Once Upon a Time Finding Forever

**AN: I'm not a big fan of the characterization of Baelfire/Neal in the show, so I kind of played with his character a little. My version of Neverland is a lot darker, so my Niall is a lot darker. Yes, I did change his name spelling. You can yell at me later. I was halfway through before I realized that I was going to get pegged as a One Direction fan, but I just want to let everyone know, I love the original spelling of the name. Sorry. **

**AN2: Also, there are two characters added in. I'm just a little excited for the newest book coming out in May. If you recognize the characters, then you are freaking awesome. **

**AN3: there is a sequel in the works for when the Cassidys hit Storybrooke. It should be fun. And yes, I know the son's name is common, but I feel like it would be a hilarious accident. And magic was involved. **

* * *

If there is one thing that he cannot stand, it's that feeling of disorientation that comes along with falling through a portal into another freaking world. Bae scowls, sliding down into the hard seat. He has no clue where he is, what's going on, and what the heck that weird carriage was that carried him to this place. He also had no clue what the heck Social Services was.

He hated the fact that he had ended up in what they called a hospital. They had asked him his name, his parents, who he was. He had lied, of course, but now, he was stuck in this office, living under a fake name. Nialathene had been what the Indians had called him, so he had told them Niall.

A last name had thrown him for a moment. What he knew, the only people with last names were royals and pirates.

He gritted his teeth. He hated pirates.

Cassidy had been a throwaway name. He had noticed it on the strange picture box in the room and took a chance on it. It had worked.

So now, the newly christened Niall Cassidy had been taken from the hospital, declared healthy, if not a little confused and probably needing a therapist, and was here waiting to be shipped off to a group home.

If only he knew what a group home was.

* * *

He had to say that on a scale of one to 'Dear Gods, send me back to Neverland, _please!_', a group home rated about an 'I want my papa'.

And it was sadly true. Niall did miss his father. He could almost forgive his father for everything. All he wanted to be was wanted once again, because after two hundred years in Neverland, he was a little sick of being despised and hunted.

It didn't help that nightmares hit every night. He could barely sleep anymore, knowing that the moment his eyes were closed, he was back in Neverland. Back to being hunted for not conforming to Pan's wants. Back to doing things that he had to survive, but wondered if it was worth it. Back to running for his life.

But he couldn't run here yet. He still didn't know enough about this world to survive. And if there is one thing he'd learned in Neverland, it was to observe his surroundings and to not make a move without knowing what he was doing yet.

He also noticed that these kids were a lot like the ones he had left. They had dead eyes. Almost every kid he had run across in this house had eyes that were completely dead. Eyes like that were common in Neverland.

He hated it.

He couldn't wait to run.

* * *

He'll never know what caught his attention, but something did. He glanced over to see an older kid, almost seventeen, trying to intimidate a smaller girl. She was probably around twelve, but he could tell from where he was that she was tough. He could see it from the tilt of her chin and the clenching of her fists. But it wasn't her fierce stance that drew him over. It was her eyes.

Her eyes were blazing, a hazel that made his own eyes widening.

She was _alive_.

The guy standing over her was so focused on her, that Niall didn't even have to try to be quiet in sneaking up on him. Though, he made sure to be silent. Old habits die hard, he supposed, and even though he was still biologically 15, he felt so so much older.

The guy finally noticed when Niall placed the knife against the side of his neck. "Back off," He said quietly. The kid froze and nodded carefully. Niall stepped aside to let him run, and the idiot was gone like a rocket.

Which left him stuck with the girl.

"Who the hell are you?" She snarled viciously. He blinked at her in a moment of surprise and then he smirked at her. He flicked his wrist in a practiced motion and the knife he had stolen disappeared once again. Almost like magic.

"The guy who just saved you. A little gratitude would be nice." He shrugged. "Who are you?"

"The girl who didn't need saving, you jerk," She shoved past him. Niall couldn't help but grin.

"Oh, that's not what I saw." He trailed after her, shoving his hands into his pocket. He tilted his head back. "It looked like you needed a lot of help."

"I don't need help," She snapped. "I had it under control."

"Did you?" He asked.

She spun to glare at him. "Yes, I did. I don't need your help."

Niall blinked at her. After almost a century of dealing with Tiger Lily, he knew how to handle prideful women. He nodded. "You're right. You didn't need my help. I helped because I wanted to." He shrugged. "I didn't like the look of that kid. "

"He's an idiot." She said, but he could tell that she was thrown. She hadn't expected him to say something like that. "Now, if you excuse me."

"No problem." He said, bowing slightly.

She blinked, but walked away, not saying a word.

Niall watched her go. He liked her.

* * *

Three weeks. It took three weeks for him to finally get her trust enough to actually talk. It took one week to get her name.

Emma Swan.

It took two weeks to figure out how long she'd been in the system.

All fourteen years of her young life.

It took three week and some pilfered ice cream to finally get to have a conversation with her.

They were perched in a tree at the very edge of the property. She was on a branch high than him, curled up around the pint of Ben and Jerry's he had managed to snatch from the freezer. He just watched her, smiling.

She noticed. "What?"

"Nothing. Just happy you've finally learned to tolerate my existence." He said with a shrug.

She stared at him, hard, but after a moment, returned to her sweets.

"What's your name?" she asked quietly.

"Niall," He said easily. She glared.

"Don't lie to me." She snapped.

He blinked at her. "How did you know?" He asked, softly. "That I was lying?"

"Becuase I can tell when people are lying. Always have been able to. It's a superpower of mine." She said simply.

"Superpowers aren't real." He answered immediately.

She flinched and glared. He watched her from his place, eyes taking her in. The idea had been in his head since the first moment he had met her, and this information only fit. He was almost sure that it was impossible, this being a land without magic, but there was no denying it.

The girl had magic.

Powerful magic too, if he could sense it in the first glance. But he knew it, could see it in her eyes.

Which begged the question, why wasn't he running?

"What the hell do you know about superpowers?" She was leaning forward, legs hanging off the branch, ice cream in one hand. He tilted his head and smiled.

"Nothing, except for the fact that it's fake. Superpowers aren't real." He pointed a finger at her. "Magic, on the other hand, is completely real."

She blinked. "Magic?"

"Yep, magic." He grinned and leaned back. "See, superpowers insinuate the need for superheroes, which means rescuing. But as you and I both know, no one gets rescued in this world. Heroes are an illusion.

"But magic, magic doesn't do rescues. Magic is a force of it's own, with it's own rules and laws. It's something that can be used by anybody. Some people are born with the ability," His face darkened, "Some sorcerers are made."

"So you think my ability to tell when people are lying is magic and not a superpower?" Emma was watching him curiously.

"Oh, I know it is." He answered. "It's the only thing that can explain it."

"Huh," She leaned back to her original spot, returning to her ice cream. "So, what's your name?"

"Why should I tell you, little sorceress?" He asked. "As I recall, names have power. Why should I give you power over me?"

"You have my name. It only seems fair."

"True, but you can trust me with your name. I have no want to use it against you. However, I have enemies, people would like to see me dead. Why should I give you the ammunition?"

"Who wants you dead?" She is surprised, staring at him with shock. He blinks at her.

"I won't tell you his name, because I don't want him to know where I am. But I will tell you that it's pretty much all of Neverland."

She scoffed at him and leaned over to stare at him. "Neverland?"

"Yes, Emma, Neverland."

"Neverland isn't real. It's just a story."

Niall can't help but laugh at that. "Please. We're all just stories to someone else. I've travelled between at least three different worlds, from home to here to Neverland, then back here. Trust me, magic and Neverland is real."

Her eyes were narrowed as he spoke, and the more words he said, the wider her eyes got. He could tell that she was trying to see if he was lying, but he wasn't. And now she knew it.

"Oh," She said quietly.

"Oh, indeed." He answered, gaze going up to the clouds.

* * *

"So, what else is real?" She asked one day. They're stuck inside as a summer thunderstorm rolls in, and he had been curled in a window seat with a book on cars. He still didn't know enough to run yet, though a voice in the back of his head was telling him his fear wasn't from knowing enough. It was from leaving her behind.

"What do you mean?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well, if magic and Neverland are real, what else is real?" She curled up across from him, her feet pressed into his side as she leaned on his knees. "What else is there?"

He blinked. "Uh, ogres." And he promptly wanted to beat himself over the head with a stick, because that's what he starts out with? Really, ogres?

"What are they like?" She placed her head on the top of his knees. He gulped.

"Uh, horrible. Giant vicious things. They're blind, so they hunt by ear, but if they hear you, they kill you. I've heard of them biting people in half." He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. "When I was fourteen, the ogres had invaded the southern border. The war had lasted for a long time. My father had gone to that war, and had left that battle branded as a coward." Niall let out a derisive snort.

"That marked our entire life. No one wanted to deal with a coward. But the war lasted longer and longer, and more and more people died. They started recruiting younger and younger. Three days before me fourteenth birthday, they lowered the age to fourteen."

She gasped and he glanced at her. "Did you have to go to war?" He shook his head at her question.

"No," He said quietly. "My father did something that I never thought possible to save me. I wish he hadn't. It changed him forever. That's how I ended up here. I tried to get him to go somewhere without magic, so I could have my father back."

"Did it work?"

"If it did, do you think I'd be here?" He asked, a little sharper than necessary. Luckily, she didn't take it personally. She watched him. Her eyes didn't hold pity or judgement. She just watched. "No, it didn't." He added needlessly.

"I'm sorry."

"Nothing you can do about it," He answered. "My plan failed. My father let me go. He chose magic and power over me." It still hurt, even to say it out loud. "It's haunted me every day I as in Neverland."

He blinked and looked at her hard. "Why am I telling you this?" He finally asked, an eyebrow raising.

"I don't know," She shrugged. "Because I asked?"

"There's that, but something else." He stared at her. "I've never told anyone about my father."

"Maybe you just trust me." She said, wide-eyed.

He sighed. "Maybe. Either that, or you're magic-ing me."

She glared. "How can I magic you if I don't know how to use magic? Besides, didn't you say that this was a land without magic?"

"Yeah, but if you're here, maybe there's magic somewhere." He placed his hand on the top of her head, fingers tangling in her soft hair. "Maybe you're just magic."

"Is that a complement or an insult?" She asked, her eyes sparking.

He smiled at her. "Whatever you want it to be, I guess."

"Hm," She slid her eyes shut as he played with her hair. They sat there for a moment together, just listening to the rain outside softly beat against the window. "Complement, it is." She murmured, her lips curling up into a soft smile

Niall decided right there that when he ran, she was coming with him.

* * *

They run on Emma's fifteenth birthday. Niall had already turned sixteen, and knew how to drive a car. Between the two of them, they knew enough to make a good run. So that's what they did. They ran.

They almost got caught three times, but each time, Niall was able to get them away. Even without knowing lot about this world, he knew how to hide and run, especially with someone hunting him. Emma was impressed, but he shrugged it off.

She taught him how to boost cars. He taught her how to pickpocket.

They made a surprisingly good team.

* * *

They drove to New York. It reminded Niall of London, which made Emma laugh. It was easy to steal a car in this city, and easier to pickpocket the people. Subway stations were the best hunting grounds, because no one paid attention to the two kids in the corner.

They slept in the car they picked up, an old Volkswagen Beetle that Emma had declared too cute to leave behind. Niall had put up a token fight, whining about the color and the age, but it didn't matter. Emma had had her heart set on it, so they had stolen it.

The backseat is a little small for two teens, but it's better than Emma had ever had, simply because it's the first time she'd ever slept with someone wanting her nearby. Niall's arms wrapped around her, and she laid nestled against his chest, listening to her heartbeat. Almost every night, she simply laid there for an hour after he had fallen asleep, just listening.

She also always woke up at some point in the night, when Niall's arms tightened around her and his heart picked up. He never thrashed or twisted, but he stilled and stiffened. Emma woke up and had learned that snuggling closer and tapping on his chest slowly was the best way to wake him up. Anything else ended up in him jerking awake and a knife appearing in his hand.

The first time, he had accidentally cut her arm. He had apologized profusely, terrified she would leave, but she had sat him down and forced him to tell her about the nightmare. Just listening to him describe Neverland had made her shiver.

Now, she made sure to wake him slowly.

Some nights, it was the other way around. He woke her up as she thrashed and screeched in fear. She had to be woken up harshly. Loud noises and shaking, or else the nightmare kept her in their grasp.

She only told him about the first one, and she couldn't watch his face as she told him. It was always the same one anyways. Two people holding her, two people that she knows are her parents, before black smoke and lightning come and sweep her away. Then she's alone and scared and trying to fight, but there is no fighting the darkness.

He holds her close and she can feel him drop a kiss on her hair. It's that that makes her love him more.

So every night, they curl up in the backseat, wrapped up in each other and, together, they sleep.

* * *

On Emma's sixteenth birthday, Niall drove them to the beach. He tells her stories about mermaids as they sit and watch the waves crash on the beach. She's curled up into his side, resting her head above his heart.

They stayed like that until the moon risen, it's reflection playing on the waves.

"I love you," Emma whispered quietly. She hopes he doesn't hear her, mostly because she's deathly afraid she'll scare him away.

There's a moment where only the water is heard. Then he sighed and leaned down, his mouth near her ear.

"My name is Baelfire," He whispered gently.

She jerked up, eyes wide at him. He grinned at her, though she can see the fear in his eyes. Two years they've been together, and he had told her more than once about the magic in names. He'd explained all about how magic worked, and what he'd seen done with a knowledge of a true name. She knew that he guarded his name carefully, because he knew that Pan could track him through it. To give to her was a huge sign of trust.

He laughed at her look. "What?" He shrugged. "I figured if you were going to declare your love of me, you might as well know my real name."

She blushed. He smirked.

"Shut up." She shoved him down, about to get up and head to the car. She was so embarrassed. He grabbed her hand before she could get far and dragged her down. She squeaked and landed across his chest. Their noses brushed.

Emma held her breath.

Niall stilled.

"I love you, Emma Swan."

Emma blinked, her jaw dropping slightly. He waited, and sighed, poking her side.

"Reciprocation would be nice, Swan," He said, his other arm wrapping around her, pulling her closer.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the fact that he was so close and staring at her like that stole her breath away. She licked her lips, face warming up.

He laid his head back, eyes sliding close. He let out a deep breath, and she watched the tension go out of his shoulders. With his eyes eyes closed, she could finally get a breath. She inhaled shakily and closed her own eyes. Finally, she could think enough to speak.

"I love you too, Baelfire," She murmured.

She moved to lay her head down on his chest, under his chin, but suddenly his lips were on hers. She gasped, fingers tightening on his shirt. Before she can even really realize what's going on, he's pulling back.

He grinned again, his eyes dancing.

"Happy birthday, Emma."

She brightened completely, her smile like the sun. And then it was her lips on his, and they were kissing like each other were air.

* * *

"One of these days, I should probably get a job, huh?" Niall glances at her sideways. Emma is perched on the back of bench, licking an ice cream cone. She paused and looked at him.

"Probably, but what would you do?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

He shrugged. "I dunno. I could wait tables, I guess."

She scoffed. "That's a good career path."

"Shut it," He pushed her lightly and she giggled. "I don't know though. I like fixing stuff."

That certainly was true. The only reason the Bug was still running was Niall's apparent magic touch with mechanical things. It seemed the older something was, the easier it was for him to fix.

She took a lick from her ice cream and tilted her head. "What about me?"

Niall looked at her, carefully. She was still small, but he knew that underneath that adorable exterior, was a fierce warrior with a vicious temper. "Something with finding people," he said with a nod. "And probably, hurting people."

She grinned brightly. "Got that right."

* * *

They had been city hopping for a while, before they landed in Chicago. They only planned on staying for a while.

Except some jerk tried to hit Emma as he was running. Niall took exception to that and grabbed him, dragging him back. He hooked his leg around his, smoothly tripping him face-first onto the ground. Emma had been almost knocked down, but she recovered quickly. Niall was on top of the guy in a moment, digging his knee between his shoulder blades, pulling his arms back a little.

"Hey!" The guy shouted, squirming, trying to free himself. Niall tightened his grip, drawing his arms back even further. He could hear the shoulders pop a little. "OW!"

"Shut up, before I see if I can make your elbows touch." He snapped. He glanced over at Emma. "You okay?"

"Fine," she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "You?"

"Good." He tilted his head down, noticing the crowd starting to gather around them. "What do you want to do with him?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but a commotion got both of their attention. Two people came rushing up, a man and woman. The man was panting, obviously out of breath, but the woman seemed fine. She reached behind her, pulled out some handcuffs and nodded to Niall.

"You mind if I cuff him?" She asked wryly. "Or you going to hurt him some more?"

"He ran into my girlfriend," Niall answered, even though he was already moving up.

The woman smirked. "And who says chivalry is dead?" She snapped the cuffs onto the guy quickly and hauled him to his feet. The guy glared at her and turned to Niall. He hissed out an impossible suggestion involving Niall's mother, a goat and a pineapple.

Emma blinked. "That sounds painful."

Niall nodded. "Yeah. Good thing Mom's dead."

The woman blinked at his flippant tone, but by this time the guy had turned his attention onto her. He moved as if he was going to attack her, but the man who had ran up with her grabbed his shoulder.

"I really wouldn't." He said calmly, and both Niall and Emma had to look up at him. He was easily over six foot, probably six five. He wasn't muscular, but he was still built and probably could break the guy in half.

"Ah, Harry, you're ruining my fun." The woman whined, handing the guy over. "I was hoping he'd do something stupid." She was much shorter than he was, shorter than Emma.

"Sorry, Murph, won't happen again." The man, Harry, jerked the guy forward and nodded to Niall. "Nice move there, kid."

"Gee, thanks mister," Niall intoned, voice dripping with sarcasm. Emma giggled behind her hand. Harry blinked then turned to Murphy.

"I like him." He said, then started walking. Murphy rolled her eyes.

"Dummy," she muttered. She glanced at both of them and dug into her pocket. "But he has a point. That was a good move. Not to mention, not a whole lot of people who react that fast and has the balls to answer Harry with sarcasm. Here's our card. We've got to get that jack back to the cops, but call us. We like you." She sauntered off, following her partner.

Niall glanced down at the card in his hand. Emma leaned on his shoulder, eyes widening.

"Dresden and Murphy, private investigators?"

Emma grinned. "Think we found our calling?"

Niall blinked at her. "Seriously?"

Her grinned sharpened, a shark-toothed smile that made his heart jump. Gods he loved her. "It looked like fun, so yep, serious."

* * *

Harry Dresden and Karrin Murphy are easily two of the coolest people either one of them have ever met. It's stupid, Niall and Emma both know it, but they trust them for some reason. Which is fine, because Harry and Karrin were dealing the exact same issue.

Somehow, the four of them meshed pretty well, and Karrin finally asked them what they planned to do in their lives.

They traded looks. "Dunno, we haven't decided." Niall said with a shrug. Both he and Emma are seated on the couch in Dresden's and Karrin's apartment. Chinese food in hand, they're all having an impromptu dinner party.

"Well, you both need jobs." Harry handed Emma a coke and places another in Niall's reach. He passes a beer to Karrin, who nods in thanks, before taking his own chair and chow mein.

Emma grinned "We were kind of hoping to do what you guys do."

"What, being a detective and picking up jumped bonds on the side?" Karrin eyed the two kids on the couch. They both looked so young and innocent, but she can tell on the edges, they aren't. They may be happy, but both of them look as if they know that that happiness can be ripped apart in a moment.

"It's either that, or we keep running." Niall answered, fighting for a moment with his chopsticks before giving up and grabbing a fork.

"But after so many years of running, we're kind of bored with it." Emma mentioned, her own chopsticks perfectly in her fingers. Niall noticed her skill and stuck his tongue out at her. She smirked at him, picking up a bite of rice mockingly.

"How long have you been running?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

Both of them stilled and traded a glance. A few looks later, Emma answered with a bright smile, "Since my fifteenth birthday."

Karrin's eyes widened, and she looks at Harry, who has the same look on his face. She can't stop herself from asking. "What are you running from?"

Niall bit his lip and Emma shoved some more rice into her mouth. Karrin just stared, waiting the two kids out.

"Foster care," Niall finally answered. "We were in a group home when we met and we ran away on Emma's fifteenth birthday."

"Second best birthday present I've ever had," Emma adds, grinning.

"Second best!" Niall looks hurt. "What was the best?" Emma blushed bright red, which makes him laugh. "Nevermind, I can guess."

Karrin finds herself smiling at them. She can't help it.

"What happened to your parents?" Harry questioned, sipping his beer.

Both kids stiffen, faces suddenly blank. Karrin flinched. She knew it wasn't going to be a pretty story. She had a feeling that this story was going to be similar to hers and Harry's.

"My mom ran off when I was little," Niall answered first, sticking his fork into his sweet and sour pork and placing it onto the coffee table next to his coke. He slid his arm around Emma's shoulders, who almost subconsciously curled into him. He continued, "She left me and my dad alone. A couple of year later, something happened and my dad had to make a decision. He made the wrong one and he- we were separated."

This seems to be new to Emma, because she sat up a little to look at him. He gave her a helpless little shrug and she nodded, leaning back against him.

"My parents left me on the side of the road when I was a baby," She threw out almost carelessly.

"What?!" The word explodes from Harry's mouth. Karrin fought a smile at him, because she loved that man more than she can say. The thought of leaving a child at all is completely foreign to him.

Emma stares at him, before nodding. "Yeah, I know."

"We're not big on talking about our parents." Niall added. "Bad memories."

"I see that," Karrin dryly commented, noticing that Harry still hasn't gotten over that one little bombshell.

"What about you?" Emma asked, making Karrin blink.

"What?"

"Well, you've got our stories," Niall said, reaching for his coke. "Your turn."

"Oh," Karrin pondered this for a moment, then shrugged. "Dad was a cop, detective, actually. He died when I was younger, shot in the line of duty. I went into the force the moment I could. I was a good cop. Made detective pretty quickly for a woman. Ended up running into dipstick here a couple of times."

The dipstick in question let out a mock "hey!", as if he were insulted. Karrin smiled at him.

"Anyways, ended up picking up a case and took it too far. I was shoved off the force, so I came here and started working with Dresden. That's about it."

"What do you mean too far?" Emma asked, tilting her head slightly.

"It means that she didn't stop when she realized that she might be proving her boss was selling drugs on the side." Harry added, eyes a little dark. "She followed her case and the higher ups didn't quite like it."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh." Harry sighed and looked at Karrin who shrugged. His story was always worst than hers. He crumpled slightly. "Fine. My mom ran off when I was younger too. My dad died when I was little and I ended up with a psycho uncle. When I was about sixteen, psycho uncle tried to kill me, so I ended up killing him first." Emma let out a little gasp, and Karrin watched Niall's arm tighten around her. "Case got thrown out due to the fact that it was self-defense, and I got taken in by an old man who may be my actual grandfather."

"May?" Karrin cuts in, raising an eyebrow. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Who's telling this story? Anyways. Moved here, got a job at a detective agent. Got my license, and started my own business. Worked with the P.D. on a few cases, met Murphy, and the rest, they say, is history."

"Huh." Niall said, nodding. "I have to be honest. I'm glad it's not just us to get the crap hand in this card game called life."

Karrin smiled. "Nope, not just you, kiddo."

* * *

Emma's seventeenth birthday is actually celebrated with cake. Lopsided cake with uneven frosting, but Harry will be the first to admit he shouldn't be allowed to bake.

They'd been working for Murphy and Dresden for a few months now, and loving every minute of it. For some reason, the couple adopted them in a way. There was huge fight when Harry realized that the two of them were sleeping in their car. He forced them to stay on the couch in their apartment and offered to help them get jobs.

Niall had been old enough to get an apartment just for them, and the money he had been secretly squirreling away under the dashboard was just enough for the security deposit and first month's rent. So for a week, they stayed with Harry and Karrin, until he finally found the perfect apartment. They moved in, which Emma loved. They were setting down roots and they were truly happy.

And that made the both of them nervous.

* * *

It's the day before Emma's eighteenth birthday that caused a ripple in their lives. They were chasing a jumper down, and on the way through a back alley, some guy knocked into Niall. Reflexes had him grabbing the guy and slamming him against the wall.

"What the hell?" Niall snarled. His hand twisted and a knife slid into his hand.

"Wait, wait, I need to talk to you," The guy yelled.

Niall glanced down the alley and fished out his phone. He hit the side button for the radio mode, "I lost him."

He waited a moment, then the radio buzzed. "I lost him too. You alright?"

"Fine, some jack just attacked me." Niall shoved the guy against the wall again, gaining a grunt for his efforts. He grinned.

"He breathing?" Emma asked, though he could hear the worry in her voice.

"Yep."

"Good. Be there in a moment."

"Ten four." Niall turned his attention back to the guy. He let him go, taking a step back, but the knife stayed loosely in his hand, just in case. "So what the hell couldn't you just call the office about?"

The guy turned, leaning his back against the wall, hands up. He eyes the knife, swallowing slowly. "The name's August." He said quietly. "I need to talk to you about Emma."

Niall stiffened, and his grip tightened on the knife. "Oh?" He asked mildly. "What about Emma?"

August licked his lips nervously. "There's a curse on the inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest. Emma's the only one who can break it."

Something in Niall froze. He could feel a shiver go down his spine. He hated magic, especially curses.

"What kind of curse?" Niall asked slowly.

August smirked, as if that was the answer he needed. Niall felt his jaw tighten.

"A curse against happy endings. The Evil Queen dragged everyone into this world, where there are no happy endings. Emma has to break the curse."

"And why should I believe you?" Niall snapped, realizing that that should have been his first question.

"Because I know who you are." His smirk widened. "Baelfire."

It was instinct, in Niall's defense. He moved quickly, slamming August's head against the wall, knife flashing up to dig into his neck. He was perfectly ready to slit the man's throat.

"Who the hell are you?" Niall whispered, his eyes flashing.

"Niall!" Emma appeared at the end of the alley, running up to them. "Niall, what's going on?"

"He knows my name," Niall answered, never looking away from August, who looked like he might've peed his pants. "My name, Emma."

Emma gasped. She nodded, glancing back behind her to make sure no one else was coming down the alley. Her eyes darted up as well, as if she would see a shadow coming down on them. "Who is he?" She asked.

"He's just about to tell me." The knife dug deeper into August's neck, drawing blood.

"Pinnochio!" He choked out, fear in his eyes. "My name is Pinnochio, and I know you are the Dark One's son!"

"Where are you from, Pinnochio?" Niall asked slowly. He shot a look at Emma, but she looked confused. She mouthed the word, "Puppet?" to him, and he gave a tiny shrug.

"The Enchanted Forest. My father was the one who crafted the wardrobe that save Emma from the curse," August, Pinnochio, said as fast as he could.

"He lying?" Niall asked. Emma shook her head. That little of magic of hers they'd practiced so often that she didn't even have to look at someone to see if they were lying anymore.

Niall grinned and let him go, stepping back. August slid to the ground, hand going to his neck, gasping for breath.

"So, Emma has to break a curse. How is she supposed to do that?" He asked.

"I don't know. I was only supposed to watch out for her, help her to believe in magic. They didn't tell me anything else about it. I was seven at the time."

Niall stilled, his eyes darkening again. "You were supposed to do what?" He asked quietly. Emma, who knew the warning signs, grabbed his arm, fingers tightening around it.

August gulped. "I was a kid. I couldn't-"

"Shut it." Niall snarled, face twisted. Emma tugged at him, and he spun, storming towards the nearest trashcan and kicking it viciously. Emma winced but nodded, turning towards August.

"What was your plan?" She asked, eyebrows raised. "What did you come here to do?"

August was still staring at Niall, but he answered, "I thought that there was no way you be able to break the curse with him around. You don't know anything about him, who his father is. You need to be on the path of good."

"And you think I'm not?" She said sharply. She had the itch to pull out her gun and shoot the idiot. "I have a decent job doing what I love, a nice apartment, and a man who would die for me. I think I'm doing pretty good. Surely, good enough to break some stupid curse."

August blinked, as if realizing something, then looked at her sharply. "Wait. You believe in magic?" He asked.

"Give the puppet a prize," Niall growled under his breath. "Seems like I'm doing your job, you idiot."

"Niall, calm down." Emma smiled at him softly. It always amused her when he actually lost him temper. She turned back to August and her face went blank. "Yes, I believe in magic. Now, you're going to tell me why I should want to break this curse. Because, I really don't see the need to get involved in some one else's magical war."

August looked at her and rose to his feet, dusting his pants. Standing up straight, he looked her straight in the eye. "Because your parents are there."

Emma blinked. She turned to Niall, who was looking shell shocked himself.

"Wait, her parents?" He asked.

"Her parents. Queen Snow White and King James, more commonly known as Charming." August looked at him and smirked again. "And Rumplestiltkin is there too."

Niall gulped, his hands beginning to shake. Emma just looked confused.

"Wait, you're saying that my parents are Snow White and Prince Charming? And isn't Rumplestiltskin the guy who could spin straw into gold and wanted to steal children?" She asked, incredulous. She turned to Niall as if wondering his opinion, but he was still too wrapped up in his own issue. She blinked at him. "Niall?"

He snapped out of it slightly, looking up at her. "What?"

"You okay?" She asked, watching him. She was a little worried about him.

"Fine." He licked his lips and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and straightened, nodding. "I can see it." He said calmly. "You being a princess. Besides, I've always told you that you had magic. It makes sense that you would be from my world."

"Yeah, but Snow White?" She asked, thinking about the old Disney movie she had seen once in one of her foster home.

Niall shrugged. "Sure, why not? I mean, my father is Rumpelstiltskin, so really, anything is possible. Especially if it's what Pinnochio said, and that some Evil Queen cast the curse."

"Rumpelstiltskin? Wasn't he some form of goblin?" Emma was open minded, yeah, but this was new.

Niall grinned. "He's the Dark One. It's a curse, which allows him to use magic. It did change his appearance, though, so I guess he might look a little like goblin. Or an imp, maybe."

"Oh." Emma nodded. "Okay."

August blinked at her. "What?"

Emma looked turned back to him. "What?"

"You're just accepting it like that?" He asked, confused.

Emma nodded. "Niall doesn't lie to me." She answered, as if it explained everything. To her, it did. Niall just smiled at her.

"When do I have to go break this curse? Now?" She asked, leaning in towards Niall. He stepped forward, wrapping his arm around her waist. The knife that had been in his hand was gone now.

"No, on your twenty-eighth birthday." August answered, still bemused.

"I have ten years, seriously? Why the hell are you trying to ruin my life now?" Emma snapped.

"Especially since you haven't helped her at all in her entire life." Niall muttered.

"I couldn't find you before, or else I would've tried to keep you from him. He's a bad influence. He just tried to kill me!" August pointed at Niall, who shot him a wicked smile.

"Keep being stupid, and I might still," He said darkly. August blinked.

"Well, I'm glad that you didn't find me. I can't imagine where I would be without Niall," Emma said calmly. She subtly elbowed Niall's ribs, a warning. He tightened the arm around her waist in apology. "So, you can run off now. You've done your duty. You tried, you failed, you warned us of the journey ahead of us. Now leave."

"But-"

Emma interrupted him, giving him a wicked grin of her own. "Run, puppet, before we stop being nice. You've already cost us a paycheck. You're lucky we gave you this much." Niall nodded.

August looked between the two of them and turned, walking away. Emma and Niall watched him, making sure he left. The moment he was out of sight, she turned into Niall, wrapping her arms around as tight as she could, letting out a shuddering breath.

"Do you think my parents are really part of this curse?" She asked, quietly.

"Most likely." He tightened his arms around her. "If my father has a hand in this, then yeah, definitely yes."

"Okay." She closed her eyes, not wanting to ask this question, but knowing she had to. "Do you want to leave?"

Niall blinked. "I don't see how leaving Chicago is going to help. I mean, we still have ten years."

"No," She said quietly. "Do you want to leave me?"

He let out a surprised laugh, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her back so he could see her face. "Emma, the only way I'm leaving you is if I'm dead. I'm not running from you, not because of my father, or some curse, or anything. Hell, Emms, I'd go back to Neverland for you. So you're stuck with me. Period."

Emma just stared, knowing that there wasn't anything she could say to that.

So she just kissed him.

* * *

Harry opened the apartment door to blink down at an obviously crying Emma. She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face.

"Is Karrin here?" She asked, fighting a sniffle.

"Nope," he answered, grabbing her arm and dragging her inside. "What's wrong?"

"I was hoping to talk to Karrin." She protested weakly. He shot her a look, pulling her into the kitchen where he was making a sandwich.

"You want some food?" He asked. She looked down at the salami, went pale then green, and ran to the bathroom. Harry just stared after her.

"Huh," He muttered, following behind her. He could hear her gagging over the toilet in the hallway. He leaned on the bathroom doorframe and looked down at her. "Does he know yet?" He asked idly.

Emma glared at him from the floor. "What are you talking about?"

Harry raised an eyebrow, and the fight slipped from her. She sagged against the bathtub, tears welling up in her eyes again. "No," She whispered.

He sighed and walked over, flushing the toilet and lowering the top seat. He slid his fingers through her hair. She started sobbing.

"I'm scared." She choked out.

"As well you should be." He answered. "But to be fair, I'd be terrified too."

She looked up at him, eyes wide. "Really?"

He nodded and reached down and grabbed her elbow. He helped her to her feet and guided her to the living room. He lead her to the couch and sat beside her, wrapping his arms around her small frame. Somehow, this little girl and her boyfriend had wormed their ways into his and Murphy's hearts. She was like a daughter to them.

"Babies are scary." He said. "If Murphy came and told me that she was pregnant, I'd probably faint."

She huffed out a laugh.

"Now that I think about it, Niall will probably faint." He chuckled. "Can I watch?"

"No." She sighed. "I have to tell him alone."

"He isn't going to leave you," Harry added, wondering if that was the source of her fear.

"I know." Emma closed her eyes. "I just don't know if I know how to be a mom."

"No one does. It's something you learn on your own." He leaned back, loosening his arms around her and smiling. "But to be honest, I have a feeling that you are going to be an amazing mom."

She blinked and smiled at him, before throwing her arms around him.

* * *

Niall froze. "What?"

"I'm pregnant." Emma said, trying not to flinch. She was terrified and she wasn't even sure why.

Niall blinked, mind racing. He grabbed the kitchen counter, having to use it to keep standing.

"I'm going to be a dad?" He asked quietly.

Emma nodded.

He gulped. "Okay, okay." He rubbed his hands across his face and took in a shaky breath. "Well, okay. Um," He glanced around the apartment. "We'll need to buy some stuff, and um, we need-" Suddenly, his knees couldn't support him anymore and he slid to the ground. He started laughing, almost hysterical. "I'm going to be a dad."

He was pretty sure that if there was anyone in the world in a worst place to be a dad, it was him. He didn't know how to take care of anyone. He was a Lost Boy, a runner, a former pirate. He had blood on his hands, blood of kids who had been younger than him, pawns of Pan. How could he be a dad?

Emma knelt to her knees before him. "Niall, breath, breath!"

He looked up at her, almost hyperventilating. "I can't be a dad, Emma. I don't know how. I'm not, I can't-"

Emma eyes widened. "Niall-"

He wasn't done. "What if I ruin him? What if I become my father? Or worse than him? I've done things, horrible things, the same things he did. How can I be a good dad? Emma, what if-?"

"No," She said, her voice confident and sharp. "You will be a good dad. You protect those you love. You stayed with me, even when you had every reason to run. Being a Dad means staying and loving. You can do that."

"You don't have very high expectations, huh?" He asked dryly. He had gotten his breathing back under control.

Emma blinked. "Niall, the only thing I know of my parents is that they left me. Now, we learned that may be because of a curse, but they still left me. I've seen every kind of parent in the world. The good, the bad, the ugly. All a dad had to do to be good is to love their child and to hold onto them. That's it."

She reached over and touched his hand. "We can do this."

He looked down at their hands, turning his over to grasp hers. "You've been talking to Karrin, haven't you?" He accused jokingly.

She grinned, "Harry actually."

"Ah." He took a deep breath and stared her in the eye, dead serious. "Marry me."

"What?" She leaned back, her eyes wide.

He licked his lips. "Emma, marry me. I'm serious."

"But," Her fingers tightened. "I- are you sure?"

"Dead sure. Marry me."

"But a wedding? I mean, I was kind of hoping that since we had a chance to find out parents, I-" She trailed off, knowing she probably sounded stupid.

"That's fine," He said, shrugging. "We can have a royal wedding when we break the curse, but Emma, I want to marry you now. Before we have a child. I want to go down to the judge tomorrow and marry you. We don't need the ceremony, or anything, but I want us married."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to be my wife. I want to make sure that no one, not one person has a reason to call our child a bastard. I want everybody to know that you are with me." He grinned at her, laughing. "I want to give you my forever."

She stared, tears streaming down her face. A shaky smile played on her face. "Well, sounds like a good reason to me," She sniffed. "Yes." She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Yes, I'll marry you."

* * *

On January 11th, Henry James Cassidy was born to Emma and Niall (Baelfire) Cassidy.

And if this were a fairy tale, they would've lived happily ever after. But their fight wasn't over. In truth, their fight hadn't even started.

But that's another story altogether.


End file.

Once Upon a Time, Fantasy, Romance