Chapter 2: Welcome to Storybrooke

Henry looked at his book, and back at her, confused.

"Want to hop in the back so she can get in?" Emma suggested.

Henry unbuckled and was heading towards the back when Aliyah stopped him. "No, that's okay. I'll take the back, you be by your mother." She smirked at Emma, who glared back. Henry opened the door and slid out. Aliyah smiled at him. Placing her duffle bag on the floor, she slid in the middle of the backseat between mother and son. "So, where are we going?" she asked, looking between the two.

Henry slid back in, buckling back up. "Maine." He said.

"What's in Maine?"

Henry looked at Emma, who looked back. "It's okay to tell her." She looked at Aliyah through the rearview mirror, "In fact, she will get a kick out of it." Starting the car, Emma slowly got on the road and headed towards the direction they needed.

"My hometown. Emma will break the curse the Evil Queen cast."

"Okay, I'll bite. Err, who is the Evil Queen? Do you know?"

"My mom, adoptive mom."

"Of course." The car ride went silent for a while longer, "what's with the book?" Aliyah asked. Henry gripped it tighter. "It's exquisite. The outside design is well intricate."

Henry smiled and relaxed. "It's a book of fairy tales. One has a story of Emma. She is the one to break the curse."

"Which story tale is that?" Aliyah played along.

"She is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming."

"I don't remember that part of the story."

"This book tells the stories after the ever after's."

"Intriguing! Am I in it?"

Henry looked at the book and back up, "I don't remember reading about you."

"Great, the long-lost sister. The long-lost wolf" She scooted back. "Speaking of which, I need to look at these." She pulled one of her camera's from her bag and laid back, scanning the pictures she took throughout the day. After a while her eyelids became heavy. She didn't have great of sleep the night before, and the car ride was soothing. Aliyah placed her camera back in the bag and used her duffle bag as a pillow. She went to sleep in minutes, smelling the fresh scent of rain and hearing Henry and Emma talking along the way.

Sensing something, Aliyah awoke to rain drumming the car. She looked around, noticing a rich woodland area and a "Welcome to Storybrooke" sign. "Storybrooke?" she looked over at Henry, who smiled and shrugged. "Guess your evil mother wasn't too creative on naming the town." She sat up, yawned and stretched.

"Had a good nap?" Emma glared.

Aliyah smiled back, "Yes."

Emma rolled her eyes, adjusted in her seat and sighed, "okay kid, how about an address?"

"Forty-four, not-telling-you street."

Putting her breaks on, Emma got out of the car, Aliyah holding her mouth tight, trying not to let out a laugh or a snort. "Look, it's been a long night, and its almost eight-fifteen?" Aliyah glanced at her watch, rubbing her eyes. "Henry, you need to tell the mayor that clock tower is off, like a lot." She got out after Henry, stretching her muscles and yawning again.

"That clock hasn't moved my whole life. Time's frozen here."

Aliyah looked at him blankly before Emma stated, "Excuse me?"

Henry sighed. "The Evil Queen did it with her curse. She sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest here."

"Everyone?" Aliyah's throat swelled.

Henry turned around for a moment, looking concerned. "Yes, everyone."

All she could do was close her eyes and slowly let out a breath. 'Everyone. That means.'

"Hang on, the Evil Queen sent a bunch of fairytale characters here."

Henry turned back to face Emma. "Yeah. And now they're trapped."

"Frozen in time, stuck in Storybrooke, Maine. That's what you're going with?"

"Well, that's the name of the town, Storybrooke, Storybook. Get it?" Aliyah flatly said, head still elsewhere.

"It's true!"

"Then why doesn't everybody just leave?"

Aliyah rolled her eyes, seeing the frustration in Henry. "Emma, it's a curse. It has to be broken before anything can happen." She looked at Henry, who smiled back gratefully. Aliyah let out another yawn as she saw a man with a dalmatian walking up. 'Where did he come from?'

"Henry! What are you doing here? Is everything all right?"

"I'm fine, Archie." Henry said while petting the dog. The dog stared at Aliyah, head tilting slightly now and then.

"Who are they?" Archie asked, noting the two women.

"We are just trying to give him a ride home." Emma answered while Aliyah was observing the dog.

"She's my mom, Archie." He pointed to Emma, then at Aliyah. "And she is my aunt."

"Oh… I see." Right then the dalmatian pulled his leash free, ran over and jumped on Aliyah, licking her face like a long-lost friend.

"Pongo! Get down! I'm sorry Ms, I've never seen him do this, Pongo!"

Aliyah smiled as Pongo got down, heading back to his owner, tail wagging. 'Pongo from 101 dalmatians!'

Emma looked back at Archie. "Do you know where he lives?" nodding towards Henry.

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

"Mayor?"

"You're the Mayor's kid?"

"Uh, maybe?"

"Maybe?" Aliyah looked down at Henry. 'Did she really adopt a kid? I didn't think she liked kids.'

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I went on a field trip." Aliyah heard Henry say. She was too much in her own head to hear what was being exchanged.

"Okay! Well! We really should be getting him home."

"Yeah isn't it a school night?"

"Yeah, sure, well, listen-have a good night and uh, you be good Henry." Then Archie walked away. Not before Pongo wanted one last pet from Aliyah. 'I don't remember having a dog.'

"I'm not crazy."

"Didn't say that just-he doesn't seem cursed to me. Maybe he's just trying to help you."

Aliyah rolled her eyes. "Emma, plug one of your ears because you are leaking information we have already explained. Henry said they were under a curse, so they probably don't know, hence why you are to break it."

"Convenient. All right, I'll play." The three of them got into the car. "Who is he supposed to be?"

"Jiminy Cricket."

"Makes sense." Aliyah acknowledged

"Right, the lying thing. Thought your nose grew a little bit."

"I'm not Pinocchio!" Aliyah couldn't help but laugh.

"Course you're not. Cause that would be ridiculous."

"Lighten up, Emma. Don't be a spoiled sport."

Emma let out a sigh then drove towards the Mayor's house, shaking her head in disbelief.