AN: Now we're going to be getting into the Canon part of OUAT. I don't want to go completely canon, there will be some of the same things happening, but there will also be changes. This is an AU story after all. :)

When Emma woke up from her unexpected nap on the beach, she had an epiphany... She decided that she needed to do something productive with her life and change it, after all, people don't really live in a mystical world full of magic and mythical creatures like her dream had suggested.

While she left the beach she decided to drive with no set destination in mind. It gave the young woman time to think and process the realistic dream that she had woken up from. 'It felt so real. I haven't had a dream that intense since I was five.' Her hands had shook at that thought.

Emma and her (new) ten year old brother snuck onto the stairs to watch "Nightmare on Elm Street" while the adults had movie night. She woke up screaming from a nightmare and her "mom" didn't like getting woken up that way and so she gave Emma a reason to scream. After that, she trained herself to not dream anything, it wasn't worth it. Dreaming got you in trouble.

'Maybe I should learn from it. I need to make my own dreams and fight my own battles. It symbolized the monsters and demons from my past. I am my own warrior, I am a survivor!' With those thoughts she made a decision and started to drive with a purpose. So, with her mind made up she used the rest of the money that she had and relocated to a small town near Chicago.

She did some searching and ended up finding a group who trained new bounty hunters. It was a fun group, mostly men, but she quickly got the respect of her fellow hunters after kicking a few of their asses and sending them home sniveling to their wives or mothers, whoever they lived with.

One year of training and nine years of doing the job she enjoyed kept her life busy. She was successful on her self-appointed career path. There were times that she thought she wouldn't get out alive, and she had plenty of injuries thanks to her profession, but it never got to her. She knew that in a way, this was her way of bringing hope to people. One of the perks she enjoyed the most, was that her job required her to travel a lot. She loved to move, and oddly the one stable thing in her life was also constant, she didn't stay in one place long.

This last year she found herself living and working in Boston. Today was going to be a busy day, first she had to chase down a wanted man who was involved in a major assault, but then later tonight she had a date... she needed to deal with a scumbag who embezzled funds.

"Happy Birthday." She muttered to herself while going over the folder of the bounty she would be going after in a few hours. After going over a few of the facts and made a few calls, she grabbed her black leather coat, put her stun gun on one side of her hip, a pistol on the other, and then attached her knife to a hidden spot behind her back, then left to go catch one of today's paychecks.

"Come on out Vick. I know you're there!" Emma had chased down her suspect after he spotted her and ran. He was found near one of the bars he frequently visited and she chased him into an alley that was nearby. Her stun gun held out in front of her she turned the corner quickly and found him, blocked by a fence. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will if need be."

He had a pistol trained on her as soon as he turned around, fence to his back. "Get the fuck back you psycho bitch!"

"Let's talk about this, if you decide to shoot, and you end up killing me, you'll only get into a worse situation then you're in now. Right now you're just facing assault, you don't want to add murder to the list." Her voice was calm, despite the tense fear she felt in her blood.

"I don't want to talk! Go away!" He took off the safety switch. Things were escalating quickly. She should've just waited and then followed him home and arrest him there, but time was of the essence, she didn't want to be late and this job was taking longer then she accounted for.

"No, I won't. Come on..." She took a cautious step forward and the man's eyes narrowed, his pistol raised higher in silent warning. She paused and continued to talk. "... If you're worried about your kid, he can still visit you in jail. If you give yourself up." She dared to take another step closer. "You kill me, your chances of ever getting out and seeing your son are gone." Vick's eyes briefly looked at the ground and that was the chance she was waiting for, she squeezed the trigger of the stun gun and it hit Vick in the chest, he dropped to the ground, twitching, then got out her phone to call her police contact.

Emma was rushing around her small apartment getting ready for her date. She took off her gear, her jacket, jeans, shirt and boots. Looking in her closet quickly she grabbed the first dress she saw, hell it was the only dress she had. She spied the time on her alarm clock that sat on her dresser and cursed. "Dammit, really? Five minutes, already!?" She needed to leave quickly if she was going to make it in time. Quickly she got into her red dress, grabbed her purse and left, jumping into her yellow bug.

Two hours later Emma made it home. The date went by quick, in about five minutes she already had him running to his car with the boot on the back wheel. After he insulted her about what she knew about family, she slammed his head into the steering wheel. He deserved it, his comment broke the dam to her patience and the stress from the day, and her life in general had caught up to her. She tiredly put the small package on the table and removed the cupcake from inside it. She lit the candle, made her wish and blew it out. 'Alone again.' She was quickly interrupted by her brooding thoughts with a knock on the door, a boy she didn't recognize stood in front of her.

"Are you Emma Swan?"

'Why would a young kid be asking for me?' She thought to herself, and answered the child's question, "Yeah. Who are you?"

"My name's Henry. I'm your son."

Shock then denial were the first feelings that coursed through her, denial being the strongest. "Whoa, hey, kid! Kid! I don't have a son! Where are your parents?"

He slipped under her arm that was against the door frame with ease and into her apartment. "Ten years ago, did you give up a baby for adoption? That was me."

"Give me a minute." Emma leaves the kid behind and goes to her bathroom to breathe, the stress and shock hit her and she slid down the door just staring into space. "One." She took a breath in, "Two" and she exhaled. Her heart calming down she left the bathroom and started to talk to the kid that had invaded her home.

Talking to the young boy ended up with her agreeing to take him back home. The kid had spunk, she'd give him that. After packing a few needed supplies for the quick unexpected trip an hour later the two of them got into her car and started to drive to Storybrooke.

Emma thought that the silence in the car was nice. She was a bit nervous though, 'Why is speaking to criminal strangers less stressful than a ten year old kid?' She peeked through her peripherals and studied her small passenger next to her. As if he noticed her sneaking glances at him, he broke the silence, "I'm hungry. Can we stop somewhere?"

"This is not a road trip; we're not stopping for snacks."

"Why not?"

"Quit complaining, kid. Remember, I could've put your butt on a bus; I still could."

"You know, I have a name? It's Henry."

With that last statement from the kid... Henry, she went quiet for a moment. She spied the book on his lap and decided to try and get to know him better. 'I do like a good book once in awhile. Maybe we have something in common.' She finally voiced a question between them since they left the house. "What's that?"

"I'm not sure you're ready."

Looking at the title of the book she responded, "Ready for some fairy tales?"

It was if she offended him by asking. His answer to her question made her raise her eyebrows, "They're not fairy tales. They're true. Every story in this book actually happened."

'Oh man. Poor kid. What kind of life does he live in if he thinks those are true?' She sighed, "Of course they did."

"You said earlier at your house that you had a superpower of sorts, knowing when someone is lying. See if I'm lying. Having a superpower like that should have you believing me."

She looks at him for a moment then speaks up, "Just because you believe something doesn't make it true. Trust me on that."

"That's exactly what makes it true. You should know more than anyone."

Her curiosity was piqued, "Why's that?" She takes her eyes off the road for a second to look at Henry. 'There's nothing wrong with humoring him.'

"Because you're in this book."

"Oh, kid. You've got problems." She turned the blinker on her car and switched lanes. 'I used to have a problem like that. For two weeks after that dream years ago I had wished that it was real. I guess having to grow up fast made my mind revert to a kid's.' A wistful look passed her face and Henry's response made her wish that she could help him.

"Yup. And you're going to fix them." Pride went through his voice, and then he was quiet for the rest of the ride towards Storybrooke.

It was raining by the time the two travelers arrived. Needing to know the address to his home Emma gently shook the sleeping Henry next to her, awake. "What's your address?"

"201 I'm not telling you." That remark had her stop her car on the side of the street and park it. Annoyed she got out of the car to take in the cool air and to try and cool her temper. "Look, Henry, it's been a long night, and it's almost..." Looking up she spies the clock tower and looks at it in confusion, "eight-fifteen?"

Getting out of the car to join her Henry speaks up, "That clock hasn't moved my whole life. Time's frozen here."

"What? Excuse me?"

"It's all because the Evil Queen did it with her curse. She sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest here." He almost sounded pleading.

Another sigh escaped the young woman, she seemed to be doing that a lot today, "Hang on. The Evil Queen sent a bunch of fairytale characters here."

"Yeah. And now they're trapped."

"Frozen in time, stuck in Storybrooke, Maine. That's what you're going with?" She cocked an eyebrow at the child that came out of nowhere and claimed to be hers.

"It's true!"

"Then why doesn't everybody just leave?"

"It's because they can't. If they try, bad things happen."

Emma, about to reply gets interrupted by a tall man with curly hair, walking a Dalmatian. "Henry! What are you doing here? Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine, Archie." He goes over to the dog and pets him, the dog's tail wagging happily.

"Who's this?" The man introduced as Archie looks in Emma's direction with a curiosity glance.

Emma, wanting to speak up for herself answers the gentleman's question, "I'm just someone trying to give him a ride home..."

Before she gets a chance to ask Archie a question Henry speaks up saying, "She's my mom, Archie." If there were crickets that would be the only sound that would've been heard, but since there wasn't any, any kind of sound playing it was eerily quiet at that remark.

"Oh.. I see." Archie's soft voice broke the tense silence that appeared before the two adults, Henry oblivious of it.

Emma getting a bit tired of this, and just being tired in general spoke up, she really needed to get Henry home so she can leave and get some sleep herself. "Do you know where he lives?"

"Oh. Yeah, sure, just uh, right up on Mifflin Street; the Mayor's house is the biggest one on the block."

She was surprised, she couldn't have even guessed that he was adopted by a mayor of all people. "You're the mayor's kid?"

He at least looked a bit sheepish answering her, "Uh. Maybe?"

Emma about to get back in her car to finally get Henry home is interrupted by Archie who started to talk to Henry again, "Where were you today, because you missed our session."

'Therapy? Why is he in therapy?' Quietly she listened in, not really trying to eavesdrop but it's a habit that's hard to break thanks to her job. She's always people watching and eavesdropping, not intentionally, but if she catches herself she doesn't stop it.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I went on a field trip."

Archie then crouches and gets face-to-face with Henry. He looks at the child in front of him and begins to speak gently to him, "Henry, what'd I tell you about lying? Giving in to one's dark side never accomplishes anything."

At that Emma wanted to step in. She didn't feel comfortable with seeing Henry talking to his therapist about issues outside of an office. She herself talked to a therapist a few times when her job got a bit tough and she wished that she could enter a never ending dream that was as wonderful as the one she had on the beach. Of course he thought all that was a delusion and thought all she needed was to not live in fantasy but to overcome that fantasy so she could live in a productive life. Reality. "Well, I really should be getting him home. Thank you Archie for the directions." She holds out her arm and the two shake hands.

"Yeah. Sure. Well, listen... have a good night, and uh, you be good, Henry." The man then starts to walk away, his dog at the heel.

As if sensing what Emma was about to ask Henry just comes out and says, "I'm not crazy."

"I didn't say that. Well, he doesn't seem cursed to me. Maybe he's just trying to help you."

"He's the one who needs help. Because he doesn't know."

"That he's a fairy tale character."

"None of them do. They don't remember who they are."

Eyebrow raising into her hairline Emma looks at Henry, then wanting to help the kid out, 'He's a kid, he doesn't have to grow up like I did. Guess I'll try and amuse him at least.' Speaking up she says, "Convenient. All right. I'll play. Let's go." She gets into the car and asks the first question that popped in her mind, "Who's he supposed to be?"

"Jiminy Cricket!" He looked pleased at that answer.

"Right. The lying thing. Thought your nose grew a little bit." She laughed in her mind at that. It would definitely help her job out if all the liars out there had their noses grow.

"I'm not Pinocchio!"

"Course you're not. Cause that would be ridiculous." Turning on her car, she puts the car in drive and they drive off to Henry's home.

Emma sighed, she just dropped Henry off at his home and it's quiet. Almost too quiet in her car. She missed the little rascal already. Henry's mother Regina, was talking with the town's sheriff when they arrived at his home earlier. Regina was a bit tense, but then she could understand her worries, not knowing if Emma was here to take Henry. She would never do that of course.

Looking around her car something quickly caught her eye, it was the book. Henry left it in her car. "Sneaky." she mumbles to herself, actually a bit impressed because it reminded her of herself when she was a kid; although she liked manipulating the situations around her to help her survive. That was different than what he was doing, but still, she couldn't help but feel a little bit proud in that moment, until she looked up and a wolf was standing in the street. The rain made the street even more treacherous and she skidded to a rough stop into the Storybrooke sign and her world went black.

This was the second time in Emma's life that she woke up in a jail cell, she did not like it the first time, and she didn't like it this time either. The man in the next cell to her was let out, and then the sheriff from earlier was there in front of her. She thought the man was attractive, but then looks hardly told her a man had good intentions or not.

Sheriff Graham Humbert, decided to talk to the other occupant since he noticed she was awake, "Regina's drinks; a little stronger than we thought."

"I wasn't drunk; there was a wolf, standing in the middle of the road."

The man just gave her the same look that she had given Henry earlier, disbelief. "A wolf. Right." His amusement drifted over towards Emma and even she thought it sounded ridiculous, even though it really happened.

She was about to make a retort when Regina's voice was heard coming closer towards the room, "Graham? Henry's run away again, we have to..." It was at that point the woman walked into the room and noticed that the Sheriff wasn't alone, "what is she doing here?" Eyes narrowing she directed her next question to the woman in the cell, "Do you know where he is?"

Emma could taste the hostility in the air, and instead of just being polite in answering her question, she decided to go the sarcastic response, "Lady, I haven't seen him since I dropped him at your house, and being here all night is a pretty good alibi." When she was done two different faces looked at her, one in amusement, the other with loathing. Deciding to help the woman out, she was her son's mother she broke the standoff with a question, "Did you try his friends? Did you check his computer? If he was close to someone he'd be emailing them."

"He doesn't have any friends, and how do you know about all this?"

"Finding people's what I do. Here's an idea; how about you guys let me out, and I'll help you find him." She might as well put her skills to use, she was worried about Henry. Emma hasn't known the kid long but she can't just brush him aside, she's not cruel. Sure kids make her a bit nervous, but she knows that running away can cause all sorts of trouble and she wouldn't want to wish that kind of life on anyone, child or not.

A few hours later Emma walks up towards Henry who was sitting down on a playground that looked like a castle. Going through his computer and talking to his teacher, she was able to track him down pretty quickly. She sat down next to him, then handed him the book he left in her car. "You left this in my car." She looked to where he was looking at and watched the clock tower with him. "Still hasn't moved huh?"

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

"I'm not fighting any battles, kid."

"Yes, you are. You're here because it's your destiny. You're going to bring back the happy endings."

'Destiny... Right. Where have I heard that before? Ah yeah, Merlin from my Dream. This is getting exhausting. This is the real world, not fantasy.' "Henry, can you cut it with the book crap?"

"You don't have to be hostile. 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."

At that Emma looked shocked, and a bit in pain. "How do you know that?"

"The same reason Snow White gave you away."

'Oh wow, kid.' She thought to herself, then spoke gently to him, "Listen to me, kid. I am not in any book. I'm a real person. And I'm no savior. You were right about one thing, though. I wanted you to have your best chance. But it's not with me. C'mon, let's go." She stood up intending to take him home, again.

With panic and a bit of fear in his voice the boy pleaded with her, "Please don't take me back there! Just stay with me for one week, that's all I ask! One week, and you'll see I'm not crazy."

"I have to get you back to your mom."

"You don't know what it's like with her. My life sucks!"

Emma had enough of the kid pulling on her heart strings and with an anguish tone she replied, "Oh, you wanna know what sucking is? Being left abandoned on the side of a freeway; my parents didn't even bother to drop me off at a hospital!" She took a deep breath to control her emotions, got a hold of them and continued, "I ended up in a foster system and I had a family until I was three but then they had their own kid so they sent me back..." Again she took a few breaths to collect herself. "Look. Your mom is trying her best. I know it's hard. And I know sometimes you think she doesn't love you. But at least she wants you."

Henry looked a bit sad at learning that bit about how his other mother grew up. He was not about to give up though. He had faith in her, he just needed his mom to see it in herself as well. "Your parents didn't leave you on the side of the freeway; that's just where you came through!"

"What?"

"The wardrobe. When you went through the wardrobe you appeared on the side of the street. Your parents were trying to save you from the curse."

"Sure they were. C'mon, Henry." She extended her hand and helped Henry stand up, and kept her hand in his as she started to walk him home.

Emma was pissed. She just dropped off Henry at his house and Regina was so rude! Just to piss her off Emma decided that heck, she could handle a vacation. Just to piss the woman off she would stay in town a few days. Yes, she'd try and get to know her son, and who knows, after he becomes a legal adult he can come visit her. She'd like that. Until then though just because Regina was such an ass, she'll be there like an itch she can't scratch.

She ended up finding a Bed and Breakfast and walked in to see an older woman and a younger one arguing with each other. Not wanting to over hear too much of what would be sounding like a private conversation, despite the yelling, she cleared her throat and spoke, " Excuse me? I'd, like a room?"

The older woman looked back at her in shock, as if she didn't just hear her right, "Really?" Emma nods politely and the woman looks around and then finds the guest book, "Would you like a forest view or a square view? Normally there's an upgrade fee for the square, but as the rent is due, I'll wave it."

"Square is fine."

"Now. What's the name?"

"It's Emma, Emma Swan."

"Emma.. What a lovely name." A smooth, male voice was heard behind Emma's back.

She jumped, not hearing the man enter startled her. She turned around to look at the man that had spoke to her and replied, "Thanks." She looked closer at the man. He looked so familiar, and it was going to piss her off because it would only bug her until she figured out the reason of her feeling. Her eyes narrowed, "Do...Do I know you?" She looked at the older gentleman in front of her. Medium length hair, dark eyes and was using a cane to support himself. For an older man, she thought he looked attractive, not a handsome kind of attractive, more like a comfortable, 'put you at ease', attractive. 'I've seen him before... but where?' She thought to herself, furious. 'I never forget a face.' She knew that this would become an obsession until she figured out the mystery of how she knew him.

"No. I do not believe we have met here before." The man looked Emma up and down as if memorizing everything about her. She thought she would feel a bit intimidated by it, well ok, she was a little intimidated but oddly enough something about the man screamed at her 'Contradicting.' How can a person feel intimidated and at ease at the same time? It was baffling.

While the two were obviously sizing each other up the woman and strange man conducted his business. The unknown man turned to walk away, but before he left he turned around and said, "Enjoy your stay, Emma."

Her curiosity was working in overdrive, "Who's that?" She asked. She needed to know who he was. She felt something about him... what, she didn't know, but she will find out.

The younger woman, with red streaks in her hair answered her, "That is Mr. Gold. He owns this place."

"Has he ever traveled anywhere? He owns what, the inn?"

"No. The town. I don't think so, he's been here as long as I can remember." Before she could completely absorb that information Granny interrupted her rushing thoughts, "So! How long will you be with us?"

"Oh. Just a week." She turned once more to look behind her to where Mr. Gold left, she wanted to follow him, but when a key was handed to her, all the exhaustion of the day hit, and Emma knew she needed to get some sleep. 'I will look you up tomorrow, Mr. Gold.' Then she walked to her room and collapsed into her warm, inviting bed, and dreamed of nothing, just like the last ten years of her life.

AN: Things after this chapter will start heading into a different direction canon wise. There will be some things that will be the same, but things involving cannon will be rushed about and changed. She still needs to break the curse, but a lot of the events leading to that will be altered. Stay tuned! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! R&R please and thank you!

~Arizona-Sky