Hi, so here is another OUAT story! This is another plot bunny that got started and then spiralled out of control. This is a story about what would have happened if Emma had gotten adopted rather than bouncing around the foster system. This story also introduces an OC.

Also as I said in the summary there is no Outlaw Queen in this story rather a Regina/OC and this story goes to the end of Season 3 and then stops. All regular pairings are the same.

In terms of using an OC face-cast for a young Jack Reynold's I choice Jesse Lee Soffer and for an older Jack Reynold's I choose Mark Harman but at the start of NCIS not at Season 15. Of course you can choose your own face-casts if you don't like mine but there you go.

Also this is fiction and I am not American so any discrepancies with military or social services I apologise.

Also I will say this at the start of this story. Spelling and Grammar is not my strong point.

Disclaimer-Nothing is mine but Jack Reynolds

This story should be thirty-three chapters long and I will try and update as soon as I can but with uni starting soon and work I'm not sure.

Please Read and Review. All thoughts are welcome.

Who is He (And What Is He To You?)

In which Emma Swan doesn't bounce around the foster system and is instead adopted. When she moves to Storybrooke her father comes with her creating all sorts of ripples. AU. Loose Timeline. Seasons 1-3. Pairings—Snow/Charming, Emma/Killian, Rumple/Belle and Regina/OC. No Outlaw Queen.

Chapter 1-Today Will Be Different.

Five year old Emma meets her new foster father. Jack Reynolds meets his second chance and years later Henry Mills meets his biological mother.

Boston

Lucy Snowden had been a social worker now for nearly ten years. There had been over the course of those ten years many children. Some had happy lives with their families, some muddled through and managed to move on when they turned eighteen. Some were not in a good way.

The first rule that they had taught Lucy when she had been training for her position was that you do not get attached with any children that you are trying to re-home.

Problem is Emma Swan is not your average child. Emma Swan is—well Lucy doesn't know what she is just yet but she knows Emma Swan is something special. She's barely five years old and has shown a knack for things that most children don't have when there fifteen. Emma Swan has ran away twice in the last six months and has been in more fights and scrapes with people and foster families than either side is willing to admit.

To be honest this is a Hail Mary. Lucy tries to tell herself (and Emma) that this time will be different but she doesn't know that and honestly this application half frightens her half intrigues her. The couple are newly married and interested in adoption or at least the mother is-the father was an active duty Marine the last Lucy heard of him. But a Marine base might be a good home for Emma, might give her some stability at the very least. There were comments about retirement but hopefully Emma is settled down before that becomes a major problem and either way if this family is right then all things should go smoothly.

The child in question is currently staring out of the car window as the trees past them by. She didn't say anything not even as they entered the street and Lucy honestly doesn't know if that means Emma is tired or if she's scared. The child is too difficult to read sometimes and she tries to ask her questions and keep her engaged but the conversation keeps falling flat.

Eventually they get to the house. It's a small house, a little wooden thing with a garden that looked like it hadn't been tended in a while but otherwise was mostly clean. Lucy knocks on the door and for a second nothing happens.

And then it opens.

The man is nothing like she expects. Marines looking to adopt are generally older, nearing retirement or have desk jobs. They are not mid twenties and look older than she does. This one is tall with stubble and wide green eyes. His hair is shaved on the sides but growing back on the top and he's wearing an old faded Marine T-Shirt and a pair of jeans that are rather loose on his hipbones. His hands are covered in grease.

Both Lucy and Emma stare at him.

"Mr Reynold's?"

"Captain" comes the reply.

"Captain Reynolds" Lucy amends. "I'm Lucy Snowden from Social Services? We spoke on the phone, well your wife and I did. This…"she pointed to the small child next to her "Is Emma Swan"

Captain Reynolds gaze goes from her to Emma and back again and then his gaze widens as if the final piece of the puzzle comes together. Then something strange comes across his expression. It's like he's wondering if he's ready to go to war and then the expression is gone like it was never there.

"Oh ok" he says "Come in"

The house is clean…ish…there was a pause where the two of them stood there and Lucy took in the photo's on the fridge and the food that was on a plate as well as what looked like half an engine. She could see no guns lying around but she was willing to bet there were some here and that didn't sit well with her at all.

"Is your wife here?"

Captain Reynolds snorted. "No…err…she left me…" he said finally.

Emma next to her shifts and Lucy can feel her hackles rising. She could not believe she had, had to give this little girl hope for it all to come to nothing. Perhaps something in her face gives away her fury because Captain Reynold's smirks once as if he knows what she's thinking.

"I still want to keep her if that's ok" he said finally. "Look Izzy…it wasn't a good time but now…I'm good to do this on my own. They gave me a desk job and soon enough my honourable discharge should be through and then I might go to the city. But I don't plan to skip town or anything. Me and Izz we agreed to do this together, just because she ran away doesn't mean I am"

There was a pause where she stood there, where all three of them looked at each other and then a small voice pipes up.

"You sure you want me? I've been told I can be difficult"

Emma's words stagger a little mostly on account of the thumb in her mouth but it's enough for the change to come over the Captain. The look on his face was softer than what she's been seen before and suddenly Lucy realises that the defensive posture that he had adopted when he had seen her was his basic approach to people, clearly not to Emma.

He drops into a crouch and tips a finger under her chin so that the blue eyes are looking into him.

"Yeah I want to keep you. And don't worry. I'm an Officer. I'm used to dealing with difficult."

Emma watches him for a second and then she turned to the mess that was on the kitchen table.

"What's that?" she asks and Lucy who was thinking the same was rather glad she had asked.

"That" the Captain says without turning "Is half of my car. I'm cleaning the engine and putting it back together. I used to fix the cars in the Marine's in Afghanistan. I can do it here too. It helps me think when I'm…struggling"

Emma doesn't ask what he's struggling with and Lucy nods her approval. This is not a perfect solution but Emma is not clinging to her leg like the last time and he doesn't seem to put the fear of God into her like the others have done either. Of course this is strange to say the least but…stranger things have happened and if this man can give Emma Swan her happy ending then…

"There's some paperwork you have to fill out" She says "Now that it's you and not you and your wife Captain. But I suppose if Emma wants to stay then who I am to stop it. If I could just see where you keep any weapons before we start…"

Emma's silent for a second. "What do I call you?" she lips finally. "Captain?"

"Fu—I mean no" the Captain changes tack like a shot with a rueful grin in her direction. She shakes her head at him but she cannot contain her smile. He looks years younger when he smiles she realises and Emma picking up on his grin, grins back at him probably guessing that he was about to say a naughty word.

"My name is Jack" he says finally. "And you can call me Jack for as long as you want"

Lucy nods to herself. Perhaps today for Emma Swan this will be different. Perhaps today she can get her happy ending.

Boston

Twenty-three years later Emma Swan was staggering back to her apartment clutching a cake box and wondering why the hell she was in full heals at this time of night. Honestly? Why had she not just got a cab rather than walking? What was it about Ryan's comment that had gotten to her. She did have a family. Well…she had a father.

As soon as she opened the door she deposited the box. Her Dad was coming up to Boston as soon as he could get a flight. He had been travelling to Texas where his ex-wife had been staying before she had died. The ex who Emma had never known had never remarried and had instead left Jack to deal with everything something which he had railed against until he couldn't. He had loved the woman once she supposed.

Inside the box however was a chocolate cupcake with white frosting—the kind that made your teeth hurt because it was so sweet. Emma paused looking at it. This was her little treat today. The little ritual she did when she was trying not to think about her parents, her biological parents who had abandoned her at the side of the road as if she was trash.

Tomorrow or perhaps later on in the week her Dad would be here and they would celebrate her birthday for real, the two of them.

Emma knew she had not been the easiest foster child to raise or adopt. Jack had, dealt with her mood swings, her running off at eighteen and her choice to put her son up for adoption. He had also had to put up with her prison sentence something which she was still ashamed off and blamed Neal entirely for.

Jack had also blamed him too and therefore it was easier for the blame not to fall entirely at Emma's door. That was no excuse but still…it had been a huge relief to know that she could come out of the biggest mistake of her life and still have the only family she counted support and understanding and love.

"Aint no more a saint than you are Emma" was all he had said.

Emma in turn had learnt to deal with Jack. Jack had been a marine until an IED had forced him into a desk duty and then early retirement. Some aspects of life over there he had refused to talk about but when Emma had been having nightmares about her old foster homes Jack had been having nightmares about his time overseas and when she had been little he had come to her or she had come to him and Jack's main method of coping was to eat toast drenched in butter at midnight or near enough and then working on his car engine. Emma would sip her hot milk and watch him until she fell asleep occasionally asking questions. Suffice to say she knew by the age of nine how to completely fix a car on her own.

She had also dealt with the addition of Reggie who was Jack's dog. He was one of those dogs that sniffed out bombs and Jack had brought him home one day and still refused to tell her what the story behind hm was. Reggie however had warmed to Emma and though the dog was getting on in years Jack never went many places without him. Some secrets they both had. He had never asked what had gone down with Neal or about the truth behind those watches after all. Emma had supposed she owed him some secrets as well.

It had been easier to learn things with Jack. Jack would let her do her own thing on her birthday but it was always takeout when she got home and whatever movie she wanted weather that was something from Disney or something from the Saw series. He had never pushed her to call her Dad either. Sometimes she did it and other times he was just Jack. But he was all Emma had. And she loved him for it.

She lit the candle on top of her cupcake and wondered when he would call. He had called this morning to wish her a happy birthday but he generally called her at night especially when he was away. She might be a grown woman of twenty-eight but the concern was still there and as she admitted to herself on more than one occasion that was more than she had ever got from her biological parents.

The thought of them still curdled her stomach into anger.

She blew out her candle, made her wish and then was startled by a knock on her door.

She paused. If it was Jack and he was that good then she might have to redefine her belief in magic.

But it wasn't Jack. It was a little boy. And that was when Emma's life turned to shit.

Again.

Storybrooke-Maine

Well Regina Mills was a piece of work.

Emma had spent a long time walking around after her confrontation with Regina. Henry…her son…had wanted her to stay. Weather or not she bought this crap about curses and enchanted lands or Evil Queens the fact of the matter was that her son wanted her to stay.

But did she want to?

Jack would have said she'd made her choice when she gave him up. And it had been her choice at the time because he had promised her his support if she wanted to take Henry home with them. He had promised her and for ten years she had been ok with her decision even though there was just a good of a chance Henry had been in the system. He wasn't. He had a big house and friends and a place to play and food on the table which is more than what she had, had. And more to the point regardless of how Regina was with her, there was no alarm bells going off in her head. She was a bitch that much was true but Emma wasn't entirely sure how she would feel if her son went missing twice in two days and brought home his biological mother with him. Evil certainly was a strong word for a ten year old to use.

Perhaps she should leave again. She had a life in Boston, something that she had worked hard for. She had a job, a steady income and a father that she loved very much. She was independent. Henry was a complication if she was being honest with herself. A complications she had given away to Regina a long time ago. What good would staying do to him? What good would staying do to her? Even if it was a week wouldn't it be harder for him if she stayed? How was she supposed to cleanly break away without hurting him?

It didn't help that he looked a lot like his father.

She thought about ringing her own father but a long time with Jack had taught her to know instantly what he was going to say. He was a firm believer in once you made a decision that you stuck to it and more to the point he would probably come down here to tell her that to her face. The last thing a quiet town like Storybrooke ruled by a force like Regina Mills needed was Captain Jack Reynolds of the USMC.

Though she had to admit the thought of him going up against Regina did make her smile.

But the crux of the matter was that Henry wanted her to stay.

She found herself at Granny's diner before she could stop herself. The waitress pointed her in the direction of a back door to the inn where she booked a room.

"A week" she said. And she repeated it over in her head. "Just a week" That was what she was giving Henry she told herself sternly. Then she was remaking her clean break.

"Name" the old woman said beaming at her.

"Swan…Emma Swan" she said finally. She still went by that name most of the time. She had never been sure if she wanted to give it up for Reynold's and Jack understanding her better at thirteen than she had understood herself had never asked her.

"Emma" Came a voice behind her. It sent shivers down her spine in a way that made her pause and she turned to see an older man standing there with a look so hard to read she didn't even want to try it. The sheer power however that radiated off him when she saw him made her want to shrink back.

She was not surprised that Granny paid him saying he owned the town. Mr Gold had a way of owning the world and she had only known him a few seconds.

She dumped her jacket on the bed and looked around. She was just staying here a week she said to herself as she brought out her phone and pressed call to the number that was always right at the top.

"Hey kiddo" Jack said down the phone. "Happy birthday for the second time today. I should be back within a week and then I promise you we can do whatever you want"

"Err Dad"

There was a pause.

"Oh what did you do?" Jack said ruefully. Emma grinned the happy feeling inside of her that she was still not used to refusing to go down. She bit her lip and then began to talk and somewhere in the distance she could hear as could her son, as could Mr Gold, the clock tower chime for the first time in twenty-eight years.

And there it is. Please let me know what you thought and I will try and start this story probably next time.

Next Chapter-Emma adjusts to life in Storybrooke. Jack makes a decision. Regina consolidates her power. Meanwhile in a flashback Jack adjusts to being a father and Emma adjusts to having one.