24 years after the curse…

"Happy birthday to you!" Mary Margaret sang as she entered Emma's room. Emma rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"I really need to get my own place," Emma mumbled, combing her fingers through her hair.

"Happy birthday, Emma," Mary Margaret said and sat down next to Emma on the bed. She held out a little box all wrapped up with a little bow. Emma took the little box and hugged her mother.

"Thank you, Mom."

"You're welcome, sweetheart. Now open it."

Emma pulled back from the hug and untied the bow, ripped off the wrapping paper and opened the little box. Inside was a neckless with a swan hanging from it. She picked up the neckless and examined it closely.

"It's beautiful," she said and looked at her mother. "Thank you."

"Here, let me put it on you."

Emma handed Mary Margaret the neckless and turned around, brushing away her hair so her mother could clip on the neckless. She turned back to her mother when the neckless was clipped on.

"How do I look?"

Mary Margaret covered her mouth with her hands. "You look beautiful. You're so grown up, sometimes I can't believe how time has flown by."

Emma gave her mother another hug. She herself wasn't that much of a hugger but her mother was so for her Emma let her no hugging rule slip. She probably got the not being a hugger from her father, whoever he was. Mary Margaret never talks about her father, mostly because he was just a one night stand and she didn't really know him. Emma didn't mind not having a father because her mother was more than enough. When she was little though, she always thought that the coma patient 'John Doe' was her father, but she also believed everyone was a fairy tale character back then.

"I made your favourite breakfast," Mary Margaret said when she pulled back from the hug and stood up. Emma followed her mother down stairs and sat down on a stool. Mary Margaret placed a plate before her with pancakes, waffles, fresh fruit and whip cream and a mug with hot coco and cinnamon.

"Thanks," she said before digging into her breakfast.

"So, what are your birthday plans?"

"Elsa and Anna have something planned for me."

Mary Margaret sat down next to her with her own plate and hot coco. "What do they have planned?"

"Don't know, it's a surprise," she shrugged and took another bite. "How is everything going in the hospital?"

"Oh, everything is okay," Mary Margaret shrugged, but Emma noticed that she was hiding something.

"Okay, what happened?" Emma asked and sat back.

"What do you mean?"

"You're keeping something from me, did you meet someone?"

"What? No!" Emma gave her a disbelieving look. Mary Margaret sighed. "You remember John Doe the coma patient, right?"

"Prince Charming, yeah." She had been calling him that since she was little, the name suited him more than 'John Doe' and her mother stopped correcting her at some point.

"Yesterday night I stayed a little longer than normally and noticed that his blankets were half off of him. I went inside to cover him fully again and just before I wanted to leave he grabbed my wrist and mumbled something."

Emma's eyes widened. "What did he say?"

"I don't know. I could only understand a few words; find and always."

"Do you think he's waking up?"

"Who knows. When I asked doctor Whale about it he said I probably was seeing things or something, but I know what I saw."

"You have to go back there."

Mary Margaret looked at Emma questioning. "Why?"

"Because…" she started lamely.

"Is this about your fairy tale theory again?"

"What? No…" Emma said with a nervous laugh and looked down at her plate. Okay, maybe she wasn't completely over her fairy tale theory faze just yet. It did seem more logic than reality sometimes, and let's be honest, the mayor was nothing but pure evil.

Mary Margaret sighed. "Well, you're in luck, I was planning to go the hospital today anyway."

They finished their breakfast and Emma helped with the dishes before changing. When Emma was brushing her hair someone knocked on the door.

"Mom, can you get that?" she called from upstairs. She heard her mother walk to the door and open it. When Emma was done brushing her hair and went downstairs she was greeted by her best friends Elsa and Anna.

"Happy Birthday," Elsa said and gave her a hug. When she pulled back Anna did the same. Maybe a hugger as a mother did soften her a bit…

"That neckless is beautiful!" Anna said and looked at the neckless.

"Present from my Mom," Emma said and looked back at her mother with a smile.

"You ready to go?" Elsa asked.

"Yeah, just let me grab my jacket." Emma picked up her red leather jacket she had thrown over the couch yesterday and put it on. "Bye Mom."

"Bye sweetheart. Have fun!"

The three of them walked out of the apartment and down the stairs.

"Are you finally going to tell me where we're going?" Emma asked them.

"It wouldn't be a surprise if we told you," Anna said enthusiastically.

"It better be a good one," she mumbled.

The curse was weakening and something inside Regina told her that it had to do with the daughter of Snow. Doctor Whale had called her about the coma patient, he had moved and that was not supposed to happen. Exactly 24 years ago she casted the curse and although it was strong back then it had weakened with every passing year. That Prince Charming was slowly wakening from his coma was only a sign that she had to do something, and fast.

She had asked Sidney to do some research on that blonde haired daughter of Snow and found out that she believed in fairy tales. Regina remembered when she first met the little imp, she called her evil with such a certainty that it wasn't just a coincidence. Sidney told her that Emma had an obsession with fairy tales when she was little and although she says that she is over it now she still believes.

Rumple had warned her about the child of Snow and Charming but she thought that if Emma was cursed too she wouldn't be a problem. Thought wrong. So now Regina had to take measures to make sure that child wouldn't break the curse when she found her True Love. The only way to break the curse is for the Saviour believes and with a True Loves Kiss.

Regina tried to kill her a few times before but it looked like an invisible force was protecting her. The only thing Regina could do now was take away that little Saviours believe. So here she was, in her vault, brewing a potion that would suck out all the saviours belief. Now she only needs to get her to drink it.

Killian walked around the docks like he usually does every morning. After everything that had happened to him in his past it was the only thing that really calmed him. His brother would always take him on his boat when they were younger after their father had abandoned them. The waters were the only place they could escape from everyone else. Liam always told him that whatever was going on in his life he needed to have a place where he could escape, a place where he could go when life was becoming too much. He chose the sea, because it only reminded him of happy moments.

But then his brother died in a terrible accident and Killian felt like it was now him against the world. No one to help him, no one to support him. He was alone. Then there was Milah. His beautiful Milah who was the world to him for so long. But then he learned the truth. She was married and he was just her boy toy, he meant nothing to her. But when she died of a sudden heart attack it hurt him more than he thought it would have.

Lost in thought, he didn't see where he was walking and accidently bumped into someone. That someone was a woman with blond hair and she was about to fall so he quickly grabbed her arm to steady her.

"You okay there, love?" he asked her and she looked up at him. Those green eyes, he knew her. She was that girl in the cinema seven years ago, the one that brought light to his misery for only a few second. But she looked older now, of course she would after seven years, but she had more form now and it her age looked good on her.

"I'm fine, thanks," she said and her voice sounded like music in his ears. Suddenly the sombre day turned light and at that moment he realised he had been staring at her.

He cleared his throat and took a step back, smiling at her. She smiled back. "Killian Jones," he said eventually and extended his hand.

"Emma Swan-Blanchard," she said and took his hand but instead of shaking it he brought it up and placed a kiss on her knuckles which made her blush. He didn't really know what else to say, neither did she. Their moment was broken when someone walked over to them and grabbed the blonds arm.

"Come on Emma, we're almost there," said an red headed girl with clearly too much energy. She only just seem to notice him and gave him a bright smile. "Oh, Hi! Sorry but we are in a bit of a hurry." With that she tugged Emma with her and rushed over to another blond headed woman. Emma waved goodbye and he stared after her until he couldn't see her anymore.

That strange feeling in the pit of his stomach he felt when he first saw her in the cinema formed again and he was suddenly very interested in this Emma Swan-Blanchard.

Elsa, Emma and Anna walked down the street towards Granny's. The surprise was a sail trip and they spend the entire day on the waters. The entire time a certain blue eyes man with dark hair and pointy ears came flowing back in her mind. Killian Jones. Even his name sounded handsome. She cursed herself earlier for calling herself Emma Swan-Blanchard instead of just Emma Blanchard. She called herself Swan because when she was little she believed she was the Swan Princess. Everyone in town knew her so she didn't introduced herself to new people often, but when she did she always accidently let the Swan slip in her last name.

They arrived at Granny's and Emma frowned when she saw that all the lights were off.

"Are they closed?" she asked Elsa who walked to the door.

"The door isn't locked," Elsa said and entered Granny's, Emma and Anna not far behind her.

"SURPRISE!" everyone yelled when the lights flickered on and Emma jumped back a little before laughing.

"You scared the hell out of me," she laughed and hugged her mother who came over to her. A few more people came to wish her happy birthday before the music started playing again and everyone started talking to each other. Everyone she knew had come and Emma felt touched. She sat down in one of the booths next to her mother.

"So, been to the hospital?" Emma asked her mother.

"Yes, but nothing happened," said Mary Margaret a bit disappointed which she tried to hide but she wasn't fooling Emma. She reached for her mother's hand from across the table and squeezed it. Mary Margaret smiled at her and she smiled back.

The little bell above the door sounded and the mayor walked into the diner. Everyone looked at her but she ignored them and walked over to Emma.

"Happy birthday, Emma," Regina said which startled her a bit. Regina handed her a small box with a ribbon.

"Thanks," Emma said a bit hesitating and took the box. She opened it and found an bracelet with a red apple charm in it. "Wow, thank you, Madam Mayor."

"No thanks." Regina waved her hand and sat down at the bar. Mary Margaret took the bracelet from Emma to look at it more closely.

"That was… strange," Emma said. "Did you invite her?"

"No, we didn't," Mary Margaret said and shook her head. She gave the bracelet back to Emma and smiled. "It is a pretty bracelet."

"Yeah, it is." Emma put the bracelet back in the box and closed the lid. She didn't trust it. something in her guts told her that bracelet was bad news, especially if it came from The Evil Queen. She mentally shook her head, now was not the time to think about her fairy tale theory. It was her birthday, she should be having fun with her friends.

Killian pressed a pillow over his head and grunted when he could still hear the music and laughing people. Why in the bloody hell were they having a party? He just wanted to sleep. Except for the meeting with Emma today was an hell. His landlord had sat him out of his apartment because he didn't pay the rent again, he was almost hit by a car, twice, a stupid seagull stole his sandwich, he was all out of rum and he had barely enough money to rent a room at Granny's.

And now this.

He threw his pillow across the room and got out of bed. Maybe some fresh air would do him some good. He put on a T-shirt and his leather jacket, not caring that he is still in his pyjama pants, and walked out of his room. He heard the people started singing 'Happy Birthday'. He rounded the corner, hoping to walk past everyone without anyone noticing him, but he stopped when he saw who they were singing for.

Emma.

A large cake was placed before her with lit candles and she was smiling. He stared at her. That smile was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, it made his own lips curl up in one as he watched her blow out the candles. When she looked up their eyes met and the bright smile turned softer, shyer. He looked away, remembering why he was here and started walking out of the diner. He was almost at the door but Emma stopped him.

"Killian, wait," she called after him. He turned his head and raised an eyebrow at her. She stood up from the booth and walked over to him, standing before him. "Would you like to stay for a slice?"

"I don't know if I should…" he said a bit hesitating.

"It's chocolate," she said and tilted her head, silently asking him if he could stay.

He smirked at her. "Well, I can't say no to chocolate, now can I?"

A/N: Thank you all for reading! Please leave a review! Penny for your thoughts ;)