Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any unrecognizable characters and dialogue.

When Evie saw Emma Swan was keeping company with Sydney Glass, her first thought was complete and utter disbelief.

The man had, at Regina's behest, run a smear campaign against Emma, digging up dirt about her that should never have seen the light of day. While Evie couldn't say it surprised her - Emma Swan was an outsider sorely lacking in allies, especially after she turned on Gold - it did disappoint her. Henry shared her concerns, but said his birth mother refused to discuss such things with him.

Her brother had been much more upbeat after the father of Ava and Nicholas Zimmer was found, as if the reunion was a balm to his soul. He chattered Evie's ear off about how it meant the Curse was weakening, how Emma was changing things for the better. She listened and offered halfhearted responses, uncomfortably aware of how Henry reacted to her true feelings on the subject of his Storybook.

Thinking of said book made Evie feel distinctly distressed. During their self-imposed exile at Evie's studio, when they refused to stay at home after the sordid story of Henry's birth was slapped on a newspaper for all to see, Henry had urged her to read through the chapters. Evie had been unwilling to upset him and agreed, much to her chagrin.

Nestled in a corner booth at Granny's, Evie poured over the finely bound storybook before her. Despite her misgivings, she found that she enjoyed reading through the stories. She initially avoided some - namely anything to do with Snow White and Princess Evie, as well as anything that dealt with the Evil Queen… at least until she saw Mary Margaret and David Nolan kissing in the middle of Main Street.

Having an affair with a married man went against everything Evie knew about the kindhearted, gentle schoolteacher - she knew less about David, but he didn't strike her as someone to throw away his marriage on a whim. When she confided in Henry about what she'd seen, Evie expected him to spontaneously combust from happiness.

Sighing to herself, Evie flipped the page, only mildly interested in the story of the Genie of Agrabah. Her heart stuttered to a stop when her eyes fell on the illustration on the new page. People and scenarios flashed behind her eyes, some so fantastical she couldn't believe they were true. In a trance, she traced the picture of the greying king, dimly aware of her surroundings.

A little girl wearing a grown up gown, swathed in blue silk. Joyful cries of "Papa!" to a kindly old man who swept her into his arms - who abandoned her and her mother for his eldest again and again.

"Princess?" Harry called, startling Evie back into the presence.

"Harry… " Evie whispered, hazel eyes flaring with fear and confusion. "Harry, where… " A hand went to her head. "W-what are you doing here?"

He arched a brow. "Ye called me here, Princess. Said ye wanted to show me somethin'." Harry swung himself into the booth beside her, hooking his fingers around her drink. He took a long slurp, letting out a satisfied groan as he sank into the seat.

"Hey! That's mine," she snatched the drink from his hand, scowling when she realized it was empty. "You dinglehopper."

Harry arched a brow. "It was almost empty, princess. What's got yer hair in a twist?"

Groaning miserably, Evie let her face fall into her hands. "Henry has me reading his ridiculous book and I… I think I'm starting to go crazy, Harry. Whenever I read the stories… it's like I've seen it before."

With a gentleness that still surprised her, Harry peeled her fingers from her eyes. His expression was soft with concern, warmed by an emotion that Evie still couldn't decipher.

"Maybe the stories are true, Evie. Ye and I both know that yer little runt of a brother has always seen things differently." He paused, deeply considering his words before he spoke them. "Do ye remember how old we were when her royal mayorness adopted Henry?"

"Of course, you were seven and I was six-" Evie stopped dead, eyes suddenly clouded and faraway. Her head hurt all of a sudden and her chest went tight as she struggled to remember. "I-I can't recall. Henry is- he's six years younger than I am. Isn't he?"

"Is he?"

Henry, of course, took the opportunity to materialize out of nowhere. With a yelp, Evie's hand flew to her frantically beating heart as her brother settled beside Harry. "Hey, sis!" He chirped. As if he hadn't almost given her a coronary. "Hey, Harry! What are you two doing?"

Evie smothered a laugh at Henry's attempt to play coy. "We need to work on your subtlety," she mussed his hair for good measure. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to figure out who August is and why he's here. Oh, and why he knows about that." He pointed at the storybook Evie had been idly perusing.

Evie was less concerned with how the new interloper knew about the book and more concerned with the fact that Henry was hanging around him. Harry shared her alarm.

"Ye mean to tell me that yer hangin' around another stranger, runt?"

Henry pouted. "All he said is he's a writer."

Harry snorted. "That explains the name August Booth."

With a sigh, Evie ran a hand through her curls, fiddling with the braid at the top. Her phone chose that moment to ring, and she scowled at her mother's number. Despite every attempt to heal the rift between them, the Mills women had yet to come to an accord over Regina's recent behavior. Steeling herself for a lecture, Evie clicked 'answer'.

"Yes, mother?"

"Evie, you answered. Good. Where's Henry?"

Evie blinked at her mother's tone. "He's with me at Granny's. Why?"

"Well, for the foreseeable future, keep Emma Swan as far from him as possible."

Something about her mother's words caused gooseflesh to prickle along Evie's arm. Mother sounded… pleased. While Evie would have shared her mother's joy before the whole news article debacle, now it gave her pause.

Clearing her throat loudly enough that Henry and Harry looked to her, Evie tried to keep her voice calm. "Mom, you know we tried that before and it didn't work. What makes you think it will this time?"

"Oh, because Sheriff Swan and I have come to an agreement, of sorts. She attempted to outsmart her betters and was summarily reminded of her place in this town." Oh, he mother was gloating and was not ashamed of it. Evie couldn't stop a wince. "She knows to stay away from Henry, but should she attempt to see him, you will inform me. Understood?"

Evie swallowed, meeting Henry's alarmed eyes. "Yes, mother."

Thoughts? Comments? Questions?