(A/N): Many thanks to my lovely friend hannbells for being willing to listen to me ramble on about this story while getting my plot down. She's honestly the best.

The timelines are going to be all weird in this so just roll with it. The story starts a few months after the end of the Second Wizarding War and at the beginning of the first episode for OUAT.

The title of this story and the lyrics in this chapter comes from "Journey (Ready to Fly)" by Natasha Blume which is a fantastic song and I highly recommend you listen to it and be as awed as I was when I first heard it.

Any familiar dialogue comes directly from OUAT Season 1 Episode 1 and belongs solely to its creators. Sadly.

When you commit to a path

I guess you are on your own

Follow your dreams to a place

A space, the grace

That takes you home

Hermione placed the candles on the cake and then lit them with a wave of her fingers. Her ability to use wandless magic was definitely improving, a fact she was glad for since she had never been able to recover her wand from the Snatchers who took it. She knew that she should go buy another wand but that would mean reentering the Wizarding World, something she was not prepared to do. The whole reason she was currently living with her sister was so that she could get away from Wizarding Society and all the terribleness that went with it.

The front door unlocking caught Hermione's attention and she froze, a familiar panic settling over her. The sound of her sister slamming the door with a muttered curse caused her to relax and she raced over to the front entryway. "Welcome home!"

Emma jumped, her head snapping up. She immediately relaxed upon realizing who had greeted her and gave a tired smile. "Hey." Leaning against the wall next to the door, she pulled off her heels with a relieved sigh. As soon as she had straightened up, Hermione walked over and gave her a tight hug. Emma tensed for a moment before letting her muscles go lax, hugging Hermione back just as tightly. The two sisters just stood there for a moment, enjoying the fact that they were both back together and safe after a horrifying year.

Hermione pulled back first and noticed the stain on Emma's dress. "What happened?"

"Guy decided to throw a table in his attempt at a quick getaway," Emma scowled, glancing down at the wine on her pink dress and realizing that she was probably not going to be able to get it out now that it'd had time to set.

"I should be able to fix that," Hermione told her, knowing what her older sister was thinking. "But first," she grabbed Emma's hand, dragging her to the kitchen. "Happy birthday!" she told her softly, squeezing her hand. "I would sing for you but I remember how much you hate the song."

She heard Emma swallow and felt her squeeze her hand back just as tightly. "Thanks."

Hermione didn't comment, just grabbed a gift bag she had left on one of the stools and presented it to Emma. "Figured you would appreciate this gift best of all."

Emma quirked an eyebrow and took the bag hesitantly. Once she opened it and saw what was inside, she laughed. "This is perfect," she told her, pulling out the large bottle of Firewhiskey. "Just what I need after my day."

"Glad you like it." Hermione pushed Emma toward one of the chairs and then bustled around the kitchen, pulling out two plates, forks, and a knife to cut the cake with. "So, besides the table-turning incident, how did it go tonight?"

Emma sighed, popping open the bottle and pouring some into a nearby glass. "Not as bad as it could have been I suppose."

Hermione could tell that something about the man she had nabbed was upsetting her but didn't pry. "At least you didn't have to tackle this one."

Emma gave a short laugh. "Yeah, at least that wasn't necessary."

Hermione sat down in the seat next to her sister. "Are you ready to make a wish?"

Emma looked over at Hermione and took in the sight of her curly-haired baby sister. She may have gotten older, and their lives may have taken them in separate directions, but Emma still saw her as the little girl begging Emma to read her a story. "I've got you," she stated simply. "That's all I need."

Hermione's eyes welled with tears and she scooted her chair closer to her older sister and leaned her head against her shoulder. "I missed you so much while I was gone. There were so many times I wished I could talk to you because I had no idea what I was doing."

Emma wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly. "You survived," she told her softly but firmly. "You're here, you're alive, and you don't have to run anymore. Like I told you earlier, you can stick with me for as long as you want."

Hermione nodded and then pulled away a moment later. "Right, think of something to wish for so that I can cut the cake."

Emma smiled at her abrupt change of subject. She thought for a moment and the one thing she had been trying not to think about for years popped into her head. Instead of instantly shutting down that train of thought, she gave herself a moment to truly think about one of her greatest regrets and then made her wish.

As soon as the flame went out, there was a knock at the door.

They looked at each other in surprise. "Were you expecting anyone?" Hermione asked.

Emma shook her head. "Pretty late for random visitors," she commented.

They both got up and headed to the front door, Emma getting there first and pulling the door open to reveal a small boy with messy brown hair. "Can I help you?" she asked, obviously confused.

"Are you Emma Swan?" he asked.

"Yeah. Who are you?"

"My name is Henry," he told her, and Hermione could see his hands clenching into fists in his pocket. "I'm your son."

Emma froze and Hermione immediately took charge, walking closer to the door and gently nudging Emma to the side. "Hello," she said softly, hoping that if she remained calm then Emma would as well. "My name is Hermione. Would you like to come in?"

Henry stared at her for a moment and then gave a small smile. "Sure."

"Wait a minute," Emma protested, as Henry ducked past them and hurried down the hallway, seemingly afraid of being shut outside in the hallway despite the invitation to come in. "I don't have a son! Where are your parents?" she hurried down the hallway after Hermione and Henry.

Henry stopped in the kitchen and stared at the cake on the table. "Can I have a piece of cake?" he asked Hermione.

He had such an innocent, trusting gaze and Hermione felt like she had been kicked in the stomach. It had been a long time since she had been around anyone who was still as untainted by the horrors of life as this boy seemingly was. "Of course. You like chocolate, I presume?"

"Who doesn't?" he asked, climbing onto a stool and grinning happily at her as she cut him a large piece of cake and set a plate and fork in front of him.

"Hey, kid!" Emma cried, her panic rising. "Your parents?"

Henry swallowed a mouthful of cake. "Ten years ago. Did you give up a baby for adoption?" He paused to let her respond but Emma just stared at him, stunned. "That was me."

It was silent for a moment and then Emma seemed to unfreeze. "Give me a minute," was all she said before she raced into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Hermione sighed. "Well," she said as she turned back to Henry. "You've given her quite a shock, haven't you?"

Henry just grinned at her, his lips covered in frosting. "Can I have some juice?"

Hermione grabbed a glass and walked over to the fridge with a small smile on her face. There was no doubt in her mind that this was Emma's child based off of his sheer nerve alone. She poured him some orange juice and set the glass in front of him. "I must say, I am impressed at your having been able to locate Emma at such a young age. Emma always has been rather good at finding people though. How did you manage it?"

"I found a website that helps kids put up for adoption find their real parents," he told her and she could tell he was trying to sound more confident than he was actually feeling.

"Hmm," Hermione responded, slightly curious as to how such a website would work. Her years spent in the wizarding world had hampered her ability to keep up with the latest technological and internet-based breakthroughs.

"How do you know Emma?" Henry asked, finishing off his last bite of cake.

Before she could answer him, Emma came walking back out of the bathroom. Henry straightened up at the sight of her and hopped off his stool. "You know," he told her, wiping off any traces of food on his mouth with his coat sleeve. "We should probably get going."

"Going where?" Emma asked, crossing her arms over her chest and trying to adopt a harsh look.

"I want you to come home with me," Henry stated with a smile.

Emma's jaw dropped open. "Okay, kid. I'm calling the cops." She started towards the phone.

Before Hermione could stop her, Henry said, "Then I'll tell them you kidnapped me."

"And they'll believe you because I'm your birth mother," Emma sighed and Hermione knew that her sister was thinking the same thing she was: that was exactly what Emma would have said had she been in Henry's place.

"Yep."

"You're not going to do that," Emma stated, gaining her confidence back.

"Try me," Henry told her, and if Hermione hadn't been able to tell from Emma's face that he was lying, she would have believed him. It amazed her how similar their attitudes were and she enjoyed watching mother and son try to outwit one another.

"You're pretty good," Emma started, voice filled with confidence and a sure look on her face. "But here's the thing- there's not a lot I'm all that great at but I do have one skill- let's call it a superpower." Hermione was amused that Emma's gift was still known as her superpower, a term that had been decided on when Hermione had been younger and her father had let her watch Superman with him. "I can tell when anyone is lying and you, kid, are." She started to dial the police on the phone.

Henry's face crumbled and Hermione felt her heart almost break. She had seen that look before only then it had been on Emma's face and Hermione couldn't help that she desperately wanted to do whatever it took to take his sadness away. She stepped forward to stand behind her newly-returned nephew, her toes automatically digging into the shag rug. "Wait," he pleaded, before Hermione could interject. "Please don't call the cops. Please, come home with me."

Emma paused. "Where's home?"

Henry looked slightly hopeful. "Storybrooke, Maine."

"Storybrooke? Seriously?" Emma looked almost disgusted.

Henry nodded. "Mmhmm."

Emma looked over at Hermione, who gave her a stubborn look and nodded firmly. "Alrighty, then," Emma sighed. "Let's get you back to Storybrooke."

Henry gave her a large grin and Hermione was equally pleased. She had always been sad to have never been able to meet her nephew, though she understood why Emma felt that she had to give him up, and the idea of being able to spend time with him now was too good to pass up on. Hermione only hoped that this wouldn't end up hurting Emma any more than she'd already been.

You don't have to tell me once or twice

Wonder why we're here

We just gotta stop the flood

Before we lose it all

And drown from fear

They were all piled into Emma's vintage yellow Volkswagen Bug, Emma and Henry in the front seats and Hermione small frame shoved into the back. Emma had tried to insist on Hermione sitting in the front with her but Hermione stated she would rather take the backseat so that she could stretch out her legs; she was uncomfortable leaving her back vulnerable, even if just to a ten-year-old boy.

The inside of the car was silent for a while before Henry said, "I'm hungry. Do you wanna stop somewhere?"

Emma shot that idea down immediately. "This is not a road trip. We're not stopping for snacks."

Before Henry could reply, Hermione spoke up. "I have snacks." Emma turned in her seat to give her an incredulous look and Hermione shrugged. "I've found it's always good to carry some food around with you in case of emergency. And watch the road!"

Henry turned to face her and she dug around in her bag, pulling out a box of Teddy Grahams. His face lit up and he exclaimed, "Those are my favorites!"

Hermione smiled back at him. "Ours as well. We used to have this for a snack almost every day." She handed the box to him and he quickly opened it, pulling out a handful of bears and shoving them into his mouth.

"You never did say how you knew Emma," he reminded her after he had eaten another handful and Emma had gone back to driving in silence. He sat sideways in his seat, his back against the door, so as to be able to look at her while they spoke.

"We're sisters," she informed him.

His face paled and she watched him clutch a large book to his chest. "What?" he whispered. "That's impossible." His voice was getting louder and he turned to face Emma. "You can't be sisters. You're an only child!"

Emma gave him a sharp look. "How would you know that?"

Henry floundered for an answer and Hermione decided to intervene, although she too was very curious as to how Henry could have known that. "Emma didn't join our family until she was eight. Our mum always says that the oldest child always takes the longest to come and meet the family, though Emma took that fact to a whole new level." She grinned at the back of Emma's head and saw Emma glance back at her in the rearview mirror with a small smirk. It had always amused them both when their mother would answer about Emma's adoption. She'd always had a different answer for every person who asked.

"Oh," Henry said, letting out a rush of air. "So, you're not blood related; she's adopted."

Hermione shrugged. "I suppose that's the legal way of looking at it but when it comes down to it she's my sister, blood or not."

Henry nodded and then looked down at his book. "What's that?" Emma asked, wanting to change the subject.

Henry glanced up at her and then looked back down at his book. "I'm not sure you're ready."

Emma gave him a look that was part incredulous and part amused. "I'm not ready for some fairytales?"

"They're not fairytales," Henry told her, a grave look on his face. "They're true. Every story in this book actually happened."

"Of course they did," Emma muttered.

"Use your superpower," Henry challenged. "See if I'm lying."

Emma studied him for a moment and then quickly looked back at the road. "Just because you believe something doesn't make it true."

Hermione stiffened in her seat. Emma's superpower was never wrong and if it said that Henry was telling the truth then…

"That's exactly what makes it true," Henry retorted, pulling Hermione's attention back to the conversation. "You should know more than anyone."

"Why's that?" Emma asked.

"Because you're in this book." Hermione's eyes widened and she leaned forward, staring intently at the book.

"Oh, kid," Emma sighed. "You've got problems."

"Yep. And you're gonna fix'em," he told her.

They were both so focused on one another that neither one of them noticed Hermione grow pale or the brief flash of panic that crossed her face. Hermione stared at the book and felt the magic that was imbedded in it, magic that seemed to be growing stronger the longer it was near them. It was obvious to Hermione that some outside force was at work here, Henry's strange appearance with a magical book in tow providing evidence that something bigger was going on, though what it had to do with her sister she was unsure.

Hermione hoped it had nothing to do with fairytales. She'd had enough of those to last her a lifetime.

But let me tell you

I'm ready to fly

I survived through rainstorms, sandstorms

I fought the war

Now it's time to go home

The closer they got to Storybrooke, the more worried Hermione became. A sense of fear was slowly creeping over her and she couldn't help feeling as though something awful would happen if they didn't turn back now. If she had been the one driving, Hermione knew she would have already turned the car round and headed back.

It wasn't until they actually crossed the town line that Hermione felt herself relax and she instantly realized what had happened: someone had placed a barrier over Storybrooke to keep any unwelcomed visitors out. It was similar to the wards around Hogwarts, except those just caused non-magical people to become distracted and wander away from the projected ruins before forgetting about the castle entirely. These wards were much more insidious, causing any intruders, no matter their intent, to fear for their lives should they take another step closer. Hermione hadn't been expecting for such wards to be placed around a seemingly non-magical community in Maine.

After finally reaching the center of town and acquiring Henry's address from a man who Henry claimed was Jiminy Cricket, they pulled up in front of a large white house.

"Great," groaned Emma, spotting a police car a little way down the street from them. She got out of the Bug and then pulled her seat forward so that Hermione could climb out, automatically reaching out a hand to steady her when she stumbled.

Henry exited the car soon after and followed them up the walkway. "Please don't take me back there," he begged.

"I have to," Emma told him. "I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you."

"I don't have parents. Just a mom and she's evil."

They stopped and turned to face Henry. "Evil?" asked Hermione, keeping her voice low. "Don't you think you're being a little harsh?"

"She is," Henry insisted. "She doesn't love me. She only pretends to." The sadness in his voice seemed to affect Emma just as much as it did Hermione.

Emma crouched down to Henry's level. "Kid… I'm sure that's not true."

Before Henry could respond, the door flew open a woman with dark hair in a light grey dress raced towards them. "Henry!" she cried, throwing her arms around him. "Henry. Are you okay? Where have you been?" She seemed to finally notice Emma and Hermione standing next to Henry and she straightened up. "What happened?" she asked, her voice noticeably cooler.

Henry glared at her. "I found my real mom."

He pushed past her and ran into the house, passing a man Hermione assumed to be an officer due to his uniform, and out of sight. Regina stared at Emma in what seemed to be a mixture of shock and horror. "Y-you're Henry's birth mother?"

"Hi," Emma said awkwardly, attempting a smile.

An awkward silence fell over the group, no one sure what to say, until the man lurking near the front door spoke in an Irish brogue. "I'll just go check on the lad. Make sure he's alright." He hurriedly disappeared into the house and Hermione envied his easy escape.

Hermione studied the Mayor as she took a deep breath and forced a smile onto her face. "How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?"

"Got anything stronger?" Emma asked, not even pretending to be joking. Hermione could see the fatigue on her sister's face and posture and looped her arm through hers, a silent reminder that she didn't have to deal with this alone.

"Of course," the Mayor said, studying them. "I'm sorry but I didn't catch your names…"

"I'm Emma Swan and this is my sister, Hermione." Hermione nodded at the Mayor but kept quiet.

"I'm Regina Mills. Please, come in." She led them up the stairs and through the entry into what Hermione assumed to be the dining room.

As Regina was about to go get the offered drinks Hermione asked, "Excuse me, but is there a restroom I could use?"

Regina's eyebrows furrowed, obviously surprised by her accent. "Of course. There's one at the end of the hall to your left or you may use the one at the top of the stairs."

Hermione nodded in thanks and exited the room as quickly as possible, leaving Emma lurking in the doorway. She climbed the stairs and entered the bathroom, studying it with a critical eye. Both of her parents were dentists, and obsessively clean to boot, but even their bathrooms didn't look as neat as this one did.

Once she used the facilities and washed her hands, she quietly opened the door and crept out, tiptoeing down the hall. After pausing for a moment to make sure Emma and Regina were still talking, she followed the sound of the voices until she reached an open door. Peering inside, she saw Henry lying on a bed, back turned to the door and the officer from before sitting on the edge of the bed near his feet.

"You shouldn't worry your mum like that," he was telling Henry.

"She's not my mom," came Henry's muffled reply.

The man looked up and spotted Hermione lurking in the doorway and he stood up. "Can I help you?" he asked, face guarded.

"I just wanted to say goodbye to Henry," she told him, and Henry immediately rolled over and sat up upon hearing her voice. He just looked at her, not saying a word as she walked into the room and sat next to him. "You alright?" she asked softly, trying to ignore the man's gaze on her.

Henry shrugged and then gave her a sad look. "You guys are leaving, aren't you?"

Hermione sighed and then looked up at the officer still hovering over them. "Would you mind giving us a moment to speak in private?"

He hesitated, obviously not comfortable leaving Henry with a stranger. "It's fine, Sheriff, she's my aunt," Henry told him. The Sheriff frowned but nodded and left the room, after very pointed telling Henry he'd be right out in the hallway if he was needed.

Hermione looked at Henry with raised eyebrows. "Sheriff? Seems like your disappearance caused quite the commotion. Didn't you even leave a note?"

Henry sighed. "I didn't think anybody would notice. Not like the Evil Queen cares about me. I guess it would have looked bad if she didn't tell anyone I had left. I'll have to remember that for next time."

"Next time? Already planning on escaping again?" she asked, filing away the knowledge that his adopted mother was apparently the Evil Queen that he'd claimed cursed everyone. He didn't answer and Hermione sighed. "Listen, the more you try to run the tighter she'll try to keep ahold of you and the more attention you'll call to yourself. If she is hiding something, then bringing any more attention on yourself is the last thing you want."

Henry sat up and shifted closer to her, eyes wide and full of hope. "You believe me?!"

Hermione kept an even look on her face. "Let's just say that I have an open mind."

Henry was almost bouncing on the bed in excitement. "That's all you need and you'll see! You'll see I'm right! This town really is cursed and Emma's the only one who can break it!"

She stared at him and prayed he was wrong. "Before I make any decisions, I need to have all the facts. Would you mind if I borrowed your book?"

A guilty look crossed his face before he quickly looked away. Hermione studied him for a moment. "You left it in the car, didn't you?"

Henry looked at her in amazement. "How'd you figure it out so fast?"

Hermione smiled at him. "It's a gift." She stood up. "I better get back downstairs before my absence is noticed."

Henry stood up too, obviously reluctant to see her go. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

"We'll see," Hermione told him, unsure whether or not she would be able to convince Emma to stay. At Henry's downcast expression, Hermione knelt down so she was eye level. "Hey," she said gently, moving her head so that she could meet his eyes. "You're not getting rid of me that easily. I've wanted to meet you since Emma first told us what happened. You're family, and that means that you're stuck with me for life. Alright?"

Henry smiled at her and then threw his arms around her neck. Hermione almost fell over in shock before she hesitantly hugged him back. It was obvious to her that this boy was starved for affection and she wasn't too surprised; the mayor didn't seem to the hugging type despite her reaction when they first got here.

He pulled back a moment later and gave her a large smile. "I'll see you later."

Hermione straightened up and grinned back at him. "Count on it," she told him, ruffling his hair as she left the room.

The Sheriff was standing a few feet down the hallway, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. They snapped open at the sound of her footsteps and he straightened. "Everything alright?"

Hermione nodded. "He's just tired."

The Sheriff sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "He had us all running scared."

Hermione shrugged. "He's a ten year old boy, it's what they do."

He studied her for a moment before giving her a small smile. "I'm Sheriff Graham Humbert by the way."

Hermione smiled back and then shook his proffered hand. "I'm Hermione, Emma's sister. It's nice to meet you."

They started walking back down the hall towards the stairs. "You're a long way from home," Graham commented.

Hermione was amused. "The same could be said about you."

Graham flushed slightly and then shrugged. They reached the stairs and as they were walking down Graham said, "Madam Mayor, you can relax. Other than being a tired little boy, Henry's fine."

Regina and Emma were standing in the hallway. "Thank you, Sheriff." He nodded and then left without another word.

Hermione sensed that, while Regina was willing to act the part of gracious hostess, she would much rather be seeing the back of them. Hermione was more than happy to oblige her in this instance and, before she could start a conversation that could potentially lead Emma to saying something that she shouldn't, Hermione interrupted. "Well, it's getting rather late. We really should be heading out."

Emma gave her a curious look but didn't say anything. She handed her glass back to Regina and they walked to the front door. "What was that all about?" Emma asked as they walked down the path to the car.

Hermione shrugged. "She seems to enjoy having control over every aspect of her life and I thought it would be better if we left before you said something you shouldn't."

Emma frowned at her as she opened the driver's side door. "What do you mean by that?"

Hermione opened her door and got in, quickly sliding Henry's book off the seat and onto the floor before Emma noticed it. "Just that she might have been upset at something that Henry told us and I don't want him to get into any trouble."

"She's not that bad," Emma argued, putting the car into drive and heading to the main road that would lead them out of town.

"Because of how she treated you?" Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow. "If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."

"Who said that?" asked Emma, momentarily distracted.

"Doesn't matter." Memories of an empty arch and Remus' voice whispering Sirius didn't make it flashed across her eyes before she locked them away. "We should probably stop somewhere and ask if there's a hotel we can stay at," Hermione told her, switching subjects abruptly.

Emma gave her a surprised look. "Why? It's not that late; I'll be fine driving us back to Boston."

"I don't want to go back to Boston," Hermione told her calmly. "I want to stay here so that we can see whether or not Henry is right about his town."

Emma pulled over to the side of the road and parked the car before turning fully in her seat so that she could face Hermione. "What do you mean, 'see whether or not Henry is right'? Of course he's not right! Fairytales aren't real, and there's no way this town is under a curse. The kid just has a wild imagination."

Hermione gave Emma a disappointed look. "There was once a time you would have said the same thing about magic. And all fairytales have a grain of truth to them; it's possible that Henry's right. Unlikely, I'll admit, but possible."

"But fairytales have been around for centuries," Emma argued. "If these people are all fairytale characters then they should be dead."

Hermione bit her lip, deep in thought. "Not necessarily. When I first got to Hogwarts, I was curious about whether non-magical fairytales had any roots in the magical world. I found a book that speculated that people like the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson were actually seers, that the stories they told were actually visions. That's why their stories are still read till this day; the stories are infused with a bit of their authors magic because of the visions showing them their tales. It's possible that what those men were seeing weren't actually people and stories from our world but from another one; the one these fairytale characters had come from."

"I thought you said it was unlikely that Henry was right," Emma said, trying to keep calm. "Sounds to me like now you're just trying to talk yourself into believing the kid."

Hermione grabbed her sisters hand, trying to impart the seriousness of their situation. "Emma, regardless of whether or not Henry's curse is real, this town is saturated with magic and there is a barrier keeping the citizens who live here trapped within its limits. It also seems to be shielded from the outside world; I don't think we would have been able to find this place without Henry directing us. I'm not sure why the wards didn't affect you but I could feel the effects of them. You can't even sense the magic here unless you are within the town limits."

Emma swallowed and looked down, her hair falling over to shoulders to shield her face from view. Hermione sat patiently, waiting for her to gather her thoughts and decide how she wanted to proceed. "If we left," Emma started without looking up. "Would we be able to come back later?"

Hermione thought about it, pushing her magic out to the barrier surrounding the town and trying to figure out the different facets of its ability. "I don't know. The barrier is there both to hide the town and trap the people here. Since we've already crossed through, we have been touched by the magic infusing the barrier."

"So, we're trapped here?" Emma sounded like she was on the verge of panicking.

"No," Hermione hastened to reassure her. "Because we weren't placed under whatever spell was cast, we aren't contained within the barrier. But, since we passed through the barrier, there should be a certain amount of residual magic covering us and we should be able to pass through again without having to be accompanied by someone who lives here."

Emma nodded and they sat in silence for a moment before she said, "Alright, here's what we're going to do. We're going to head back to Boston, pick up enough things to last for a week or so while we're here, and come back tomorrow. We'll get a room, you'll do your magic thing and figure out what's going on here, and then we'll get the hell out of dodge. Agreed?"

Hermione nodded at her, deciding it would be best if she didn't mention that she was positive that it would take much longer than a week to get things sorted out, and Emma shifted the car back into drive and pulled out onto the road leading out of town.

"Besides," Hermione spoke, trying to lighten the mood. "We will have to return this as soon as possible." She pulled Henry's storybook off the floor and onto her lap.

Emma shook her head with a look of both exasperation and a touch of wistfulness. "Sneaky bastard," she commented.

Hermione smiled and then looked back up at the road. "Watch out!" she screamed.

Emma's head snapped up and she started at the sight of a grey and white wolf standing in the middle of road. She pulled on the wheel and the car skidded off to the side of the road, hitting the sign welcoming all to Storybrooke. The force of the crash caused both girls to hit their heads and Hermione's door to swing open. The last thing she felt before unconsciousness overtook her was the feel of the rain soaking into her clothes and streaming down her face.

Let me tell you

I'm ready to fly

I survived through rainstorms, sandstorms

I fought the war

Now it's time to go home

It's time to go home

It's time to go home

Please leave a review on your way out!