Dr Swan
After six years of study, Emma is being honored with her Ph.D. in Forensic Cultural Anthropology. Locating and finding cultures was her specialty. Her obsession with finding her Father is now evident. She was 26 years old. She only had two years to find her Kingdom and break a curse.
She had trained for that moment all of her life and now she had the intellectual tools to uncover where she needed to go.
"Congratulations Emma," Her mother said with a smile. "Or should I say, Dr. Swan?"
Emma smiled. "Thanks Mom…"
"You did good Mom," August said putting his arms around his best girls. "You raised two successful children."
"An Author and a Dr," Snow said. "I'd say yeah, real good."
"Did you have to put our story out there like that Augie?" Emma asked her brother. "What if the Evil Queen sees?"
"Do you really think she is busy reading fairy tales?" August asked. "Listen, it was a means to an end. I can't believe it became a best seller."
Meanwhile in Storybrooke…
Henry Mills was unhappy. There was something going on with his town. No one was growing with him. All of the friends he had made in Second grade did not follow him to Third grade.
He started noticing how every day seemed the same.
He started noticing how the clock tower never changed.
He started noticing his Mom. She was really cold all the time.
She didn't talk to anyone. She was alone all the time. He didn't think that was normal.
That year, his mom had told him he had been adopted. And he felt a little twinge in his heart when he thought about who his mother might be. He knew his mom loved him, but sometimes… she made him feel like he was crazy.
"Of course, the other kids are growing Henry. Don't be silly." She would say. "You can make new friends."
He looked at Granny. She had been old for as long as he could remember. And she still looked the same.
One day he was walking by the bookstore, and he saw an illustrated book called Once Upon A Time, by August Swan.
There was only one copy.
Henry picked it up and began to read in the bookstore. As he read the story, it seemed as though all of the people he knew leaped out of the pages. GImminy was definitely Archie. And Marco… wow.
Henry looked around the store. He didn't have any money to buy it. So he put it under his coat and walked out of the store making a run for his castle.