Speeding up the process
A guest asked for a oneshot of *6x11 spoilers!* teen August taking Emma to Storybrooke instead of the police station and reuniting her with her parents.
He knew the curse was meant to be broken when she was twenty-eight…but that didn't mean she wasn't allowed to be home before then, did it? August didn't see why not.
He had found Storybrooke's location a couple of years ago. He had never entered the town, however, frightened if he went in and saw his papa he would never leave again. He was Emma's guardian, first and foremost. But now was the time for them both to go home. Well, sort of.
He convinced the little girl that he knew of a place she'd be safe. A place far from the group home she was running from. A little town up north where the police were a distant nightmare. Nothing big ever happened in Storybrooke. Emma had scoffed at the stupid sounding name, but it certainly sounded better than another night burning books to stay warm on the streets.
August took Emma to Storybrooke and got the pair a room in Granny's. He had lied, sneaking Emma in after dark. He knew a teen boy travelling alone was odd enough with adding a little girl into the mix. Plus, for his plan to work, nobody could know Emma was here.
Later, August did something he swore long ago to his papa he would never do: make a deal with Rumplestiltskin. He arranged for the imp (who awoke from the Evil Queen's curse upon hearing Emma's name, as August suspected) to help with the small amount of magic he had. He helped August add a page to the story. He helped arrange it so that Mary Margaret Blanchard would be Emma's new foster mother. He then found Charming was the mysterious John Doe in a coma in the hospital, so added that Mary Margaret was married to this John Doe. That way, when he woke up (and once again, August had every faith Emma would help wake him), he would be Emma's foster father. That way, at least until the curse broke. Emma could be loved. She deserved that much. August would stay in town until he found his papa as well. He didn't know how he would face his papa not recognising him, but it was worth a shot.
The next day, August helped introduce Emma to her new foster mother. Thanks to Rumple's magic, Mary Margaret was expecting the little girl. She would promptly introduce Emma to the man who would be her foster father. Emma suspected there was something different about his coma. Whatever it was, she had a funny feeling she might be able to help. She liked what she saw with Mary Margaret so far, she was sure she would like this David as well. Hopefully, Emma finally had her forever home.
