Surprise! I know this is quicker than I usually get updates up, but I really wanted to get this particular chapter posted as it marks the final chapter of the 'Pilot' episode : ) Plus I already had a lot of it written, so it was just a case of polishing it up : )

Now, before we get to the actual chapter, there's something I'd like you all to do. Once you've finished reading this chapter, please can you read the bottom author's note as there's something important to this story that I'd like my readers' input on. Thank you : )

Other than that, I'd just like to say a massive thank you to everyone that reviewed the last chapter and this story in general, and also please remember that Once Upon A Time is not mine : )

I hope you enjoy this chapter : )

Mothers and Sons

Regina had informed Graham that between herself, Emma, and Wade; they had more than enough people going to Henry's school to question Miss Blanchard, and had sent the sheriff off to go look elsewhere in Storybrooke for Henry.

Emma knew that he wouldn't find him before she did though.

After all, he hadn't in the original timeline, so why should he in this new one?

Now she, Regina, and Wade were all walking down the corridor towards Mary Margaret's classroom in silence. Regina didn't want to speak to either of them, and Wade was trying to figure out what the deal was between Emma and Regina.

Emma was more than grateful for the silence.

It gave her time to think about how she wanted to play this.

Emma hoped that she appeared calm and collected, and not as though she felt like she was about to throw up again, which she did.

She couldn't help it though.

In a few moment's time, she was going to meet her mother for the second time.

That in itself was daunting enough, but add in Emma's foreknowledge of the future to come, and she knew exactly how important this 'first' meeting was in the chain of events.

If things didn't go right today, who knew what effect it might have on the future?

They arrived outside the open door.

Emma swallowed, hard.

It was time to meet her mother again.

At that exact moment, the school bell rang, and the children began filing out of the classroom. Rolling her eyes, Regina just shoved her way through them all roughly, but Emma and Wade were more gentle and calm as they followed her.

Mary Margaret, who had been watching her class to make sure no one was running, noticed them enter.

As soon as Emma clapped eyes on her, she hungrily drank her in.

This woman was her mother.

She had given birth to her.

How had Emma failed to see it the first time around?

Sure, they may have been the same age, but Emma should have been able to look past that.

She should have been more open to believing and having hope.

Now she could change that.

"Miss Mills" Mary Margaret swallowed nervously, always feeling intimidated by the town's mayor, "What are you doing here?"

"Where is my son?" Regina hissed at her.

"Henry?" Mary Margaret blinked in confusion, "I assumed he was home sick with you".

"Would I be looking for him with these people if he was?!" Regina snapped.

Mary Margaret looked at Emma and Wade for the first time.

"Oh, hello" she said politely, "It's Mr Rogers right?"

"Aye" Wade nodded, "Hello Miss Blanchard".

Mary Margaret returned his polite smile, before looking at Emma.

"And I'm sorry" the black haired woman apologised, "But I don't think we've met?"

Emma swore she felt her heart break in that moment.

Of course she doesn't remember either. None of it's happened yet… but oh god… my mom… twenty eight years she's waited for me to arrive… and she has no idea who I am… oh mom…

"I'm…" what could Emma say? Your daughter? Yeah, that would go over well. Not, "Emma Swan" she finished, a little lamely.

"A pleasure" Mary Margaret said genuinely.

Emma forced a strained smile.

"Enough with the introductions!" Regina fumed, losing all patience with the situation, "Did you give my son your credit card so that he could go find Miss Swan?"

Mary Margaret looked very confused.

"I'm sorry" she shook her head, glancing at Emma questioningly, "I know that your name is Emma Swan, but… who are you? I mean in all this... whatever this is?"

Emma heaved a great sigh.

"I'm the woman that gave birth to Henry" she explained softly.

Mary Margaret's - not to mention Wade's - eyes widened in shock.

Emma mentally cringed.

That was so not how she wanted to let Wade know that she had a child, even if his Captain Hook persona already knew that.

She just hoped it wouldn't put him off.

Not that her love life was her main focus right now - of course it wasn't - but Emma needed to establish a friendship with him again at the very least, and it would be difficult to do that if he decided to run a mile.

"She's also the woman who gave him up for adoption" Regina cut in pointedly.

Emma closed her eyes in pain.

And I'll always regret doing that.

Wade felt a surge of sympathy for Emma when he caught the pained look of shame, guilt and misery that flashed across her face. He wanted to pull her into his arms for a hug, but they were virtually strangers, and he had no idea how she'd respond to that.

He was surprised that Emma had a kid, but even more surprised to learn that Regina of all people had adopted said kid. He wouldn't have pictured her as the maternal type.

Mary Margaret also felt a pang of sympathy for the other woman, but felt it wasn't really her place to comment since they had quite literally just met each other.

Instead, the petite school teacher started to pull out her purse.

"You don't know anything about this do you?" Emma pretended to realise.

"No, unfortunately not" Mary Margaret shook her head. She looked through her purse, and sure enough, one of her credit cards was indeed missing.

"Clever boy…" the black haired woman sighed, "I should never have given him that book".

Actually mom, that's the best thing your cursed-self ever did.

"What in the hell is this book I keep hearing about?" Regina demanded rudely.

Emma was forced to work really hard not to roll her eyes.

The mayor's attitude problem was starting to get really old, really quickly.

"Just some old stories I gave him. As you well know, Henry is a special boy. So smart, so creative, and as you might be aware, lonely. He needed it" Mary Margaret said firmly, and Emma was proud of her for saying it.

"What he needs is a dose of reality" Regina hissed back.

"Or at least someone around here does" Emma muttered under her breath.

Wade sniggered, but thankfully Regina didn't hear her comment. Or if she did she didn't acknowledge her.

"This is a waste of time" Regina whirled on the spot and started to leave.

As she went, the mayor deliberately knocked over a stack of books on one of the desks. They tumbled to the floor as Regina left the other three behind.

"Vicious cow" Wade grunted as he knelt down to pick up some of the books.

"Mr Rogers!" Mary Margaret gasped.

Emma forced down a smile at how much that sounded like Snow White when scolding Grumpy for his bluntness.

Then the smile faded, and her heart ached.

She missed her parents, her son, Hook, and her friends so much.

This whole time-travel crap just wasn't fair!

"Well she is" Wade insisted in a dark tone, pulling Emma back from where her thoughts had gone, "We were only just trying to help after all".

"We're sorry to bother you" Emma apologised, not knowing what else to say.

She too knelt down and helped Mary Margaret and Wade to pick up the fallen books.

There was so much she wanted to say right now.

So much she should have said back in the future, and now it was too late.

Mary Margaret didn't know her.

They had no relationship at all.

All of it was gone.

It was like losing her parents all over again.

And it made Emma; strong, sassy, bold Emma Swan; want to cry like the little orphan she still was at heart.

"No it's… It's okay" Mary Margaret waved off the apology, "I hear this is partially my fault".

"How's a book supposed to help?" Wade couldn't help but ask.

Mary Margaret threw him an amused yet somehow also serious look.

"What do you think stories are for? These stories are classics. There's a reason we all know them" she explained, and this time Emma found a whole new meaning in her mother's words, "They're a way for us to deal with our world. A world that doesn't always make sense. See, Henry hasn't had the easiest life".

Emma flinched, feeling guilty for giving him up all over again.

"Like I said, Regina's a nasty piece of work" Wade shrugged his shoulders.

Mary Margaret shook her head sadly.

"No, it's more than her" she explained, feeling sorry for the boy they were talking about, "He's like any adopted child. He wrestles with that most basic question they all inevitably face".

Emma's eyes darkened.

She knew that question very well after all, having asked herself it every day for twenty eight - almost twenty nine - years. Then the curse broke, and she got her answers.

Those answers still hurt her, but it was better than still asking the question.

Much better.

"Why would anyone give me away?" Emma whispered.

She forced away the tears that had welled up in her eyes.

Mary Margaret looked horrified, and quickly reached out and rubbed her shoulder.

"I am so sorry. I'm shouldn't have said that. It must be a very painful subject for you Miss Swan and I'm so sorry that I brought it up. I didn't mean in any way to judge you" the teacher quickly assured her.

Emma had to fight off a watery laugh.

You'd be a bit of a hypocrite if you were judging me mom… even if you can't remember it… oh mom… what the hell am I supposed to do? How can I be a hero if I don't know how?

"I know you didn't mean anything by it" Emma wiped her eyes and forced a smile for Mary Margaret's sake.

Wade watched Emma sadly, feeling sorry for her.

He had no idea what he could possibly say to her though. He just hoped that Emma knew that if she ever needed a friendly ear, he had two of them.

After all, sometimes it was easier sharing your problems with a complete stranger.

Not that he wanted them to always be strangers, of course.

"I'm still sorry if I upset you. The point is, I gave the book to him because I wanted Henry to have the most important thing anyone can have. Hope. Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing" Mary Margaret told them both seriously.

There was a pause in which none of them said anything.

"You know where Henry is" Wade broke it suddenly, watching Mary Margaret intently, "Don't you?"

Both Emma and Mary Margaret were surprised by his intuitiveness.

Instead of answering right away, Mary Margaret looked up at Wade thoughtfully.

"I still don't get your interest in this, Mr Rogers" she said nervously, although her face gave it away since she looked completely caught out.

Emma opened her mouth to explain, but Wade beat her to it.

"It's the honourable thing to do" he told Mary Margaret, "There's a young lad missing, so I offered to help find him since Emma's new in town".

"Oh" Mary Margaret blinked, "I see... and there was me beginning to think that you might be Henry's biological father".

Emma almost choked.

Wade blushed an impressive shade of red.

"No!" they both cried in unison.

"Definitely not!" Emma almost shouted.

"Absolutely no way!" Wade added, equally embarrassed.

"Errr…" Mary Margaret didn't know what else to say.

There was an extremely awkward pause.

"You were about to tell us where you think Henry might be" Emma prompted her, simply to alleviant the awkwardness of the moment.

Mary Margaret sighed, before finally giving in.

"You might want to check his castle" she suggested.

As Emma approached the site of Henry's 'castle' with Wade trailing along behind her, she tried her best to ignore the churning sensation knawing away at her stomach.

She knew that this was the moment that Henry first felt connected to her, as was it the moment that that she had first felt a connection to him.

And Emma cherished that.

She truly did.

But the reality of reliving that moment was also very daunting. What if she accidently changed something? What if she messed something up?

Losing Henry… no… never forming that relationship with Henry… it wouldn't just break her.

It would destroy her.

"Are you sure you want me here for this, Swan? It's a rather personal moment, don't you think?" Wade asked her, breaking her from her reverie.

Emma closed her eyes, pained.

Truth be told, if he was Hook right now, she'd probably ask him to stay with her, for fear of facing this alone.

As it was, he was Wade, not Hook, and he was right.

This was a moment between her and her son, and that was how it should remain, regardless of how many times Emma would live through it.

"Do you mind waiting?" she asked.

Wade offered her a supportive smile.

"Of course I don't mind" he assured her kindly, "I'll just… wait by your bug until you and the lad are done".

Offering him a grateful smile, Emma nodded her thanks and headed over to Henry.

She plopped down next to him, and handed him the storybook which she had retrieved from under the seat in her car on the way over.

Unsure of how to even pretend to begin, Emma decided to follow the original timeline for the moment. This was a conversation she'd committed to memory after all.

"You left this in my car" she said quietly.

"Thanks" Henry sighed sadly.

The mother and son both looked across to the clock tower. Its hands were still frozen at 8:15.

Emma so desperately wanted to explain to Henry that she was staying, that she wasn't going anywhere, but she knew she couldn't.

Her son was a stranger to her now.

And given the situation between herself and Regina during this time period, if Emma said the wrong thing to Henry and he repeated it to Regina... well, it could have less than desirable consequences for Emma.

She needed to play this very carefully.

"Still hasn't moved, huh?" Emma asked for appearance's sake.

A dejected sigh escaped Henry's lips.

"I was hoping that when I brought you back, things would change here" he said miserably, "That the final battle would begin".

Emma bit her lip, searching for a response instead of immediately shooting him down like she'd done in the original timeline.

"Well… not every battle can be fought in the way you'd expect" she eventually landed on.

"What do you mean?" Henry turned to her, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"Henry… you need to talk to your mom" Emma told him gently.

The boy's face instantly darkened.

"I don't want to talk to her" Henry grumbled stubbornly, "She's evil".

"Is she? I mean, I'll admit, ever since I've met her, she's been nothing but a right royal pain in the ass" Emma told him, making him smirk in amusement, "And I know she doesn't always listen to you, but that's why you've got to talk to her. You need to make her see reason… for everyone".

A scoff of sheer disbelief escaped Henry.

"You think that my mom will lift her own curse just because I ask her too?" Henry asked her incredulously, "There is absolutely no chance of that happening. It's you that has to break the curse… it's your destiny. You're going to bring back the happy endings".

I will Henry. I promise, I won't let you down again kid. I'm going back bring all our happy endings. I promise.

Emma so badly wanted to say those words aloud to him. She wanted him to know she was on his side, that he wasn't alone.

But alas, she couldn't.

Not yet anyway.

And that killed Emma.

It simply killed her.

So forcing herself to plough through her painful thoughts of seemingly impossible promises, Emma replied with the response she thought was best, or at least, would hopefully prove advantageous in the future.

"This isn't about the curse kid, it's about you" Emma informed him, "You love Regina, it's obvious. And she loves you. You two just need to rebuild your relationship".

The look on Henry's face told her he wasn't impressed.

"But the book says..." he started, ignoring her words.

"Just forget about the book for now! Focus on you, not the curse and not me!" Emma insisted, tone bordering on the edge of impatience.

Unfortunately, Henry picked up on that.

"You don't have to be hostile" he huffed, before smiling up at her, "I know you like me – I can tell. You're just pushing me away because I make you feel guilty. It's okay. I know why you gave me away. You wanted to give me my best chance".

Emma's heart ached with unimaginable pain.

If he only knew just how much she regretted giving him up.

Hell, if the Time Portal had sent her back to her teenage years when she was pregnant, she'd have changed the past and kept Henry, to hell with the consequences.

"How do you know that?" Emma pretended to ask, though the tears threatening to fall were very real.

"Because it's the same reason Snow White gave you away" Henry told her simply.

"Listen to me, Henry" Emma bit her lip uncertainly, unsure whether to say this or not, but she decided to anyway, "I think I believe you... at least to an extent. Things in this town are just… really weird. And you're right about something else too. I wanted you to have your best chance. But it's not with me. Or at least, not just with me. You need Regina too".

Emma really hated what she knew had to happen next.

"Come on Henry" she said wearily, "Let's get you home".

She jumped down off the edge of the toy castle and Henry followed her, pleading with her as she set off towards where Wade was waiting by the yellow bug for them.

"Please don't take me back there" Henry pleaded with Emma, "Just stay with me for one week. That's all I ask. One week, and you'll see I'm not crazy"

"I don't think you're crazy" Emma told him sincerely, "And I am going to stick around for a little while".

She couldn't help but smile when Henry's face lit up at those words.

"Y-you are?" he asked, happily stunned.

"I am" Emma confirmed, before she frowned, "But I still have to get you back to your mom".

Henry's face fell again.

"You don't know what it's like with her" Henry was almost in tears now, "My life sucks!"

And then suddenly Emma couldn't hold it back anymore.

In the past few days, she had lost the father of her child, battled the Wicked Witch of the West, gained a brother, lost him and everybody else who'd ever loved her, got sent backwards in time, and ended up all on her own, again.

And here was Henry, who had two mothers who loved him so much that they'd fought tooth and nail for him, and he had the audacity to claim that his life sucked.

Before she could stop them, heated words were spewing from Emma's mouth.

"Oh, you want to know what sucking is, young man?" Emma growled angrily, "Being left alone and defenceless in the woods. I didn't even get dropped off at a hospital. I ended up in the foster system and I had a family until I was three, but then they had their own so then they sent me back".

Emma forced herself to stop there.

She mentally reprimanded herself for she'd just done, and reminded herself that she was a mother, and was supposed to put her child's feelings before her own.

It wasn't Henry's fault all this crap was happening, so she wasn't going to take it out on him.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Emma continued in a much calmer voice.

"Look, Regina is trying her best" the blonde said with all the patience she could muster, "I know it can be awfully hard for you, and I know sometimes you might feel she doesn't love you, but I am absolutely sure that she does. But even if she didn't, at least she wants you".

The look on Henry's face was difficult to read.

For one second, Emma was hopeful that her words might just have gotten through to him.

Then...

"Your parents didn't leave you alone in the woods" Henry told her insistantly, "That's just where you came through into this world".

Emma couldn't hold back a small sigh of frustration.

Seriously?

That was his only take-away?

"Did you even listen to a single word I just said about your mom?" Emma huffed.

"The wardrobe" Henry persisted, ignoring her words entirely, "When you went through the wardrobe you appeared in the woods. Your parents were trying to save you from the curse".

Emma couldn't help but shake her head.

If she'd ever had doubts before, she most-certainly knew now that Henry was her kid through and through.

Mostly because he had deflection down to as fine an art as she did.

"Alright Henry, I get it" Emma sighed sadly, "You want me to leave it alone. Fine. I will. Now come on. Home".

They set off walking again, joining up with Wade as they arrived at Emma's bug.

Henry threw the man a curious look, but didn't ask why he was with Emma, or even speak at all, as he climbed into the passenger side of the bug.

Wade gave Emma a concerned glance.

"Everything alright?" he asked.

Emma couldn't help but smile at the concern in his tone.

It was still something she wasn't used too - people showing her concern. She hoped to god that's she'd never start taking it for granted.

"I... I will be" Emma replied honestly.

Wade offered her a strained smile, before they both got into the bug.

As she started up the car and began driving in the direction of Regina's house, Emma glanced over at her son, wanting to bring up the subject of his relationship with his other mother again.

But Henry wasn't even looking at her.

In fact, he was staring out the window, almost like he was ignoring her.

Emma felt a pang of dejection at that thought, and really, really hoped that wasn't what he was doing.

Still, she would leave the subject be for now, but sooner or later, she was going to get Henry to talk to Regina properly, and they were going to rebuild their relationship in the right way.

Of that she was determined.

Wade had decided to stay in the bug whilst Emma delivered Henry back to Regina. A wise choice too, considering the ugly look on Regina's face when Henry ran straight past her and went upstairs.

Turning to Emma, and looking like she was about to choke on her words, Regina begrudgingly thanked her.

"Thank you" she said through clenched teeth.

"No problem" Emma shrugged.

"Are you still convinced sticking around is the best solution Miss Swan?" Regina asked with a cold sneer.

"Yes" Emma replied bluntly, "Can I ask you something?" she asked carefully, trying to keep it civilized.

"You can try" Regina told her coldly, "I can't guarantee I'll answer it though".

"Do you love him?" Emma asked.

"What the hell kind of question is that?!" Regina snapped, temper boiling immediately.

"Do you love him?" Emma repeated, tone insistant.

"Of course I love him" Regina snapped.

"Then please, go in there and talk to him. Don't… punishment him; don't shout at him… just… talk to him. Please" Emma pleaded.

Regina looked just about ready to knock Emma out.

"As I told you before Miss Swan, kindly keep your opinions about parenting to yourself. Especially since you've had no practice" Regina shot at her.

"I'm just trying to help" Emma tried to assure her.

Apparently, it didn't work.

"Help? Help?! And where were you if we ever needed help during the last decade? While you've been… Well, who knows what you've been doing, I've changed every diaper. Soothed every fever. Endured every tantrum" Regina listed on her fingers, glaring down her nose at the blonde woman, "You may have given birth to him, but he is my son".

"I'm just saying that..." Emma tried but Regina cut over her.

"No! You don't get to speak. You don't get to do anything. You gave up that right when you tossed him away. Do you know what a closed adoption is? It's what you asked for. You have no legal right to Henry and you're going to be held to that" Regina told her, deadly serious about that, "Now, I suggest you get in your car, and you go back to Granny's. I can't force you to leave this town, but I sure as hell can keep you away from my son. And if I see you within ten feet of him, I will destroy you if it is the last thing I do. Goodbye, Miss Swan".

Regina turned to go back into her house.

Before the blonde woman realised it, Emma's fragile control over her temper shattered.

"So that's your plan is it?!" she all but screamed at Regina, who whirled around, looking outraged, "You're going to just lock him up like he's your favourite toy? 'Only Regina can have him', it is pathetic!"

"How dare you talk to... " Regina seethed.

"Shut up!" Emma yelled over her.

Regina looked stunned, but now that Emma had got going it was far too hard to stop.

"You listen to me lady. I don't care if you threaten me. You can do that all you want. But just think on this, your majesty, if you hold onto him too tight, all that'll happen is he'll resent you" Emma warned her, eyes flashing with anger, "And quite frankly, if you keep treating him like this, you'll deserve it".

And with that closing statement, Emma turned and stormed off back to her bug.

Regina just stood there, watching her go, utterly speechless.

Almost swelling with fury, Regina eventually closed her jaw which had been hanging open.

How dare that woman say such things to her?!

She was the most powerful person in town and she wouldn't be spoken too in such a way!

But one thing did nag at her.

Miss Swan had called her 'Your majesty'.

Was it possible that… no, that was utterly ridiculous.

It had to be just a mere coincidence.

The idea that Miss Swan had figured out she was really 'The Evil Queen' was utterly ludicrous.

Emma mentally reprimanded herself as she flopped down into the driver's seat of her bug.

Nice going Emma. You just couldn't leave it, and now she'll be right back to hating your guts. So much for avoiding her bitchy moods… still, it only matters if I stay in this time, which I might not, and she had it coming. The bitch.

"Thank you" Emma said suddenly, starting the ignition.

Wade looked over at her, clearly surprised.

"What for lass?" he asked, perplexed.

Emma smiled softly at him.

"Just... for coming with me today. For helping me find Henry, for offering me a bit of support. It means a lot considering that we barely even know each other" Emma told him honestly.

Wade shrugged his shoulders modestly.

"Well, you needed a bit of help and I was able to give it, so why wouldn't I?" he asked.

"Because this world is a cold place and not everyone's as good as you" Emma told him honestly, "I mean it Wade. Thank you".

Wade still looked rather surprised for a moment, before he smiled tenderly at her.

"You're very welcome Emma" he said huskily.

For a single moment, Emma was tempted to lean in right there and then and kiss him. But she didn't. She just couldn't. Not yet anyway.

Not after how badly all her other relationships had ended.

She needed a bit more time before she was ready to get involved with anyone else again, and that was even assuming that Wade wanted to be involved with her. He wasn't the same man as Killian Jones after all.

Emma started driving, asking Wade where he wanted to be dropped off.

"Just take me to Granny's" he told her, "I can get myself home from there, and after the day you've had Swan, you look like you could use a rest".

"You're not wrong" Emma chuckled.

They drove in a comfortable silence for a while.

"You okay, Swan?" Wade asked, peering at her intently.

Emma nodded.

"Yeah... just thinking" she replied, honestly.

"Penny for them?" he teased.

That managed to get a smile out of Emma.

"Oh, my thoughts are worth so much more than a penny, buddy" she returned.

Wade laughed, and Emma relished the sound.

She smile faded however as she returned to her thoughts.

It was time to decide.

Whilst she'd managed to keep things pretty much consistent with the original timeline so far, Emma knew that the longer she stayed here, the further this new timeline would diverge from the old one.

The way she saw it there were two options.

Option one was that she could go battle with Maleficent right now, steal the bottle of true love magic that was hidden inside her, and bring magic to Storybrooke right now. Then she could try to convince Rumplestiltskin to find a way of splitting her and Hook from their past-selves, and open a Time Portal for them so they could return to the future.

Emma inwardly scoffed to herself.

Yeah, she could just see that little imp falling over himself to help them. Not!

The downside of that plan was that it would leave the entire timeline thrown off course, and quite possibly give Regina the power to kill her past self since the Emma that was actually from this time didn't even believe in magic, let alone know how to wield it.

Yeah... better not go with that option.

So that left option two.

Stay here and repeat these past few years of her life, make changes for the better, and try to keep everything she knew from falling apart. There was a reason that nobody else had ever suceeded at this time travelling nonense after all. If Emma changed things, then other things would change, and eventually the world she came from wouldn't even exist anymore.

It was a disturbing thought.

Emma wasn't overly thrilled by option two either.

But...

How much crap had everyone she cared about been forced to go through the last time?

How many people died when there were other ways that events could have played out?

Neal and Graham.

She had the chance to save them now.

And it wasn't just about the lives that had been lost. It was all of it. Pan and Cora and Greg and Tamara and... all of it. Now that she knew what was coming, Emma could find ways to make things happen differently.

Make it so things actually ended happily for once.

But what if it all blew up in her face?

She glanced over at Wade, somehow hoping that he'd just know she'd need some encouraging words of support right about now.

Wade looked back at her and smiled.

For a split second, Emma could have sworn she saw Hook, Killian, looking back at her from behind those blue eyes, and she knew exactly what he'd say.

I believe in you Swan, Emma heard Killian's voice say in her head, I've yet to see you fail.

She couldn't leave.

Emma realised that in that split-second.

She couldn't leave this time.

Emma couldn't just leave him here, cursed and all alone. She had to stay with him, for Killian, for her family, and for herself.

This was an opportunity she just couldn't toss away.

Emma nodded to herself, her mind made up.

She was going to stay in this time, and she was going to make the future better for all of them.

It wasn't going to be easy, fighting against time itself and stopping it all from falling apart, but Emma was nothing if not determined.

She was going to win.

Back at Regina's house, Henry was leaning against the window sill in his bedroom with his arms propped up by his elbows, head in his hands. He was looking out over at the clock tower.

His eyes widened when it happened.

For the first time ever, the hands moved past 8:15, and the clock ticked loudly.

Henry beamed in delight.

Time was moving forwards again, and that could only mean that the saviour was staying.

It appeared that the final battle had just begun.

Meanwhile, on Storybrooke Main Street, a woman was riding her bicycle through the cool October evening. She was a midwife at Storybrooke General Hospital, and was headed there to start her shift.

The woman's eyes widened in surprise when she sensed something in the air that no one else in the entire town could.

Grinding to a halt, the woman got off her bicycle, and glanced up at the clock tower.

8:16.

For the first time ever, the clock was reading 8:16. It had finally started moving.

A grin that was positively wicked graced the woman's features.

A cruel laugh bubbled its way from her lips.

"It seems the day has finally arrived" she mused to herself thoughtfully, a malicious grin etched into her face, "And it seems that Emma Swan has just made up her mind".

The clock ticked loudly.

8:17.

The woman felt a breeze sweep through her long red hair, as time moved around her again for the first time in twenty eight years.

"The saviour and her cursed lover are staying in this time, probably to fight fate and change the future" the woman muttered to herself, "Well then - I guess it's game on. But the saviour should be prepared to lose. Because after all..."

She grinned an insane grin.

"Wicked always wins".

Yeah... that just happened ; )

Woohoo! Zelena's in Storybrooke too. I'm not going to lie, Zelena is one of my favourite, if not my absolute, favourite characters in Once Upon A Time, and I'm so excited that I have finally got to her : ) I have plans for her that are just... well, wicked : D

So Emma is staying the past to fight for a better future, which is what made the clock hands start moving, in case anyone missed that. I really want that to be what made time start moving again rather than Emma just staying in Storybrooke like the original timeline : )

And Wade... oh Wade. This curse persona is a kind-hearted man, isn't he? I AM planning on giving him some painful stuff in his curse-created backstory though : ) That WAS the whole point of Regina's curse after all.

Now, I said I wanted you guys to give me your opinions on something, and I do.

Most of you will probably remember that I outright stated that Graham will survive in this story, and that I also said that he was NOT be paired with Emma. I was very firm on that fact, and many people were happy with that decision.

My question for all you now though, is who should he be paired with?

I REALLY want Graham to get a romantic happy ending as it would be just one example of the effects of Emma's time changes, but I have absolutely no idea who to ship him with. It's extremely ironic as I have another Once Upon A Time story planned for the future, an OC one, and Graham's that OC's True Love, but I want this story to be as different from this future project as possible, which is why I'm struggling.

Which is where you guys come in.

Please, pretty please, would you guys give me suggestions?

I am open to literally any suggestion you guys can give me. Female characters, male characters, characters that aren't even human (for example; a mermaid, a giant, a fairy... etc.) - any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and given serious consideration. It doesn't even have to be a character from Once Upon A Time. It can be any book or film character, hell, even a gender-swap of a character, and I'll just create a OUAT style twist version of that character if that's the case.

The only characters he can't be paired with are those whose 'ships' I've already decided on for this story/series. Those are: -

Emma Swan/Killian Jones.

Snow White/Prince Charming.

Regina Mills/Robin Hood.

Belle French/Rumplestiltskin.

Zelena/Hades.

Ruby Lucas/Dorothy Gale.

Those pairings might not all happen in this specific story, since I do have a sequel in mind, but honestly guys, ANY suggestion would be highly appreciated, and the more I get, the faster I'll get to work on getting the next chapter up, so if you want a quick update, you know what to do ; )

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please leave a review.

Until the next time, keep on reading : )