autumn said, "So did I pass?"

"Hmm?" Regina said and Autumn clarified, "Pass your safety test?"

Regina laughed (which surprised Autumn a bit since it didn't seem fake) and said, "Yes dear, you very much did. So tell me."

Autumn watched as Regina leaned forward, "How do you do it?"

"Do what?" Autumn asked, baffled and Regina asked, "Have Gold wrapped around your little finger."

"Oh," Autumn said, not entirely thrown off but was scrambling for an answer, "Easy, give him something he can't refuse."

"Like one of your apples?" Regina asked, leaning back and Autumn nodded.

"Yeah, he seems really fond of them," Autumn said, "I saw you have an apple tree in the yard."

"Yes," Regina said, "I've had it since childhood."

"Cool," Autumn said as the door suddenly opened to reveal Henry. He looked nervously from Regina to Autumn. Autumn smiled and Regina stood up saying, "Would you like to stay for dinner Autumn?"

"Sure," Autumn said as Regina walked out of the room saying, "I will be in the kitchen if you need me."

"Okay," Autumn said as Regina left the room. Immediately Henry went over to her and said, "What are you doing here?"

"Talking to your mom," Autumn said simply, "How was school?"

"It was fine," Henry said, "Come on, let's go to my room."

"Okay," Autumn said with a shrug. She followed him up the stairs and into his room. Shutting the door, Henry dropped his bag while pulling out the book. He sat on the bed opening it saying, "So, now that we know who the savior is, we should probably start trying to figure out who people are."

"I think we should come up with a plan first on how to break the curse," Autumn said, "I mean, we wouldn't want people to find out what we are up to and spoil it for us."

"True," Henry said, "but if we find out who people are, we will know who is on what side. That way when the savior gets here, we can have our side ready!"

"That's good and all," Autumn said, turning the pages of the book until they got to the end, "But no one here remembers their past lives. She'll have to start to break the curse first."

"Oh, right," Henry said, "So what's the plan?"

"We DO need to find out who certain people are," Autumn said, "Ones that will threaten the curse. But since no one remembers who they are, we will have to sit back and watch. We can tell who's who. We just need to look."

"But who is it that we need to keep an eye out for?" Henry asked and Autumn said, "The Genie in the Mirror, Huntsman, and Maleficent are the major ones."

"What about Rumpelstiltskin?" Henry asked and Autumn said, "I'm not worried, he's not going to help the queen much more. He came here in search for his son right? At least that's how it goes."

"Right," Henry said, "So you don't think he'll help the queen anymore?"

"No," Autumn said, "Unless she has his son, which I doubt since no one can leave here."

"Right," Henry said, "So he's not going to be a problem?"

"I never said that," Autumn said, "He does have his own agenda and we need to be wary but I feel the queen is the biggest problem right now."

"So who would you be?"

"Huh?" Autumn looked at Henry, as he stared at her curiously.

"Who would you be?" Henry said and Autumn shook her head, "I'm not anyone from the stories. I came to town only three years ago."

"What? How? People don't ever move here," Henry said and Autumn said, "We moved, I'm not sure why we were able to find this place but we did."

"Maybe your special?" Henry said and Autumn looked away saying, "I'm not special."

"Autumn! Henry! Dinner!" Regina called out and Henry said, "Come on, let's go before she comes up to get us."

Henry led his friend down the stairs and went into the dining room where his mom had served them pasta. Regina smiled at both Henry and Autumn, a smile that both children noticed seemed more real. Regina sat down saying, "I hope you enjoy pasta."

"I do," Autumn said politely. She sat down and waited for everyone to start eating. Regina then watched Autumn for a minute and asked, "What do your parents do for a living?"

"Mom is a hostess at a restaurant chain," Autumn said, "She travels a lot."

"I see," Regina said, with a small nod, "So it's just the two of you?"

"Yep," Autumn said before taking another bit of her pasta. Regina then asked, "So how is school going?"

"It was good," Henry said and Autumn nodded. She ate quietly for a while as did the other two. Regina watched Autumn as she ate. The child was intriguing; she certainly had enough guts to come marching up to her door. She seemed rather harmless; in fact she could be of use in showing that she wasn't as heartless as she seemed when it came to Henry. Autumn finished her dinner first, and glanced up at the windows. The sun was setting, causing the golden glow to turn orange. Regina finished next and asked, "Something wrong?"

"Oh no," Autumn said sincerely, "I just will have to be going soon."

"Alright," Regina said, "Would you like a ride home?"

"No, I'll be alright," Autumn said as Henry looked at his friend. He swallowed his pasta and said, "Are you sure?"

"Yep," Autumn said, standing up, "Thank you for having me over for dinner."

"Not a problem dear," Regina said, taking the plates, "Go take your friend to the door Henry. Then come back and finish your dinner."

"Kay," Henry said, standing up. He walked Autumn over to the door and said in hushed tones, "So will you come by the school tomorrow?"

"Yes, I will," Autumn said, shouldering her backpack, "See you then?"

"Yeah," Henry said, "Are you sure you don't want a ride home? I know she's not the Queen of Peace, but at least you won't have to try to walk back alone in the dark."

"No, it's alright," Autumn said, "I'm used to it."

"Okay," Henry said, unsure as he opened the door. Autumn took off, waving briefly as she disappeared. Henry bit his lip and wondered if she was really going to be okay. She lived rather far away, in the midst of the woods. It wasn't safe walking around them at night. But if she said she was used to it, it must not have been the first time she had gone home late. So with that Henry thought about it no longer. In fact, he had other things he had to be doing.

S.C.

"Autumn!"

Autumn was leaning up against the tree outside the school when she heard the voice. She looked to see Paige running towards her. Watching, Autumn said, "Hey, Paige, have you seen Henry?"

"No, in fact I was about to ask you the same thing," Paige said with a frown, "He didn't come into school today or yesterday for that matter."

Autumn looked surprised. That was odd; Autumn hadn't been able to come in yesterday due to certain circumstances. She didn't think that he wouldn't be in today, he was always at school. Maybe he was sick? Sighing, Autumn said, "Oh well. So what's happening in class today?"

"The usual," Paige said, "Math, history, we get to make bird houses tomorrow."

"Cool," Autumn said, "Who is your teacher anyway?"

"Miss Blanchard," Paige said, "She's really nice."

"Mmm," Autumn said nodding and Paige asked, "Will you be coming again tonight?"

"No, no, I need to go home," Autumn said, "Stuff to do."

"Oh," Paige said, "Are you sure?"

"Yep," Autumn said, "How is your dad?"

"He's good," Paige said, casually, "He's wondering if everything is alright; he says this is a first in a while that you haven't stayed a few nights in a row."

"Well I don't need to," Autumn said with a shrug. Paige looked like she was about to say something that was bothering her only to be interrupted by the bell ringing loud. Paige groaned and then said, "I have to go. Will I see you later?"

"Maybe," Autumn said, picking up her bag, "I have a few things to drop off before I go home."

"Okay," Paige said, before running off back towards the school. Autumn watched after her until she had disappeared in the crowd of students. Pulling up her hood, Autumn then dashed away from the school. She didn't feel like people stopping and asking her why she wasn't in school. So she would go by the shore to hang out until it was well in the afternoon. Looking both ways, she went to cross the street before dashing through the alley ways. She managed to make it to the shore line and finally stopped by the very edge of the beach. She took of her shoes and socks, so she could continue walking along the beach. The water splashed up, the chill of the water soaking her feet. She didn't mind it. In fact, she rather liked it. Walking along, she then noticed something out of the corner of her eye. There was an old wooden play castle not too far down the beach. There, Henry was sitting looking very forlorn. Intrigued, Autumn cried out, "Henry!"

He looked up and watched Autumn make her way over to him. Looking back down, he loudly said, "I'm sorry."

"What?" Autumn finally made it over to him and looked up at him. His sad hazel eyes looked at her and he said, "I brought her here."

"Who?"

"Emma, my real mom," Henry said, "I found her and brought her back."

Autumn stared at him for a moment and then asked, "I take it things didn't go very well?"

"She doesn't believe," Henry said sadly, "She doesn't believe in the curse."

"Oh… are you sure she's the savior?" Autumn said.

"Yes," Henry said, "She is! I know she is…"

Autumn looked at her friend with understanding and said, "Well you know… a lot of people in this world don't believe in magic…"

"I know," Henry said and Autumn said, "All she needs is proof, we need to get her to believe."

"How?" Henry said and Autumn replied, "If she really is the savior, we will know if she stays here in Storybrooke. The savior's arrival won't leave the curse untouched."

"True," Henry said and Autumn said, "Her Majesty is probably looking for you."

"Its fine, she doesn't know that I'm here," Henry said and Autumn was quiet. Suddenly, Autumn saw a blonde haired woman come up next to Henry and said, "You forgot your book."

"Hi," Autumn said, and Emma smiled and said, "Hey, what's your name?"

"Autumn," Autumn said, "I'm Henry's friend."

"I'm Emma," Emma said and Autumn said, "You're his biological mother."

"Yeah," Emma said with a little bit of a wary, "I guess you know who I am already."

"Kinda," Autumn said and silence reigned over them. Autumn was wondering if she should leave when Emma said, "Still hasn't moved, huh?"

Autumn blinked in confusion but realized she was talking about the clock. Autumn had looked back towards the clock when Henry said, "I thought bringing you back would change things around here. That the final battle would begin."

"I'm not fighting any battles kid," Emma said and Henry insisted, "Yes you are! You here because it is your destiny, you can bring back all the happy endings!"

"Would you cut it with the book crap?" Emma said and Autumn said, almost angrily, "It's not crap! Those stories mean just as much as any of ours!"

Emma looked at Autumn with confusion, who was now glaring at her, and Henry intervened, "It's alright Autumn, she didn't mean it like that. She's just trying to be hostile to push me away."

Emma then looked at Henry with a raw expression as he said, "I know you like me, I can tell. You're just trying to push me away because you feel guilty about giving me up. I know, I know because you just wanted to give me my best chance."

Autumn looked at Henry with a strange expression and said, "I'll leave you two to talk."

Autumn turned and walked back down the shoreline. Emma watched her go and said, "I guess I made her upset, huh Kid?"

"It's alright, she knows you didn't mean it," Henry said, "Autumn just not sure if you're really the savior. Since you don't believe…"

"I'm no savior," Emma said, "But you were right about one thing, I gave you up to give you your best chance."

Autumn finally stopped by a rather large rock before staring out into the ocean. She had dropped her shoes in the sand, not caring if they got dirty. Sighing, she stared out into the ocean with an empty look. Closing her eyes, Autumn wondered if Emma really was the savior.

Her answer was given that night on her way home. She was walking along the street, her breathe showing in the cold air. Luckily no one was out on the street to bother her, so she could go home in peace. She was just about to walk away from the center of town when she suddenly found herself looking up at the clock. The clock had clicked 8:16.

Lisie opened her eyes only to shut them quickly again. The light was way too bright, and all she wanted to do was to go back to sleep. She was having a really nice dream too. One with a party with very strange dressed people dancing to a lively dance. She snuggled under the covers only to feel someone come into her room.

"Lisie," his voice was soft and kind, "It's time to wake up."

"No," she weakly protested.

"Yes," he said, rubbing her back through the blankets.

"No," she said, her voice sounding stubborn, "I was having a good dream."

"Oh?" Lisie felt someone yank on the sheets and found herself face to face with her father. She nodded and said, "Yes, I was. And I want it again."

"Would you tell me about these dreams?" he said, pushing her bed tousled hair out of her face. She then said quickly, "There was this party and people were dancing really fast! I was dancing with them and someone with a really tall hat took me to have tea!"

"A man with a tall hat?" her father mused and said, "Sounds like the Mad Hatter to me. Have you been reading the book again without me?"

"Maybe?" Lisie murmured, before shrieking with giggles as her father tickled her playfully. He grinned and said, "Goosey, it's no wonder you want to go back to sleep."