A/N: I do not own OUAT or their amazing characters. Enjoy! - BS

Chapter One

Hope. Such a strange concept to her, even though she was named after it. She woke up to another dreary day in New York City. She hit her alarm clock and arose to battle another day at the NYU campus. Her long brown hair tumbling down her back. She stretched and looked outside at the rain.

"Well this will be a fun walk in the rain." She thought to herself. Hope walked over to the mirror and took a long look. Hope Swan-Jones, 23 and a cranky college student by day and bail bondsperson by night. It was good money while she finished up her bachelor's degree in criminal investigation. The city was expensive, and she had to find some way to make a living. She didn't know why she liked her work so much, she just felt it was in her blood. Hope had bright green eyes and long, dark brown hair with shimmers of blonde woven in, pale skin like snow and an athletic figure. You had to be in shape to chase down perps in this place.

"Good grief" She sighed, "6:00 came early this morning." Hope started her coffee pot, put on some music and got ready for her day. She checked herself out the mirror before heading out to the rain. She donned grey a turtleneck sweater with skinny jeans and her reliable knee-high black boots. Her long hair fell in curls down her back and a grey beanie covered her head for protection against the rain. Finally, she grabbed the red leather jacket. She never left the apartment without it

"I can't leave without my armor" She said quietly.

Satisfied this was as good as it was going to get, she grabbed her bagel off the counter, grabbed her backpack and headed out the door. She headed out of her loft and down the stairs in the rain, where she took the bus to campus. The campus was crawling with students scurrying through the rain to get to class on time. Hope walked slowly, she ran so much when working she didn't feel like scurrying with the others. It's just water, she would dry just fine. Hope was tired today, she chased down two perps last night and one that had to be tackled. But she was determined to finish this degree and figure out where she really belonged.

Ah yes, the delightful 8:00 am lecture class of Constitutional Law; whoever decided they should put a law class that early in the morning, should be fired. Hope glanced around the large lecture hall, she was early like normal and took her usual seat up front in the left corner at the very end of the row, in the hope that she could avoid people as much as possible. As her professor droned on she did her best to stay awake and focused on the procedures of a routine strip search. After working as late as she does, it makes these early morning classes very difficult to handle, but it's the only way to insure her future.

Hope got back to her apartment around 10:30 pm. It had been a long day, and she was stumbling up the stairs in dress and heels that she had worn to catch a perp, A sleaze ball who skipped out on bail when his wife mortgaged his house to him out. Dirtbag. On her way home, she stopped at a bakery and got herself a cupcake. She nearly forgot that today was September 21st, her birthday. Hope stumbled in her door and was greeted by her loveable dog, Hook. He earned his name due to him missing one of his front legs. Hope found him under her car tire last year and has cared for him ever since. The grey and white pit bull was attempting to jump up on her demanding attention.

"Hang on Hook, let me get through the door first," She said with a stifled giggle. Hope got through and kicked the door shut shedding her 4-inch stilettos instantly.

Hope walked in to her kitchen dropping the groceries she bought on the counter. Preheating the oven to 425 for her usual birthday lasagna, she went to her room to change into something more comfortable. Hearing her oven been she reemerged in her favorite comfy sweats and Superman t-shirt her hair thrown up into a loose ponytail. Hope popped her lasagna in the oven and sat down at the table, reading the newspaper as an attention seeking Hook jumped up on her leg. He nuzzled her hands and licks her, demanding to be pet.

"What is it my little love?" She cooed to Hook, "Did I forget to feed you?" She scratched his ears lovingly. Hook looked up at her, tilted his head and his ears perked up at the sound of food. Hope laughed "Ok pup come on."

Hook followed her into the pantry where his food bowl lives. She poured him some food and set it on the ground. At the same time the oven beeps signaling her lasagna is done. Hope poured herself a glass of wine and got her lasagna out. She cut a piece, served herself, and sat back down at the table. Taking a large gulp of wine Hope turned to her phone putting on some music, not being able to stand the silence anymore. In her apartment the song "Charley's Girl" by Lou Reed filled the empty confines. As she ate in silence, Hook laid faithfully at her feet, waiting patiently for any scraps that fell from her fork. As she finished her food, she took her plate to the sink and wine in hand she walked over to the window and stared out at the rain.

Hope spent most of her birthdays alone. She was a loner and didn't have many friends. Her job made it difficult for her to get close to anyone because she could see how disgusting humanity could be, all the dark sides of it. Hope zoning out her music, was lost in her thoughts about her family, her past, and why she was given up. She realized the song "My immortal" by Evanescence had begun playing and a tear rolled down her cheek and on to her hand. She down the last of her wine, stared out the window and let her tears fall like the rain. Her loneliness was always the worst on days like this; Christmas, Thanksgiving, Birthdays, all of them brought up the pain and the loneliness she fought so hard to keep buried deep down.

Hope was given up by her parents when she was about 1 year old. Her parents took her to a local nunnery in Maine where she grew up and didn't leave as much as a note. Just a baby blanket with a swan and a hook on it, and her name. They abandoned her. She had been in love once, to a man she caught trying to break into her apartment. That alone should have been a red flag. Alexander or more commonly known as Alex was handsome, with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes and a smile that lit up a room. She caught him in her front door attempting to pick the lock with a couple of bobby pins. When she caught him, he looked up at her and smiled and that's all it took. They fell in love hard and fast moving in together just after 2 months. The good moments were great, and the bad moments were hell. He was emotionally abusive, and it affected Hope even still. She stood by him through prison, all his bad decisions, even all the accusations that he had been messing around on her. She walked into their apartment her birthday two years ago to him in bed with her best friend Bella. Even after that, after it all she begged him to stay. He took one look at her and walked out of her life forever. The 4 years they spent together meant nothing, and he abandoned her. She wasn't worth in to her parents and she hadn't been worth it to him.

Hope slumped to the floor drowning in her thoughts, her pain. Why was she so hard to love? What did she do in a past life to deserve all of this? She sat with her arms wrapped around her legs as she sobbed into her knees, the music of Journey lulling in the background with Hook faithfully laying on the floor by her side. Hope brought her head up and wiped away her tears, Hook meeting her face licking away her pain. She smiled holding her beloved companion close to her nuzzling into his neck. Hook sat still his tail wagging, thumping against the wall. She sat up and looked at her dog, smiled and kissed him on the nose. He licked her cheek affectionately, his tail wagging harder.

"Come on boy", Hope said with a smile. "It's time for a cupcake." Hook jumped up eagerly off her, his whole butt wagging with excitement. Hook got cupcakes twice a year, his rescue date and Hope's birthday. She walked over to the counter and opened a lavender box that had two cupcakes inside. One chocolate cupcake with birthday cake frosting for her, and a special peanut butter and oatmeal cupcake for Hook. He sat at the edge of the kitchen patiently waiting. Hope set his cupcake on the floor giving him permission to take his treat. As Hook ate his cupcake, Hope grabbed a blue star candle for hers.

Killing the lights, she lit the wick on the candle, a lone flame lighting up a dark, empty room. She glanced down at Hook, who was laying down, fully satisfied by his treat. A smile graced her lips only for a moment and then it disappeared. Hope lifted the cupcake up to her eye level blinking back tears.

"I wish," she stammered at barley a whisper, "I wish for this birthday I didn't have to be alone, I wish I had my family." She blew out the candle as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

Her lights flickered and turned back on. "That was weird," She thought.

While Hope was clearing up her dishes there was a knock at her apartment door. Hope and Hook both looked at the door confused.

"Hook stay," She said concerned. "I wonder who could be here."

Hope walked over to the door cautiously and opened the door. In the doorway stood a man in his late 20's to early 30's. He had brown hair and blue eyes just like hers. He stood about six inches taller than her. This man looked like he had been through a rough time, his clothes were ripped, bloody and his face was dirty.

Hope looked up at him extremely confused. "Can I help you?" She asked cautiously. Hook let out a low growl in the background. "The homeless shelter is 3 blocks north." She shot a look in Hook's direction causing him to calm down.

"Are you Hope, Hope Swan-Jones?" the man finally managed to stammer.

Hope took a step back. "Yes…" She answered carefully, "Who are you?".

A smile crossed the man's lips. "My name is Henry, and I am your brother.".