New Multi chapter fic! I had this idea last night and I had to write it. I am very excited for this story. It is a modern AU. It starts when Emma is about fourteen. A few chapters in there will be a time jump to when she is an adult. In this story, Emma is placed into a new foster home, where she meets Killian. From then on, their lives and paths are intertwined.

Those of you who are reading Generation Hope, I have decided to wait a little bit longer before I update anything. Do not worry though, I will not be abandoning it. Also, an update for Be My Happy Ending (my collection of one shots) will be up soon.

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Thanks for reading!

Chapter 1: Hello Again

Emma Swan hated hellos more than goodbye. Growing up in the foster system, goodbye was inevitable, but hellos were horrifying. It was just another chance for someone to take one look at her and see nothing but a broken worthless kid who has been tossed around her whole life. They would see her as a meal ticket, not a child that they could really love. Emma would be saying hello to the next potential abuser or the next person to leave her.

The back of the social worker's care seemed to be the most familiar place to Emma. She had sat there too many times to count, being taken to and from homes. Candice Housley had been her social worker for the past four years. She was a sweet woman, but to naive to the reality Emma knew. By Emma's third placement under Candice, she learned that the woman could, or maybe would, do nothing when Emma told her the horrors she experienced in the last home.

Emma tapped her fingers against the seat as she peered out the window. Boston was a great city, or so she heard. In the fourteen years she had been in the system, she had never really had much time to experience the city like she wanted to. She tried running away when she was eleven, wanting to see the world. Emma found an older girl, who was probably close to thirteen. Lily never really told her how old she was. Lily helped her get to Minnesota. They took care of themselves for three months before they got caught. Emma returned to the system and Lily returned to the juvenile corrections facility from which she had originally run.

Candice pulled the car into a driveway. Emma sucked in a gulp of air before she left the car, staying close to Candice, but not close enough that it seemed that she needed her. She didn't. Emma did not need anyone. Candice was always quiet when she was taking Emma to a new home. She had stopped saying "Maybe this is the one," or "I have a really good feeling about this one." after a while. They both knew she was lying.

An older woman met them at the door, arms spread out wide ready to embrace Emma. Emma saw Candice shake her head and the woman put her hands down at her side, but continued to grin ear to ear. "Hello, dear. You must be Emma."

Emma just nodded. The less she said to this woman the better. She would be here for a few weeks, a month or two tops. The woman must have detected her nervousness, but continued talking. "I am Mrs. Abernathy. I am so happy to have you with us."

"Us?" Emma questioned quietly.

The older woman nodded. "I have a foster son. He is a few years older than you. He is not home now-you two can meet later."

Emma gave a small nod, but did not say anything. She knew how foster brothers worked. The majority had been rude and mean. That was a best case scenario. The older and bigger boys had no problem showing Emma who was boss, no matter what it meant. The laughs they got from hurting her must have pleased them because it never stopped.

Mrs. Abernathy invited Emma and Candice into the house and led them up some stairs. The three were quiet, no one really knowing what to say. The older woman showed Emma her room and let her get her things settled. Candice took Mrs. Abernathy into the hallway while Emma unpacked.

The room was bigger than she was used to. It was one of the few times she actually had her own room, and a decent one at that. There was a real bed and a real dresser. The room was free of mold and bugs. The walls were not peeling and the carpet was not coming up. And best of all there was no one else but her.

Emma was slow to put her things away. She normally did not waste her time taking her clothes and few personal possessions out of her bag. It would not be long before she was packing her bags again, so why waste her time. But this was the first time in a long time that she had a real room, so Emma decided to take advantage of the rarity and put a few things away. She convinced herself it was for the older woman-just so Mrs. Abernathy would think she was settling in and enjoying her time here.

Emma could hear the two adults whisper in the hallway. Her name was spoken often, in hushed tones so that she could not hear. Candice was explaining to the Mrs. Abernathy that Emma was-different. She was tough, but very broken. She had a bitter shell to her. Most families had had some trouble with her. "Don't expect her to want to be involved with you guys like a family." Candice added. "She does not know how to do that. Call me if there is a problem with her. We will find somewhere else." Emma had heard social workers give that speech a hundred times. But to her surprise, Mrs. Abernathy rejected. "That will not be seems like a sweet girl. We can make this work." That was the first times Emma had ever heard something like that. No one had ever taken a chance on her. This woman was wrong though. No matter how much she tried, Emma would never be what she wanted.

Candice and Mrs. Abernathy entered the room and Emma pretended to be putting more things away,hoping the two women were oblivious to the fact that she had heard every word of their must have been because Candice just launched into her normal goodbye speech.

"Now, you be good Emma, okay? Call me if you need anything. I will be back soon for an evaluation visit." Candice explained. Emma nodded, murmuring a "Bye" when Mrs. Abernathy showed her out.

Emma was sitting on the bed when Mrs. Abernathy returned. Here we go, Emma thought. This was the moment the sweet old lady turned into a monster and history repeated itself. The woman stood by the door frame, not invading on Emma's space. She must have had enough foster children in her home to know how they acted, how scared they were.

"So, dear, how old are you?" Mrs. Abernathy broke the silence.

Emma had two choices. She could keep quiet and pretend she did not hear her, just ignoring the old lady until she got the point or she could just have a civil conversation with her. Maybe it would not be the worst if she was actually real with this woman. Mrs. Abernathy seemed genuine-by far more caring than any other parent she had had.

"Fourteen." Emma answered in a still quiet voice.

"You are a pretty young thing. You will like it here, I promise." The lady insisted. Mrs. Abernathy reminded Emma of those stereotypical old ladies who would pinch people's cheeks and had candy in their purse.

"I hope so."

"Trust me, sweetheart." The woman paused. "I am going to go start dinner. The bathroom is down the hall on the right if you need it. You are welcome to anywhere downstairs. Upstairs is all bedrooms so I doubt that will interest you much."

Emma nodded and the woman left her. It felt weird to actually like a foster parent after the first old woman was sweet and kind, something Emma was unused to. She could only hope that this other foster child of hers was not a monster. Maybe Emma had finally found a real home for a few months. Somewhere she could actually be fed and be cared for. A place she could get some rest before she was launched into another home.