It was getting dark outside and nor David nor Emma had found the young girl. They had decided to split up to cover more ground so now Emma was walking on the edge of town with her flashlight in one hand and her phone in the other.

"And?" Emma said in her phone.

"Nothing" David answered on the other side of the line: "Let's call it of for the night. It's getting too dark anyway. Maybe we will have more luck tomorrow."

"Hang on" Emma said when she saw something move into an alley.

"What?"

"Maybe nothing but I just saw something move. I'm gonna check it out. I'll see you at home."

Emma pushed the red button on her phone and put it in her pocket. Slowly she walked towards the alley with her flashlight lighting up the way. At first there seemed to be nothing in the alley but some trash bins and wooden pallets. Emma was about to walk away when she noticed a pair of emerald green eyes looking at her. They looked even greener than hers, Emma thought.

"Hey there" Emma spoke with a soft voice: "It's okay, you can come out."

The young girl barely moved. Only her head and eyes moved around the place to find a route to escape.

"You don't trust me, do you" Emma tried: "I understand. It's not like you know me. But you seem to know Regina."

The young girl looked at Emma at the sound of the mayor's name.

"I thought that would get your attention. I saw how you reacted when Regina walked into the police station earlier. Do you know her?"

The young girl slowly nodded, the sadness showing on her face.

"How? From when she was in the enchanted forest this past year?"

Again the girl nodded.

"Do you know anyone else here in town?"

For a moment the girl seemed to think. Then: "I know everyone."

Emma gasped from surprise. When the shock of the girl speaking flowed away she started to look confused because of the girls answer. "Everyone? How is that possible? No one seems to know you."

The girl let her head hang down sadly.

"I'm sorry. I… Do you remember what happened in the enchanted forest?"

The girl nodded.

"That's great. Maybe you can tell everyone. We can go to Regina right now if you want to" Emma said hopefully.

"No" the girl said sternly and took a step back.

"Why not?"

"They have to remember themselves" the girl explained. She looked up at the walls. "It's the only way they will truly believe what happened." Then the girl pushed herself off against the wooden pallets to jump from wall to wall until she reached the roof of one the houses. She lifted herself on the roof and disappeared. Emma stood grounded from disbelieve that what she just saw actually happened. When her shock flowed away she decided to walk back to her car. She knew that following the girl would be hopeless. Before she drove away she called Regina to ask her to meet her at the Charming's home. This time she had a hell of an update for the mayor.

"So she knows all of us and she knows what happened in the enchanted forest?" Snow asked summarizing.

"That's what she said" Emma answered.

"But how is that possible?" Regina asked, more to herself: "I understand that we don't remember her because if we met her the past year in the enchanted forest we just forgot her just like everything else we forgot about what happened. But how is it that she does remember?"

Nobody answered because nobody knew the answer.

"Should we search for her tomorrow in the forest again?" David asked.

"No, I don't think we should" Emma said. She continued to explain when she saw everyone looking confused at her: "I don't think we will be that lucky again at finding her. And it's not like she's gonna tell us anything more. When the time is right she will come back. I'm sure of it."

"Since when have you become so positive thinking, miss Swan?" Regina asked surprised.

Emma shrugged: "I don't know. I guess my charming genes are finally pushing through." Emma smirked.

Emma walked into the mayor's office for her weekly sit down the mayor to discuss the budget plan for the police. She found the mayor behind her desk with her elbows on the table and her head resting in her hands.

"Regina?" The brunette looked up seeing the blonde woman looking worried at her.

"You're late, miss Swan…As usual…" Regina said, trying to hide her other feelings.

Emma sighed annoyed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Regina turned around scared that the blonde would see the worriedness in her eyes.

"No you're not" Emma responded.

Damn it, Regina thought. She sighed: "What do you want from me, miss Swan?"

"I don't want anything…I just thought that I could listen to you if you needed a friend you could talk to."

"A friend…to talk to?... About what?"

"I don't know…Maybe about the girl?"

Regina looked at Emma, startled. How the hell did Emma know what kept her busy these past few days. Regina had literally lied awake, thinking about this young girl who knew her but she didn't recognize. Not only that…the girl also knew what happened in the Enchanted Forest and it didn't seem particularly good.

"If you're worried about her, I don't think you should be. She seems to be able to take care of herself quite well."

"It's not that…It's…" Sigh.

"What?"

"You said that the girl knew me, right?"

"Yeah. When she saw you at the police station it was the first open reaction I got from her. And later when I found her in that alley, when I said your name, her eyes were filled with sadness."

"That's what I mean. She got sad…" Emma looked confused. "Our paths have obviously crossed each other in the enchanted forest but I don't remember how. What if…what if I did something bad to her and that's why she gets sad when she sees or hears about me."

Emma could hear the insecurity in Regina's voice. She did a stop forward and leaned forward on the desk. Regina's eyes turned looking up in the blond's green eyes. Her heart seemed to stop beating for just a second.

"Regina, listen to me" Emma spoke softly: "You gave me a past with Henry I could have only dreamed of…No one with a bad heart would have ever done that…You are a good person." A moment silence. Then Emma turned on her heels and walked out of the office. Her heart was beating very fast in contrast with Regina's heart, which seemed to have stop beating at all. They forgot about the budget meeting but that conversation wouldn't be forgotten soon.

Outside of Regina's office window a young girl was hiding out in the tree. Sadness in her eyes. She had followed the whole conversation. "Don't doubt yourself" the young girl whispered for no one to hear: "You are a kind and caring person…I should know…You cared for me…" A single tears rolled down from the young girls sheek.

In the next chapter the story will continue after Regina breaks the curse by kissing Henry.

I already have the complete story written. I only need to read the chapters over for any mistakes.
I hope you stick around.

Reviews are welcome. :)