Emma Swan was twelve when she found herself moving to Storybrooke, Maine to live with her only living relative, Regina Mills. Her parents had died weeks ago from a terrible fever breakout in the remote part of Africa where they served as missionaries. She still felt alone and terribly sad, but she was glad to know her mother's sister was willing to have her come live in her house.
A pretty brown haired woman glanced at her wristwatch and adjusted her hat as she paced by the platform. "Aunt Regina?" Emma asked hopefully.
The woman's face took in Emma's plain dress and straw hat in dismay. "Miss Emma Swan?"
"Are you my Aunt Regina? I'm so pleased to meet you!" Emma started to hug her, but the woman drew back in alarm.
"I'm your Aunt's secretary, Belle French. You can call me Belle." She gave a prim nod. "Where are your trunks?"
Emma held up her one case. "They said the rest of my things may make everyone ill or have bugs."
Belle's face dropped a moment before she smiled again. "Well, it'll be alright. I'm sure you've grown quite a bit as well. We'll get you things that fit later."
There was so much to see and so many new things to experience, Emma felt excitement push her grief away during the drive. Her parents always told her to look for the good in every situation. It had gotten more difficult since losing her parents, but she tried her best.
Aunt Regina's home was far larger than she expected. Did only one person live here? It felt more like a place of worship than someone's home. Belle led her into a room full of plants. A lovely woman in a dark blue dress with her black hair coiled on top of her head sat talking to a rather nervous man with ginger hair and glasses.
"Miss Mills? I've brought Miss Emma." Belle said with a gentle nudge.
Both people turned to look at her. Emma felt more than a little out of place, but waited patiently for her aunt to acknowledge her. "Well? Come over here. Let me see you." Aunt Regina waved her hand regally.
With a nervous glance to Belle, Emma approached. "Emma, this is Reverend Archibald Hopper. He's the minister at our church here. You'll see him each Sunday."
"How do you do?" Emma asked politely.
"Rev Hopper, this is my niece Emma. She come to live with me." Regina told him.
"The one whose parents died on the mission field?" Rev Hopper lowered his voice.
"Yes. My brother-in-law and my sister died of fever." Her aunt said.
"Well, it's good to finally meet you Emma. I'm sure your aunt will take good care of you." Rev Hopper held her hand gently between his own.
"Where did you get that dress?" Aunt Regina asked making Emma jump in surprise. "It doesn't fit."
"It was in the missionary barrels." Emma frowned and fingered the lace edge of the dress
"The missionary barrels?" Rev Hopper echoed.
Regina sighed heavily. "Their supplies were always packed into barrels and sent. They didn't always know what would arrive." She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. We'll handle it later. There's a few things in your room. I'm sure you understand that I'm unaccustomed to children's noises here. So I expect you to behave like a lady."
Emma nodded and started to run after Belle to catch up. "Emma?" Aunt Regina called. "Go up the stairs like a young lady." She thought she could hear the quiet laughter of Reverend Hopper.
A small brown and white dog was snuggled in a basket at the top of the stairs. She gasped and ran forward to pet the sweet dog. "What's his name?"
"His name is Henry." Belle explained as Henry licked her hand.
At breakfast, Emma was shocked to learn how many things she could choose to eat. She took a careful sip of her milk when she sat at the table near Aunt Regina's place. "We're heading into town today. We need to get you some new clothes." Regina said as she cut a dainty bite of food.
"New clothes?" Emma asked in shock. "Store-bought?"
Aunt Regina smiled at her. "Well, you're a Mills now. You have to look like one."
Emma squeaked in response and covered her mouth. "I've never owned anything new before."
At the store, a pretty woman named Ashley shooed her behind the screen to change and snuck a cookie to her as they fussed over her dress. It felt like something out of a story book getting new clothes and shoes and hats like the fine ladies she saw on the train.
On Sunday, they sat on Aunt Regina's pew during service. Emma watched the boys and girls from the orphanage tease and taunt each other. One boy turned to look at her with large eyes of the brightest blue she'd ever seen. Given where he was sitting, he had to be about her age.
"Emma, don't stare at the orphans." Aunt Regina said in a voice so low she was the only one who could hear her.
She turned to face forward, but if she looked through her lashes the right way, she could still see the way he was staring at her.
Aunt Regina was required to meet at the orphanage after service. Emma looked around wondering if she would have ended up in a place like this if it hadn't been for her aunt. There were lots of people in town who reminded her how kind and generous her aunt was to her. She always said "yes ma'am" or "yes sir" as they spoke. She knew it was enormously kind, but why did everyone think she needed to be reminded?
"Who are you?" The boy from church asked.
"Emma Swan. I'm Ms Mills' niece." She bobbed a curtesy like she did with some of the adults. "Who are you?"
"Killian. Are you an orphan too?" He frowned and watched her.
"Yes. My parents got sick. So I live with my aunt." Emma shrugged.
He tilted his head with a mischievous grin. "Come on, Swan."
Together they ran around Storybrooke as Killian introduced her to the games he liked to play. As small as the town was, Emma wasn't worried about getting lost or Aunt Regina missing her yet. She ended up at the harbor with her new friend.
"This is Nemo's house." Killian whispered. "He's the meanest man in Storybrooke."
"I thought you said Mr. Gold was the meanest man in town." Emma whispered back.
As Killian told her the story of Nemo's pet kraken, a twig broke behind them. Emma screamed, more because Killian pushed her as hard as he could. "Go, Swan! Run!"
She run to face the person endangering her friend. Nemo was bald and serious looking, but there was also something sad in his expression. "No! You can't hurt him!" Emma shouted.
Nemo stared at her for a moment. "And who are you to tell me what to do, little girl?"
"I'm his friend." She stood at her full height. "And you…you're just a lonely man who needs to stop trying to scare children."
He paused and his face went slack. "I suppose if I don't, you'll tell your aunt?"
Emma frowned. "No, but you should still let him go."
It only took Nemo a moment to release Killian. He waved them both inside for tea. When Emma's attention was pulled to the rainbow dancing on the wall, Nemo let out a rusty chuckle. "It's a prism. Light refracting off the angles in the crystals."
"It's like having your own person rainbow every day." She grinned at both of them.
Nemo rubbed the back of his neck. "I'd never thought about it that way."
The next few days, Emma noticed Belle and Will speaking in low voices. She'd started hoping that they might announce an engagement soon. Belle would be such a lovely bride. Instead, she heard Will mention the orphanage and Belle hushed him with a sharp look.
"She's not going to tell. Are you, lovey?" Will grinned at her.
Emma felt her spine stiffen. "What am I? A snitch baby?"
Will chuckled. "Belle and I are helping organize a fundraiser - a bazaar- to raise money for the orphanage."
"So they can have better blankets and clothes that fit?" She asked.
Belle looked surprised, but softened her response. "Among other things, yes. How did you know?"
"Killian told me. That's where I would be if not for Aunt Regina, right?" Emma asked looking at her hands.
Will squeezed her hand and put an arm around her. "Come on, lovelies. Let's conspire over ice cream."
"You're funny." Emma grinned.
"You must be, Emma." A tall man said as he walked towards the house. Henry ran up and let the man scratch his ears. "I'm Dr. Loxley. I was friends with your parents before they moved. I'm sorry for your loss, Emma."
"I'm sorry for yours too." Emma replied. "Are you here to see Aunt Regina?"
He chuckled and looked down. "Aye, but she's not going to see me. I'm here to argue with her."
"Oh. About the orphanage or something else?" She tilted her head and watched him.
Dr. Loxley knelt down to meet her eyes. "You know about that?" She rolled her eyes and he laughed. "Alright. Your aunt means well, but she hides behind her family name. She doesn't want anyone to see behind the mask she gives the world."
"She doesn't want anyone to know she's lonely." She nodded. Her aunt could be cold and temperamental, but Emma knew she was a good person.
His eyes flickered at the ground for a moment. "Aye."
"What was she like when you knew her?" She asked as they both sat down on the grass.
"She was very spirited and kind." He admitted.
"She's pretty too." Emma nodded. "I hope I'm as pretty as she is when I grow up."
He smiled brighter. "I see so much of your mother in you. Except your smile. That's all David." She smiled at that. It seemed to be too painful for Aunt Regina to talk about. "But yes, she was beautiful back then too. She used to wear her hair down on her shoulders."
Belle came to fetch her for their afternoon errands. "Dr. Loxley! You're back?"
"Not quite. I wanted to talk Regina into easing up on the town again." He admitted. "But I was distracted by our newest resident."
"I'm sure you'll be good friends before you leave for Boston. Emma has that effect on people." She smiled. "Good day, Dr. Loxley."
"Where are we going today?" Emma asked brightly.
"I need to drop some pieces with Ruby and then we have errands for your aunt. You'll like Ruby." She grinned. "But her grandmother can be difficult. So you'll need to be careful, alright?"
Emma found herself walking through the house. It was more of a home than Aunt Regina's. She heard a woman arguing with someone and followed the sounds. A smarmy man in a lurid green suit stood there with sample of fabrics while the older woman lay on the bed.
"See here, Mrs. Lucas? This satin is finer than the-" He stopped and stared at Emma. "Young lady, don't you know it's rude to interrupt adults?"
"You're Regina's niece, aren't you?" Mrs. Lucas asked.
"Yes, ma'am. I'm Emma Swan." She smiled at the woman. "I'm glad to finally make your acquaintance."
"Young lady, can't you see this dear lady is ill?" The man continued.
"Now, Mr. Ozman, Miss Swan is doing nothing wrong even if she is impertinent." Mrs. Lucas waved his concerns away. She narrowed her gaze at Emma. "You have a stubby little nose."
"I know I do. I wish I had a prettier one, like yours." She replied to the woman who made a sound like she was trying not to laugh.
Mr. Ozman was still talking about fabric and handles. "You're not dying, are you?" Emma felt tears threatening. She grabbed Mrs. Lucas' hand as if that could sway her.
"Now, Miss, you need to go." Mr, Ozman insisted.
"No! If you're not dying you should be glad you don't need that ugly coffin! You should be glad to spend time with your granddaughter. You should be glad you can still walk."
Belle came rushing in and Emma buried her face against her friend as she cried. Eventually Mr. Ozman left and Emma had tea with Ruby and Belle. She hated the idea that a healthy vibrant woman was letting her life pass by. It was the saddest thing she'd ever heard.
The following day, Emma searched for Rev Hopper out in a field. She had a note from Aunt Regina for him. She waited patiently on a rock as he finished praying. "Emma! It's good to see you again." He smiled.
"My father used to practice his sermons with me. I could help if you like." She offered.
"It's alright. You know I'm curious what your necklace says." He asked.
"Father's favorite quote. If you look…" She sighed and blinked. "I always go cross eyed."
"May I?" Rev Hopper smiled. "If you look for the bad, you'll surely find it." He smiled sadly.
"My father taught me a game when things didn't go right. He taught me to find the good and be glad for it." She explained. "One year I wanted a doll for Christmas, but we didn't have the money. So we waited for the missionary barrels to come. But instead of a doll, there were crutches." She began. "So Father said we should play the glad game."
Rev Hopper smiled little and chuckled. "I can't imagine a child being glad they got crutches instead of a doll."
"Father said we should be glad we have them, but that we don't need them." She shrugged.
He chuckled and shook his head a little. "You came looking for me."
"Yes, Aunt Regina asked me to bring this message for you." She handed him the slightly crumpled piece of paper.
"Thank you, Emma." He murmured. "I'll walk back with you."
Dr. Loxley stood outside with Will and Belle. Aunt Regina forbade everyone from attending the bazaar. Emma hated that she might miss her solo, but she also wanted to help Killian and the others. It was dreadful thinking of how cold it would be in winter.
"There has to be someone we can talk to." Will shook his head.
"What about Rev Hopper?" Emma asked. "Can't he say something? After all, no one can own the church."
That night, something tapped on her window. She looked up and saw Killian sitting in the tree by her attic window. "What are you doing?" She hissed. "You'll fall and kill yourself."
Killian rolled his eyes at her. "I climb trees all the time. Come on, Swan."
"But Aunt Regina said I wasn't to go." She bit her lip.
"But half the people are only coming because of you." Killian's big blue eyes pleaded with her. "Come on, Swan. I won't let you fall."
She nodded and carefully followed each of his instructions until they were climbing down the tree. Emma hugged him and tried to keep her voice low. "Killian! You're the best!"
He beamed and walked her to the bazaar. Everyone she knew had come, Granny Lucas, Marco from the carpenter's shop, Ruby, Will, Belle, even Sheriff Humbert. The one who surprised her was Nemo. Killian began rattling off all the adventures they'd discussed over the last few weeks.
Killian helped her pull up her prize from the wishing well. She held the doll tightly and hugged him again. "My own doll? I've never owned one before."
When she arrived back home, she worried about walking past Aunt Regina. Instead, she decided to climb the tree back up. Killian made it look easy. She almost lost her grip twice. When she finally sat on the gable of the house, she breathed a sigh of relief. Her new doll slipped from her grip and she reached for it.
She realized her mistake too late. She managed one small scream before everything went black.
"What are you saying, Robin?" Aunt Regina asked in the hallway.
Dr. Loxley sounded angry. "Emma could physically recover, but I worry about her mentally. She's not got the strength for what's coming."
Regina paced. "What's to be done?"
Robin gave an exasperated shake of his head. "Regina, have you locked yourself away for so long that you've forgotten how to love your own niece?" He paced back to the window. "She needs, more than anything, to have her hope back."
"Miss Mills?" Belle called up. "They keep coming."
Regina closed her eyes. "I'll come down and talk to them."
At her door stood all the people she'd spent a lifetime pushing away. Rev Hopper, Mrs. Lucas, Marco, Nemo…Regina looked at the boy who'd been chasing around after Emma all this time. He'd stayed until she'd asked Will to take him home, only for the boy to come back.
"We've only come to see her and wish her well, Regina." Mrs. Lucas said.
Finally, Regina opened the door. "Why don't you all come in?"
Robin grinned and brushed a kiss to her cheek before he bounded up the stairs. Secretly, she was glad he'd be the one to break this news to Emma. There was no doubt the family stubborn streak ran as strongly through her as it did the other women in their family.
As Robin carried her past everyone she cared for, Regina could see the dark mood slowly lift. The Ladies Aid gave her a new doll, Marco made a small wooden ship, Mrs. Lucas even quilted her a blanket to keep her warm. Everyone brought something from flowers to cheerful words for the girl who'd turned their town upside down.
Belle announced her engagement to William Scarlett and Emma cut a look her way. "Really?" She whispered. Belle nodded excitedly. "And you have to walk with me."
Emma finally nodded. Rob stopped in front of Rev Hopper. "We looked for the good, Emma."
But it was Killian who got the biggest smile from her. "I got adopted!" He announced looking at Nemo behind him.
"You did?" Emma squeaked happily.
"Aye, but we'll need you home soon to help keep these two rascals in order." Nemo grinned at her.
Regina gave up trying to hold back her tears. If Robin could find the right medical team, she was fairly certain they'd get Emma walking again.
They got Emma settled in the train for the trip to Boston. Leroy was hanging a sign below the welcome sign at the station: Storybrooke: The Glad Town.
Emma still felt uncertain returning to her Aunt Regina's house. They'd lived in Boston the last five years after she fell out of the tree beside her room. Now that she was able to walk again, they were moving back for Aunt Regina's wedding to Dr. Loxley - Uncle Robin. Still, she had seen nothing of her friends since the day they got on the train.
Belle adjusted her dress once more declaring her ready for the party downstairs. She took the stairs carefully, hoping everyone's attention would be directed anywhere else. Nothing could have prepared her for the brilliant blue eyes waiting at the base of the stairs.
His jaw dropped slightly as she made her way towards him. She faltered for a moment and he bounded up the stairs to offer his arm. "Swan, you look.." He breathed.
"I know." Emma teased even as her cheeks burned. The last time she'd seen him, he was standing behind Mr. Nemo as Robin carried her down the stairs. Back then, he was gangly and fully of anger, not the handsome gentleman beside her. "Thank you, Killian." She murmured.
"Always my pleasure, Emma." He promised, squeezing her hand. "May I have the first dance?"
"I don't know how to dance." She whispered as fear slowed her steps.
"There's only one rule, find a partner who knows what he's doing." He murmured the words as he guided her into his arms.
She jumped when his prosthetic hand touched her back. "I didn't think- are you alright? I don't want you to hurt yourself." She'd forgotten that he'd lost his hand during the war.
His smile warmed as he held her closer. "I've never been better, love."
Hearing the honesty in his voice eased her concerns. She relaxed and enjoyed herself. How had she let herself forget him? When their dance ended, Killian scratched behind his ear and asked her to join him outside.
Aunt Regina placed a gazebo where the tree had stood. Killian walked with her to the spot. "I was hoping you'd permit me to play the glad game with you once more?" He smiled sheepishly.
Emma rolled her eyes. She hadn't played that since falling from the tree. Killian knelt in front of her. "Instead of being sad about the things that have kept us apart, I promise to always be by your side. Will you marry me?"
She nodded as tears filled her eyes. "Yes."
Maybe they'd start playing the Glad Game again tomorrow.