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Chapter 3

Day 35 Cont'd

Mary Margaret ran her finger along baby Emma's cheek and smiled at her. "You have a beautiful baby, Ms. Mills."

"Yes... You know I have somewhere I need to be. Could you have lunch with August then drop him off at my house after?"

"Sure, I can do that. Emma too?" She didn't look at Regina, she couldn't take her eyes off of baby Emma.

"I need to take Emma with me."

"Oh..." Mary Margaret sighed.

"What do babies eat?"

Mary Margaret looked up at her now. "You never found out before adopting?"

"Oh I figured maternal instincts would kick in."

"Well ideally she would be breast fed."

"Ew."

"But since she isn't with her birth mother... you should get her formula. The grocery store would have it."

"Alright. We need to go." She took Emma from Mary Margaret and she started crying again.

Mary Margaret held Emma's tiny hand. "Goodbye Emma... I hope I can see you again soon."

Regina put the crying baby back into the carrier and left Granny's. Mary Margaret sat down with August. "Your baby sister is beautiful."

"She's not my sister, I'm like her guardian angel."

"Guardian angel?"

"Don't you remember anything?" August studied her face.

"What do you mean?"

"Emma is your baby."

Mary Margaret pondered the thought. She felt a strong connection to Emma, it was like they met before. But it wasn't possible, how would she forget having a baby a month ago? So she shook it off and held August's hand. "Oh August. I know you and Emma have been through a lot. But you have a mother now. And I'll be here too for you and Emma in anyway. In a couple years you will be in my class at school."

"But she's evil. We shouldn't let her be alone with Emma."

"Oh August..."

"Please, we need to protect her."

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Regina walked into Gold's shop carrying the crying baby in the carrier.

"Why hello deary. I see you found the child."

She lifted the carrier onto the counter. And looked at him. "Ok, the child is here. Why isn't the curse broken?"

He smirked. "Just by her being here won't break the curse."

"Then how?"

"Well for one the prophecy said it would be on her 28th birthday."

"I'm not living 28 years like this. Do something with the child so the curse will break sooner."

"Well for one she needs to believe. A baby can't believe in anything. Well except for their parents I suppose. They believe in them to care for them."

"So I have to raise this crying brat?"

"Well, that's up to you. Figure out how she can believe sooner."

"Well Aug... I mean Pinocchio remembers. I have no idea how we was with Emma anyway. But he was. Maybe he can help her believe."

"Perhaps."

"Maybe she needs to spend time with her mother too. That could trigger something. She stopped crying for her." She rolled her eyes.

He nodded. "Perhaps."

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Mary Margaret knocked on Regina's door. August pulled on her jacket. "Please believe me. Emma is your baby."

Regina opened the door. "Hello." She handed Mary Margaret a bottle of formula. "You seem to be good with Emma, can you try feeding her while August and I go for a walk?"

"Um... Sure." Mary Margaret jumped at the opportunity to spend more time with Emma. Regina grabbed her jacket and took August by the arm.

Mary Margaret followed the baby's cry into the kitchen, she was lying in her carrier on the counter.

"Hey Emma. It's okay, I'm here." She lifted Emma and she immediately relaxed in her arms. "I don't know why, but I've had the strangest feeling we've met before. Maybe you'll be in my class when you get a little bigger. I know this must sound strange coming from a stanger like me... but I'm going to make sure your new mom is good to you. If not... I don't know what, I'll be here for you, okay?"

"I need to talk to you."
August was silent as they walked.

"How much do you remember? You know who I am, who Snow White is, who Red Riding Hood is. How did you escape the curse?''

He just stared at his feet as he kicked an empty pop can.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you."

He still didn't respond.

"I will take you to see your father if you speak."

"Father?" He stopped in his tracks and looked up at her.

"Yes, he is here in Storybrooke."

He smiled wide. "I wanna see him!"

"Okay then tell me what happened."

"He sent me through the wardrobe with Emma to protect me. I promised him I would take care of Emma and and help her believe one day."

"The reason why I adopted you and Emma is because I want the curse to be broken too."

"But you're the evil queen, you made the curse."

"Well I changed my mind."

"So is that the curse, everyone forgets who they are?"

"Well... that's the jist of it. But we need to help Emma believe in everything. But we have to wait till she's a little older."

"I can help do that."

She grinned. "That's what I was hoping for."

He smiled at her. "Maybe you're not so evil afterall."

They headed back to the house and found Mary Margaret asleep in a chair and Emma asleep in her arms. Regina shook her. "Mary Margaret."

Mary Margaret opened her eyes and saw Emma was still sound asleep in her arms. It wasn't a dream. Watching Emma sleep warmed her heart. "Would you like me to put Emma to bed?"

"That's alright." She lifted Emma from Mary Margaret's arms which jolted her awake and she started crying again.

Regina noticed the pain and longing in Mary Margaret's eyes. She made no effort to leave. How could have such a connection to a child she didn't remember? Regina pondered the thought. "So... I have an appointment tomorrow at 2 o'clock. Would you come over to babysit?"

Mary Margaret's face lit up. "Both children?"

"Yes."

"I can't think of a better way to spend my Sunday than with these wonderful children."

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Day 36

August was playing outside of Granny's with Hansel and Gretel who went by Ava and Nicholas in Storybrooke, while Regina went in to get a coffee. He looked up from where they were playing marbles when he spotted a familiar face across the street. He immediately ditched their game and ran across the street and hugged his father's legs.

"Father? I knew I would find you."

Marco looked down at the young boy. "Do I know you?"

August pulled away from him and tears began to form in his eyes. "You don't remember me, Father?"

"I am so sorry." Regina came up behind them pushing Emma in her stroller. "My son has been going through a rough time."

"Right, Ms. Mills. I forgot you adopted two children."

"Yes we need to be on our way August. I have an appointment and you and Emma need to be at Ms. Blanchard's."

"But Father." He looked up at Marco but his father didn't know who he was. So he walked away with Regina sad.

They arrived at Mary Margaret's appartment and she picked up Emma right away and rocked her in her arms.

"I'll be back in an hour Ms. Blanchard."

Mary Margaret nodded looking at Emma. Regina left and August looked up at Mary Margaret with his red eyes. It was obvious he had been crying.

"What's the matter, August?"

"My father doesn't remember me."

"Your father?" She took his hand and led him over to the couch. "Who's your father, August?"

"His name is Gepetto. Here people call him Marco."

"Marco?" She listened to him.

"I know you don't remember either but you're Snow White and Emma is your daughter. Emma is going to break the curse and then everyone will remember."

"Oh August..."

"Please you have to believe me. Emma needs you. And I need my father."

"August what happened before you were taken into the foster system?" She asked him expecting him to share a rough past with his real parents.

"The evil queen cursed everyone, but my father built a magic wardrobe that me and Emma went through so we wouldn't be cursed. And Emma is going to save everyone, I promised my father I would help her believe in her destiny." August looked down at Emma. "When you look at Emma what do you see?"

Mary Margaret looked at the baby in her arms and into her big blue eyes. "I see a beautiful little girl."

"No it's more than that. I can tell the way you look at her. She always stops crying when you pick her up. She cries because she misses you."

"August, I know you have gone through a lot but this isn't true." She held his hand and squeezed it. "But I can tell you I will be here for you and Emma whenever you need me. Now how about a game of chinese checkers? I can teach you."

August finally agreed to play chinese checkers and Mary Margaret let him win every round. An hour later Regina returned.

She took Emma from Mary Margaret and she instantly started crying again. Regina looked at Mary Margaret's eyes as she watched them leave, longing for the daughter she didn't remember.

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Day 90

Mary Margaret babysat August and Emma almost everyday for Regina, some days were after school, and had grown instantly attached to Emma. But whenever Regina took Emma away after their time together she would always feel an empty spot in her heart and felt pain in the pit of her stomach.

She took them to the park one day after school and dropped them off at Regina's at the time Regina requested and once again she was letting go of Emma. She just wanted to take the child home with her permanently, to raise her as her own. She wished more than anything that August was right and that she was her baby. But she would shut down those thought because it was ridiculous.

"Bye Emma." Mary Margaret touched Emma's cheek.

"Bye." Regina slammed the door and she couldn't help but smile. She was beginning to get a thrill out of this.

"Why is he here again?" August noticed Sheriff Graham who was sitting in the living room.

"He is going to babysit while I go out for a bit."

"I am?" He asked with his thick accent. "I thought we were going to have dinner?"

"You are. I am going out. I will be back for leftovers."

"Can't Ms. Blanchard babysit instead?" August looked up to her.

"No, you've had plenty of time with her today. I'll be back in about an hour, maybe less."

Regina handed Graham baby Emma then grabbed her purse and jacket and headed out the door. She went to Gold's shop and walked in grinning.

"Well hello deary."

"Change of plans?"

"What plans?"

"With breaking the curse."

"Again? I thought you already changed plans."

"That's because I was bored. Now I'm not."

"Really? What is taking away the boredom?"

"Watching Snow White long for her child. It's pretty sweet justice watching her face everytime I take Emma away from her. I am going to continue to raise those children, just to stir up Mary Margaret."

"Don't confuse justice with vengeance dearie."

"Call it whatever you like. Mary Margaret will watch her daughter grow up, but she'll never be hers."