(A/N): Guys! I finally finished my master's program! I'M FREE! No more homework assignments! No more stupid essays! No more awful discussion board posts! Of course, now I have to figure out what to do with a master's degree but that's a worry for another time. Now I'm just going to enjoy being able to focus on writing my fanfics!

I know I said in my first note for this story that this wasn't going to be as flowing but I guess I lied. At least for this chapter. Because it takes place the day after chapter one.

All the gratitude goes to alexaguamenti, NymphadoraGranger95, flowerangel502, Tayla, Love and Dead, adwardsgirl21, SuperSlyly, Freyja-Njorda, and Witch with the Cat! Thanks so much for taking a chance on this darker take on Hermione coming to Storybrooke.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on where this is going to go!

Thanks for reading! Enjoy!

Hermione grinned at August from where she stood in front of the mirror in their bathroom. He was propped up against the headboard watching her wrestle her hair up into a messy bun and she appreciated the defined lines in his arms and chest and the way of bedsheet rested low on his hips.

"If you keep looking at me like that, I'm going to drag you back into bed and we won't be leaving the room for a while," he warned.

She shook her head. "Threatening me with a good time isn't a very effective deterrent."

"It is when we both know Lily is going to come bursting in here any minute now," he responded, and Hermione frowned.

Any other time, August would have already been out of bed and pressed up behind her, leaning in to run his lips and tongue up her neck to distract her as he removed the clothes she just put on. The heat in her eyes slowly dissipated as she studied him from head to toe, only pausing when she reached his legs. For as long as Hermione had known August, he'd had a habit of kicking his blankets off at least one of his legs in his sleep. But now they were both covered and her hands fell from her hair.

"It got worse, didn't it?"

August didn't respond and Hermione felt like someone had reached into her chest and wrapped their fingers around her heart. The way Regina did to everyone who displeased her in all of August's stories about the Enchanted Forest. "Show me."

He turned away. "I'm fine, Hermione."

"August-"

"No," he snapped, and Hermione flinched back. She quickly schooled her expression but not before August noticed. His blue eyes widened with regret. "Hermione…"

She shook her head. "It's fine, August."

"No, it's not." He moved to throw his legs over the side of the bed and Hermione carefully kept her gaze up and away from his leg. "I shouldn't have snapped."

"I shouldn't have pushed," she told him just as firmly, turning away from remorse-filled eyes and grabbing her coat. "You need time to process. I get it." Slipping her arms into the sleeves, Hermione grabbed the room key. "Lily and I will head down to the diner. I'll go ahead and order a coffee for you so it's ready when you get down there."

August stayed silent as Hermione slipped out of the room. He didn't owe her an apology. Merlin knew she had done worse to him when he tried to press her about something she didn't want to talk about. Tensions were high with both of them and Hermione couldn't begrudge her partner the need for time to process the situation they'd found themselves in. And she knew August; she knew that if she stayed in the room, he would have continued to feel guilty and apologize.

Lily stumbled out of her room down the hall, hastily pulling on her jacket as she closed the door behind her. "You're up," she stated upon spotting Hermione, narrowing her eyes in confusion.

Hermione smirked. "I figured after what happened last time, it would be for the best if I didn't give you the chance to barge in and see something you have no business seeing."

"Oh." Lily flushed, clearly still embarrassed by the memory of storming into Hermione and August's room only to find the witch riding her boyfriend. "That wasn't fun."

"Speak for yourself," Hermione sassed, walking forward to link their arms together as they headed for the stairs. "I was having a spectacular time until you interrupted us."

"So I saw." Glancing behind them, Lily asked, "Where's August?"

"Recovering," Hermione answered, making sure to keep her words vague in case anyone was in hearing range. "He had a rough night."

She could feel Lily stiffen. "His leg bothering him again?"

Hermione nodded. "I told him we'd go on ahead to the diner so his coffee would be ready and waiting by the time he got there."

"Works for me." Despite the assuredness of her words, Hermione could sense Lily's nerves and gave her arm a comforting squeeze.

As they stepped down the stairs, they slipped into the characters they'd decided on before coming to Storybrooke. They knew they couldn't lie to Emma, but the truth was a fickle thing.

"Look, I agreed taking a break from the craziness of our lives was a good thing, but Maine?" Lily complained as they made their way around the inn into the diner. "It's cold here, Hermione. Why couldn't August find his inspiration somewhere warm?"

The brunette laughed. "You mean somewhere like Thailand?"

Lily made a noise of discontent. "What happened in Thailand was an accident. And you were just as drunk as we were!"

"And yet I didn't end up getting chased by monkey's, did I?"

The occupants of the diner went silent as the two women stepped inside, but they pretended not to notice. "We may have been chased by monkeys, but you were the one who got in a duel with one in Japan," Lily grumbled, nodding at Granny as they slid into a booth.

"It was surprisingly good with that umbrella," Hermione reminisced. "Considering that it was twice the size of the monkey, I would have expected it to struggle just to hold the thing."

Lily wrinkled her nose. "That poor old lady."

As they continued to chat, the diner slowly returned to normal and a brunette woman with a red streak in her hair and six-inch heels came over to them with menus and silverware sets. "You two must be our new guests."

Hermione raised a brow as she took the items from the waitress. "Our?"

The other woman nodded. "Yeah. My Gram owns the inn."

"Ah. So you're the infamous Ruby."

Ruby grimaced. "Yep. That's me."

"It's nice to put a face to the name," Lily chimed in, flashing a grin. "I'm Lily and this is Hermione."

"Nice to meet you. What brings you guys to Storybrooke? We don't usually get many visitors here."

Hermione laughed. "Honestly? We just sort of ended up here. We knew we wanted to visit Maine, so we've just been driving around aimlessly."

Ruby's eyes lit up. "Really? That sounds amazing. I wish I could get out of town and just go wherever."

Lily shrugged. "It's not always all it's cracked up to be. Especially when you've got friends who have a knack for getting into trouble." She glared at Hermione.

The curly-haired brunette smiled sweetly. "Isn't it only trouble if you're unable to get yourself out of it?"

"Ruby!" Granny shouted from behind the counter. "These plates are going to deliver themselves!"

Visibly tensing, Ruby forced a smile onto her face. "Coffee?"

"Two coffees, one mug of hot water for tea," Lily told her with a sympathetic look.

Hermione watched as Ruby walked away with a frown. "Those heels cannot be comfortable."

"Probably not, but I'm guessing the tips she gets wearing them make up for it," Lily responded, nodding at the blond hair man leering at Ruby as she leaned over the counter.

"Ah. Tips. It's still bizarre to me that restaurant workers here need tips in order to survive. Waitresses shouldn't have to dress provocatively just to get enough money to live on."

The bell above the diner's door chimed as more people entered. "Preaching to the choir here," Lily told her. "It was the worst part of my job."

"So I would think. The real question is," Hermione placed her elbows on the table, laced her fingers together, and rested her chin atop them, "was it the worst job you've ever had?"

"You guys are still here."

The two women looked over to see the boy Hermione and August had met before marching up to their table. Lily looked over at the witch in confusion while Hermione just smiled gently. "Well, it has been less than a day since we arrived so yes, we're still here."

His eyes were narrowed in suspicion. "Why?"

"Henry!" Emma rushed over to the boy, placing her hand on his shoulder. "You can't just go up to people and make demands," she chided, giving Hermione an apologetic look.

"I'm just curious," Henry told her, looking up at her with pleading eyes. "No one ever comes to Storybrooke."

"Guess that explains all the staring," Lily muttered.

Emma shifted to look at Hermione's companion. "This the friend you guys mentioned last night?" she asked Hermione, tone light but gaze shrewd.

"Indeed, she is. Lily, this is Emma, Storybrooke's deputy. She and the sheriff, Graham, gave August and I directions last night. Emma, this is our friend Lily."

Staring at Lily for a long moment, Emma's eyes suddenly went wide. "Lily?"

Meeting the blonde's gaze, Lily's expression slowly shifted from confusion to shock. "Emma?"

Henry looked between them with a frown. "You guys know each other?"

"Yeah," Lily answered softly before Emma could. "We knew each other when we were younger. How… how have you been?"

"Fine," Emma answered. "You?"

Lily hesitated for a moment. "I'm good. Now. And I'm sorry about what happened back then. I was an idiot and I shouldn't have dragged you down with me."

Emma's eyes went wide. "Oh. Uh… It's fine. It's okay. I get it."

Shifting uncomfortably, Lily told her, "I'm glad that you're… you know… doing well. I was always worried that I ruined things for you."

That finally seemed to soften the blonde up. "You didn't. I did a good enough job of that all on my own."

Hermione took the chance to join the conversation. "So, you're Lily's Emma? That's… unexpected." Glancing over at her friend, she dryly added, "And here you were complaining that Maine was a terrible place to visit."

Lily flushed. "Well how was I supposed to know she was here?"

The grin that pulled at Hermione's lips could only be described as mischievous. "Something brought you here, Lily. Call it what you will- fate, destiny."

"A horse," Lily automatically responded, and Henry snorted.

Emma looked between them in confusion. "What am I missing?"

"You haven't seen Tangled?" Hermione questioned.

Lily shook her head. "I thought everyone had seen it by this point."

Henry smiled at the two women, suddenly seeming more at ease. "I am making the decision to trust you."

"A terrible decision," Hermione told him, lowering her voice an octave.

"Really, kid?" Emma sighed.

"What? It's a fairytale!"

Cocking her head slightly, Hermione asked, "Do you like fairytales, Henry?"

The boy looked back at her, the look in his eyes shifting-

Hermione's gaze snapped up to Emma. No. It wasn't possible.

"Of course I do. Don't you?"

"I do," Hermione agreed. "But I prefer the originals to the Disney versions. The Grimm Brother's and Anderson wrote some very interesting tales."

Henry frowned. "I haven't read them."

Lily's brows furrowed. "The library doesn't have any copies?"

"We don't have a library. Well, we do have a library building. But it's always been closed."

"Always?" Hermione questioned.

"Yep." Henry nodded. "I tried to order a copy but she wouldn't let me."

Hermione and Lily shared a glance. "She?"

"His mom isn't a big fan of fairytales," Emma hurriedly explained and Hermione relaxed slightly.

"Oh. I thought you were his mom," Lily told the blond with an awkward laugh.

"She is," Henry announced with a grin. "She's my birth mom."

Neither woman could stop themselves from gaping at mother and son, carefully taking in their similarities. Emma stiffened, pulling Henry slightly back from them, seemingly waiting for one of them to say something scathing.

"Oh my god," Lily muttered. "We're old."

Hermione dropped her head into her hands.

A few seconds passed, and then Emma laughed loudly. "That's one way of looking at it I guess."

Lifting her head and glancing at the clock hanging over the counter separating the kitchen from the seating area of the diner, Hermione said, "I'm guessing school starts soon so apologies if we've held you up too long."

"Crap," Emma sighed, looking at her watch. "C'mon kid, we've gotta get you to the bus otherwise you'll be late for school and your mom will kill me."

Henry groaned. "Fine." Looking at Hermione and Lily, he asked, "So, you guys will be sticking around for a while?"

Hermione wondered who exactly the child's adoptive mother was, considering how distrustful he was. "That is the plan. Unless there's some reason you think we shouldn't."

He shrugged. "Strangers don't come to Storybrooke. Ever."

Lily blinked at him. "Since I know Emma, can I really be considered a stranger?"

"It's too early for that kind of talk," Hermione warned her, holding up a hand.

"I second that," Emma agreed. "See you guys later."

Only once the door closed between the Savior and her son did Lily ask Hermione, "Did you know?"

"No," she answered, voice tight. "If I had, we would have intervened." Slumping back, Hermione ran a hand over her face. "Fuck, Lily, she would have been seventeen when she had Henry. That's too young. She was just a child herself."

Leaning over the table, Lily grabbed one of Hermione's hands and squeezed it tightly. "Hey. It's not your fault. You couldn't have known what Neal was going to do."

The bell rang as another group of people entered the diner and Hermione and Lily automatically pulled their masks into place.

"August is taking forever," Lily complained as Ruby reappeared with their tray of drinks. "He doesn't have that much hair, so why does he take so long fussing with it in the morning?"

Hermione smirked. "It's not usually his hair he's messing with in the mornings, Lily."

It took until Ruby set down the last mug for it to click in Lily's head and she groaned. "Ugh. That's way too much information."

Ruby set down a pot full of water and a small pile of tea bag packets. "Here you go. I didn't know what kind you wanted so I just brought you several. Did you want honey or anything?"

"Yes, please," Hermione nodded.

"Cool. Are you guys ready to order?"

"We're still waiting for one more," Lily explained.

They watched Ruby work the room as they waited. "Twenty bucks says she pulls down her shirt the moment August walks in," muttered Lily.

Hermione snorted. "Twenty bucks says she's going to bend forward slightly so he can look down her shirt; she doesn't have enough to make pulling down her shirt all that effective."

"You're on."

Luckily for them, August entered the diner shortly. As he was scanning the room looking for them, Ruby caught sight of him.

Lily leaned forward. "Here we go."

Striding over to the tall, dark-haired man, Ruby bent one knee slightly and tilted herself forward as she stuck out her chest. "Hello," she purred and Hermione snickered.

"Damn it," Lily grumbled.

"Buy breakfast and we'll call it even," Hermione offered, and Lily nodded in agreement.

August was listening to Ruby with a half-smile until he caught sight of the two women and then his face lit up. After only a few words to the waitress, he stepped around her and walked over to their booth, sliding in beside Hermione, throwing his arm over her shoulders and pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Hey," he greeted softly.

Hermione tilted her head up and smiled. "Hey, yourself. We were wondering what was keeping you."

His whole body seemed to uncoil at Hermione's words and he leaned in to kiss her fully on the lips. "Sorry to keep you waiting," August murmured as he pulled away.

"Ugh," Lily interrupted them. "You guys are revolting."

"Would you prefer for us to start fighting?" August questioned, leaning back with a grin.

Lily wrinkled her nose. "No. Somehow, that's worse than the kissing and the happiness."

Glancing around, Hermione huffed. "Unfortunately for us, it seems we've already broken the first rule of dining."

"Which-" August started to ask until he followed her gaze and found Ruby glowering at them. "Ah."

"She is definitely going to spit in our food," Lily muttered.

Hermione suddenly stiffened as something brushed against her senses. August's arm tightened around her shoulders and Lily pressed her ankle firmly against her own. The door to the diner was flung open and everyone within seemed to freeze for a heartbeat.

At first glance, there was nothing all that special about the woman who entered. A business suit of black and silk, cream colored blouse- both of which probably cost more than a month's rent in New York- adorned her. Black, satin pumps clacked against the linoleum floor as she stomped inside. Raven hair framed her face, adding a hard professionalism to the crimson scowl on her lips. Dark brown eyes were narrowed as she scanned the faces of everyone within.

She could hear August's breath catch. Lily caught Hermione's eye and raised a brow. Hermione nodded slightly and then the woman's gaze landed on them. Eyes widening in shock, she stopped in her tracks.

Hermione met her gaze and smiled.

"Who are you?" the Evil Queen demanded as she strode over to their table.

Get rid of it.

"We're new," Lily spoke before Hermione had to. "Who're you?"

"I'm Regina Mills," the other woman snapped. "I'm the Mayor."

"Really?" Lily responded, tone dismissive. "I don't think I've ever met a mayor before. Probably because, as far as government officials go, they don't really matter but still. Cool."

Regina visibly gritted her teeth. "Is that so?"

Get rid of it.

August chimed in, keeping Hermione plastered against his side. "I'm August. This is Lilith and Hermione."

Scanning their faces over and over again, Regina stated, "August, Lilith, and Hermione… what unusual names."

Get rid of it.

Please don't do this.

"Better unusual names than common ones," Hermione responded calmly. "I, for one, like to be memorable and having a name that stands out helps with that."

Regina's lips twisted. "Hermione… that's Greek, isn't it?"

"It is indeed. Hermione, daughter of the most beautiful woman in the world and the man who launched a thousand ships to retrieve his queen. Unique, isn't it?"

You should have killed me when you had the chance, sweetie, Hermione silently hissed. You should have given your slave more precise orders. And you should have realized that if he didn't kill you, I would.

The Evil Queen stared at Hermione for a long moment, and she could see the other woman's mind racing, picking apart her words.

"Something wrong?" Lily asked, tone light and airy.

Regina's eyes flicked to her. "Who are you?" she repeated.

"Does it matter?" August asked. "What do three strangers matter to you?"

"We don't get many new people here," Regina stated through gritted teeth. "As I'm sure you noticed, we're a bit off the beaten path."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "That's true. But don't trouble yourself too much, Regina. After all, we're just passing through."

Please leave a review on your way out!