I know this is a Charming centric story, but all the stuff I include about Tink and August is for a reason and it will all tie back to Emma in a way. Also, who else watched the premiere? It was actually better than I expected it to be and I felt so blessed by various things that we were given. It'll be an interesting second half.

Chapter Eleven: Guilt

1 ½ Years Ago

August peeked out the window, his heart beating in his chest. His parents were supposed to have gone to a neighboring kingdom for a meeting, but it had been cancelled for one reason or another. Every time he attempted to leave the palace, his mother stopped him, questioning his whereabouts. Unable to lie, he'd just fumble and say he was on his way to give orders before actually going to give said orders. Tink was going to worry if he didn't show, not to mention she was probably lonely. Emma hadn't been able to leave either due to all her lessons. There was a sudden knock at his door.

"Come in," he called out.

Emma appeared inside a moment later. "Why are you still here?"

"Every time I try to leave, Mom catches me."

"Maybe it's time we just tell them the truth. What's the worst they can do?"

"We can't risk it. Tinkerbell is fine where she is."

Emma studied his face for a moment. "Is this just because you don't want to have to tell them you've fallen in love with someone who isn't royal?"

Blush tinted August's cheeks. "I am not in love with her."

"Yes, you are." Emma smiled. "You want to kiss her, don't you?"

"I'm not 12, Emma." The prince rolled his eyes.

"Look, if it's true love, then you can't help it."

"There's just…things you wouldn't understand."

"What things?"

August bit his lip as he remembered the incident that had occurred two years prior. His father walking into the pantry to find him kissing the cook's daughter. Pleading with him to not fire said cook. His father demanding that they never see each other again and telling him what an embarrassment he was to the family, to the kingdom. That if it weren't for Emma, he wouldn't be there.

Shaking it off, he turned to face his younger sister. "I'm not telling them and neither are you."

"Fine." Emma let out a frustrated sigh. "I shouldn't do this, but I'm going to help you out."

August raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"Go. I'll distract Mama, you sneak out."

"Emma…"

"If they ask where you are, I'll make something up. You can't lie, but I can."

August pondered it for a bit. He was Emma's older brother, her protector. It was up to him to set a good example. An ideal older brother would've said no, that he would find another way. On the other hand, having Emma involved was almost a sure way to guarantee that he wouldn't get into trouble…their father had a soft spot for her.

"I'll be back by sunset," he promised.

Emma smiled. "Tell her I said hi."

"Will do." August kissed the center of her forehead. "Best baby sister ever." He headed towards the door.

"I'll keep this in mind when I need a favor!" Emma called after him, laughing.

The walk to Tink's treehouse wasn't too bad. It was far out enough that no one who didn't know about it could find it, but not an overly long walk so Emma and August didn't have to travel too far. He knew that even Emma could only distract their parents for so long, he had heard her asking about an upcoming ball and that was a conversation that would be short. Eventually, someone would go looking for him.

Finally, he reached the familiar tree and brought his fingers to lips to let out a whistle, his way of letting Tink know it was him. He climbed up the steps and smiled at her, hers matching his almost instantly.

"I didn't think you were coming," she said.

"Sorry, it's been hard to sneak away." August reached into his satchel and pulled out some food. "I brought more provisions."

"I told you…"

"You can work it out on your own, I know, I just wanted to help."

Tink nodded, gratefully and took a bite of the apple he included. "How's Emma?"

"She's great, she misses you."

"I miss her too. I just worry that you two are going to get into trouble."

"We won't, I promise. Right now, she's covering for me and I cover for her when she comes out here."

Tink smiled, setting her fruit down. "You two really care about each other."

"I've always looked out for her."

"Why?"

August bit his lip. "It's just my job."

"She told me that it's not one your parents enforce. So, why? She says you're not even like that with Alise. What's going on?"

Maybe it was nearly 15 years of keeping secrets, maybe it was the fact that he was tired. Maybe he was still on a high from actually being able to escape from the palace. No matter what it was, it spilled out. All of it. Every single detail, he could remember it so vividly. He feared Tinkerbell would hate him, threaten to tell Emma. All of it would be over. But much to his surprise, she took his hand.

"You've kept this secret, all these years?"

"Our parents know and a couple of others, but that's it."

"I can't believe someone would do such a thing," Tinkerbell whispered. "Curse an entire kingdom…it's just…I wish I could've been there to stop it."

"There's nothing you can do. You don't have wings anymore."

Tink shook her head. "So…Emma really doesn't know?"

"You can't tell her. I plan to do it, eventually. I just have to wait until she's older, so our parents can't stop us."

"I can't imagine what this has been like for you," Tink's voice was still soft. "You gave up everything…for her."

August shrugged. "At first it was what I was told to do but now…I love her. I can't imagine my life without her."

Tink smiled and leaned in, kissing him. August was caught off guard, but deepened it, smiling within the kiss. When they pulled away, she squeezed his hand.

"Let me help you."

"You want to help me?"

"You and Emma have done so much for me, this is the least I can do."

Present Day

August's heart was pounding in his chest as he knocked on Snow and Charming's door. When it opened, he saw the former queen and her soft smile.

"August, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Where is she?"

"Upstairs. Come on in." Snow lead him inside and turned to the stairs, calling up them. "Emma, August is here!"

The bed creaked and slowly but surely, Emma made her way down the stairs. She took in her brother, he looked completely fine, the cut was gone. Worry, not fear was in his eyes and he was shaking a little. Before she could move, he had wrapped her into his arms. She hugged him tighter, burying her head into his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" August asked.

"Am I okay?" Emma would've laughed if she wasn't so anxious. "I make you hit your head and you ask if I'm okay?"

"I'm fine, I was just so worried about you," he told her, pulling a way a bit to take her in.

"I'm fine. I just…I thought your father…"

"He was wrong, he never should've said those horrible things to you. It's not true, you're not a monster."

Emma bit down on her lip, wanting to believe him. She knew it was how he felt about the situation, but that didn't mean it was correct. She felt like a monster, she always had. At the very least, she was just grateful that he wasn't upset with her. That he still seemed to want to be her brother. Snow could see the mixture of emotions in her daughter's face. She seemed so scared, so unsure of everything. She was seeing a new side to her daughter and all she wanted to do was wrap her into a big hug and not let go.

"I do have some bad news," he said, sighing.

Charming's brows furrowed, stepping forward. "What?"

"I don't think the Evil Queen is who we have to worry about."

Snow and Charming exchanged a look, remembering their conversation with Regina from earlier that day. "Regina tried telling us the same thing," Snow said. "We weren't sure if we should believe her."

"I don't know how big of a threat she is in comparison," August explained, looking to each of them. "Her name is Zelena. She tried to recruit me, get me to be on her side. She said we're a lot alike."

"You're not a villain," Emma interrupted. "Anything but. You're…you're August."

August couldn't help but smile at her answer. "I don't know what she meant by it. But she kept saying that I had to be on the right side of things, to protect you."

"Protect me?" Emma felt a chill run over her body as she noticed Snow and Charming moving closer to her.

"Why would Emma need protection?" Charming asked.

"I don't know. But Zelena…she's not just Zelena. She wasn't in Storybrooke the entire time, she was with us."

Emma still felt confused as ever as she wracked her brain. She had never met a Zelena. It was such an unusual name, she was sure she would've remembered it. "We don't know anyone with that name."

"She masqueraded herself, as Sara."

"Sara? As in one of my magic teachers?" August nodded his head while Emma's brows continued to furrow. She didn't understand. Sara had always been so kind, so accepting of her powers. She had taught her some of the best…

That's when it hit her. Sara had always been the one to teach her the trickier spells, the ones the other teachers were hesitant to. In fact, she had perfected the fire ball under Sara's instruction. The other ones hadn't wanted her to learn that. It was all lining up perfectly.

"I can't…I can't believe she would do a thing like that," Emma whispered. Though, she was wondering why she was surprised. Everyone had always deceived her, her entire life had been a lie. Why should this Sara be any different?

"What does she want with Emma?" Snow asked, moving even closer to her daughter, being so bold to put a hand on her shoulder. Emma was too shocked to even move away from it.

"I don't know. But I think that war is coming to Storybrooke and we have to be prepared," August's voice was filled with regret. If there was any other way, he would find it. He had always protected Emma, but he didn't have magic. There wasn't much he could do in the situation they had been placed in.

"War," Snow repeated.

"We've fought before, we can do it again," Charming insisted, trying to stay brave for his family. He reached over to take Snow's other hand. "This Zelena won't get the best of us, she won't stop us from getting home."

"How did she get here?" It was all Snow could think of to ask next.

Emma had a feeling. If she had been from the Enchanted Forest, she most likely knew about everything. The day Emma opened the box, she was due to have another magic lesson. Even though she was 16, she still received them, there was still so much to learn. Sara/Zelena would've overheard everything. If she was clever enough to do a transformation spell, she could've cloaked herself to follow them...

Emma had brought her to Storybrooke.

A mixture of guilt and horror filled the pit of her stomach. What had she done? Breaking the curse had brought nothing but pain and it was only going to continue. It was all her fault. She was supposed to be the savior. What kind of savior did something like that?

"She must have gone through the portal with us somehow," Emma finally said, her voice cracking. Her family saw the look on her face and all tried to circle in around her, but she held up a hand. "This…this is my fault."

"Em, none of it can be your fault," Charming told her, surprised by how soothing his voice got. "She chose to follow you."

"If I hadn't opened the portal, if I hadn't come here…" Emma stopped herself when she saw the pain hit Snow and Charming's eyes. She knew what they were thinking. If she hadn't opened the portal, they wouldn't be getting their second chance. But the price of it was just becoming too much.

"She would've found a way," Snow insisted. "People like this, they always do. Look at Regina, it took her so long to inflict her revenge, but she did it."

"It was only a matter of time…" Charming tried to add.

"No!" Emma shouted. Everyone froze. "This is my fault! It was bad enough we have to deal with whatever Regina brings but now her?"

"We're going to take care of it," August promised her.

"We?" Emma had to hold back a laugh. "With what, August? She has powerful magic. The stuff she taught me…it's a lot."

"If she taught you, then you can defeat her," he encouraged her.

"Wait, hold on a minute," Charming cut in. "Emma isn't going up against her."

"Emma's the savior. She's the only one with the skills to do it."

"There's Blue and from what Regina said, she's not on her sister's side. Emma isn't fighting."

"She has to."

"With all due respect, this is really none of your concern," Charming said.

Emma shut her eyes. "Will both of you quit it? It's my life! My choice!"

Both of the men started to speak at once. "Emma…"

"No! August, you're right. I did learn from Zelena. But, she taught me what she wanted me to know. There's a chance she's still more powerful than me. Charming...you have about as much a say as August which is none at this point."

Charming sighed. "You can't get hurt. This woman can be dangerous."

"I know that. I just…I need some time to think."

Emma turned on her heel and headed upstairs to her room. Laying back down on the bed, she reached under the covers, pulling out her blanket. It had been a pure miracle she had been able to hide it so long.

It seemed like only yesterday that things were simple for her. She was just a princess, one in mourning, but nothing else was wrong. No one was trying to hurt her or her family. She wasn't adopted, her family hadn't lied to her. In time, she knew that things would've gotten better. That was before. Before she opened the box, before she learned about Zelena.

It was her fault. No matter what anyone said, she knew that. She was the savior. It was her job to protect the town. She wanted to, she had only made it seem like she didn't because August was telling her she had to and Charming was telling her she couldn't. She was anything, if not stubborn. But could she really defeat Zelena? Protect the town? She felt like she was already failing. Magic had been brought back, she hadn't stopped it from hurting everyone. August could've died from her outburst. Regina was at large, so was her evil sister. She was failing as the savior.

Snow and Charming said they would still want her in their lives if she couldn't protect them, but what about everyone else? Would she be welcomed into Misthaven if she wasn't what they expected? Did she really belong there? She no longer felt like she did in the kingdom she had been raised in. Storybrooke wasn't home either, though.

Emma laid awake, she could hear August leaving, saying something about visiting again soon. She still didn't move. She just stared up at the ceiling, guilt, anxiety and overall loneliness overtook her.

Where did she belong?

Charming and Snow watched August leave, shutting the door behind him.

"Can you believe him?" Charming asked.

"Honestly?" Snow bit her lip. "I can."

The former king's blue eyes flew open wide. "Don't tell me you think our daughter should go defeat that monster!"

"No, I don't want her to do that, but…" Snow sighed. "Whether we like it or not, Emma knows more about this Zelena than we do. Regina didn't know of her existence, she was never a threat to our kingdom, at least not that we know of."

"Blue can help."

"You're going to trust Blue? After all she's done?"

Charming sighed, rubbing his temples. "No."

"We don't even know if Zelena will go through on her threats or what they even mean. But we need to prepare ourselves. The last thing I want is to put our daughter in danger, but if it comes to a battle, I don't think she's going to sit out of it."

Charming didn't say anything at first, he just reflected on his wife's words. He didn't want to admit she was right, but a part of him knew she was. Emma could do more than they could in a war. The last time they went up against Regina, they had won and even that seemed like sheer luck. He would do all he would to prevent Emma for having to fight, they all would. But in the end, it may have been exactly what they needed to do.

"It's a last resort," Charming told her, finally.

"Of course. Also, and I know this is hard, but you can't be so hard on August."

"I wasn't hard on him." Snow gave him one of her famous looks. It was one he hadn't seen in 16 years, the one calling him out on his B.S. "I wasn't!"

"Telling him it wasn't his place?"

"Well…"

"Look," Snow held up her hand. "He's her family, he has been longer than we've been in her life."

"Only because Geppetto lied," Charming countered.

"Yes, and that's not August's fault. From what Emma makes it seems like, he gave up his childhood to protect her. He is her brother and he's going to be around. We have to accept this or we are never going to be able to have a relationship with her."

Charming let out a deep breath, shutting his eyes once again. "I don't have anything against him. He's a great man, you can see how much he loves her. I just…"

"He's her brother, you're her father," Snow placed a hand on his cheek. "Right now, she doesn't see either of us as her parents. One day she will. August won't take your place, if anything he may be scared that you're taking his."

"I don't want to do that," Charming mumbled. That was the truth. August was important to Emma and he wasn't going to hurt either of them in that way.

"Then we have to be nice to him."

"Alright, alright. I'll be nice."

Snow smiled, giggling a bit. "That's my prince charming." Her lips pressed against his. The two lingered there for a bit, him pulling her a little closer to him.

"We haven't had much alone time," he mumbled without fully pulling away.

"I know," Snow kissed him once again. "Why don't you go check on Emma? I'll wait for you."

Charming nodded, heading up the stairs. Emma was still laying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"Do you want something to eat?"

Emma shook her head. "Not hungry."

"You had such a long day, you should eat something…"

"I just want to sleep."

Charming spotted the blanket in her hands and paused. He hadn't seen that in 16 years. Even without touching it, he could still feel the wool in his hands as he dashed to the nursery. He could still hear the clashing of swords, but nothing from Emma. She was quiet, content. Off on her first grand adventure with her father, with nothing more than a blanket to keep her warm.

"You…you have the blanket," he whispered.

Emma looked down to what he was referencing and blushed a little. "Oh…yeah…I've had it since I was a baby."

"Granny made that for you."

Emma bit her lip. What he said about August, she could understand where he was coming from. She had overheard the conversation with him and Snow, they weren't being as quiet as they thought. He knew he was wrong, he wanted to make up for it and their little exchange was a start. "It's pretty."

Charming moved closer and went to take it, but hesitated. "May I?" Emma nodded and held it out for him. The moment it hit his hands, he felt a pain in his chest. The last time he had held it, there was a tiny baby inside. Now, that baby was 16. He wouldn't ever get to hold her like that again. It wasn't fair, none of it was.

"So…this is what I was found in, at least that's what August told me," Emma said, not missing the pain in his eyes.

"You were. Doc wrapped you in it before he handed you to your mother," Charming replied, his eyes not leaving the white and purple blanket. "I wish we had time to put you in more…you had enough clothes to probably fill that magical wardrobe and then some."

"It happened quickly, then?"

Charming's eyes met hers and he realized she didn't know the story. "Yes."

Emma sat up, moving over a bit, indicating he was free to sit down. "How?" Charming smiled partially, sitting beside her.

"Well…Geppetto had always told us that it took one," he began to explain. "So, the original plan was for your mother to go through while she was pregnant with you."

"So…you wouldn't be able to go?" Emma asked.

Charming nodded. "I hated it, the very thought of not getting to be with my girls was heartbreaking. At the same time, I also knew that I had to give you both your best chance. Then, the wardrobe was finally complete but you decided it was time to come a little early."

Emma wasn't sure how to feel about that. It wasn't her fault, she knew that rationally. Sometimes babies just came early. "Wow."

"You were so small," Charming could feel the tears prickling his eyes. "And you had a healthy set of lungs, that was for sure. But you were so beautiful. Doc wrapped you up and placed you in Snow's arms, you calmed down not long after that. Like you knew where you belonged."

Emma could see he was on the verge of tears and was about to tell him he didn't have to tell her, but he continued before she could.

"I thought it was too late, that at least we were together, but there was a war going on outside," Charming sighed. "We had to do what was best for you."

"Which meant putting me in the wardrobe," Emma muttered.

"We had no other choice. Regina's knights were going to kill you." Charming swallowed hard. "Your mother put you in my arms, after giving you one last kiss and we were off. You were so quiet, even when I had to fight off the guards…"

"You fought off the guards? While holding me?" Emma's eyes widened in amazement.

Charming smiled a little. "Of course, I had to keep you safe."

"But sword fighting…with a baby… I watch August and the knights practice, I can't imagine doing it while holding a newborn."

"I did what I had to." Charming clutched the blanket tighter in your hands. "By the time I got there, I'm assuming August had already been sent through, he wasn't there." He shut his eyes, still remembering it so vividly. "I opened the wardrobe, placed you inside and kissed your head. I wanted so badly to climb in there with you…to just try…but I worried it wouldn't work. So, I told you to find us and shut the door."

Emma didn't miss the tear that trickled down his cheek, but played along with Charming pretended as if it didn't happen. Once she had seen the nursery, she knew just how badly her biological parents had wanted her. In that moment, however, she saw just how hard it had to have been on Charming. To carry her all the way there, fighting off the knights, only to lose her in the end. He was a hero, at least in her eyes. She had spent 16 years not knowing about any of it, but this was the part she wished she had known the most. He had risked his life for her, been the one to give her up for her best chance.

Her original knight in shining armor.

"Thank you." The words escaped her mouth so quickly and quietly, she was almost surprised when they did.

David looked at her, his blue eyes burning with tears still, cocking his head. "Why are you thanking me?"

"You…you did all that." Emma shrugged, feeling on the verge of tears herself. "Thank you."

"I would do it again, in a heartbeat."

"Why?"

"You're my daughter."

Emma nodded, chewing on her lip. She didn't move when he bent down to kiss her head. In fact, a part of her loved it. She wanted to hug him, but wasn't sure if that'd be too much. Instead, she let her head rest against his shoulder. Charming wasn't sure how to react at first, but eased up, putting an arm around her. Neither said anything, they just let the content silence fall over them. Eventually, Emma's eyelids felt heavy. It wasn't even that late, but given the activity that had gone down, she was exhausted. Charming didn't even notice that she had fallen asleep until he heard her soft snoring. A small smile went across his face as he pushed back the covers, guiding her to lay down, placing them on top of her. He went to leave, when he noticed the blanket was still in his hands. He returned it to her own.

"There you go, Princess. Sweet dreams." He pressed another kiss to her head before turning to leave. Reliving the night the curse hit was the hardest thing he had done in a while, but he could feel that his relationship with Emma had taken a turn for the better. They still had work to do, but it had begun.

We will end this chapter on a relatively lighter note than I have been lately! Coming up, the town has to figure out how to handle Zelena and will Regina give them some assistance? Also, of course more Mama Snow and Daddy Charming feels coming, Emma's making progress with them. An unlikely person will help them connect even more. As always, let me know what you guys want to see and I hope to have the next chapter up soon. Until next time, my friends. =)