Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time.

A/N: All right… I've had so much trouble writing lately due to… cough cough, love, cough… (How horrible is that?) But this idea has been nagging at me and I need to get it down. I know I am in the middle of a TVD fic… I am not abandoning it, I promise. But I need the inspiration to write right now, and this is it.

Now I know, I know… Will I ever NOT use an OC? It is truly my weakness… I am sorry. But I think you'll like this one. Definitely not Mary-Sueish. She'll really add to the plot I'm going to use and I think you'll be really interested in her, because I can really see her fitting into the whole OUAT storyline.

FYI this will be AU. It will not be following anything from the show except for having Hook, Emma, Snow, Mulan, and Aurora all in Fairytale land. I love that place. And yes… I have fallen for Hook. So this, although will not be one-hundred percent centered on him, will most definitely be about him mainly and will be exploring his character a little more. I may use some sort of storyline for Storybrooke, too, I haven't decided yet.

I will definitely not have an A/N like this at the beginning of every chapter. This is just lettin' you know what's up.

Okay done, promise!

PROLOGUE

Emma shoved Captain Hook forward unceremoniously, earning a displeased grunt from the pirate before he gave her an irritating smirk.

"Careful, love," he said haughtily. "Save that spirit for later." He winked at her, to which he earned a harder push. Hook laughed.

Emma scowled at the prisoner as he walked ahead on the intended path, his hands bound—well, hand. "We couldn't just leave him to the ogres?"

Even Mulan's forever indifferent expression appeared annoyed. "We could always call them back."

"String him up in a tree," Emma supplied thoughtfully.

"Watch while they eat him," Mulan agreed. Aurora, who trailed behind Mulan, tried not to smile at the thought.

Snow White—(or Mary-Margaret? Emma wondered)—made a face at the two. "As much as I'd like to see that, we may need him."

"For what, exactly?" Emma prodded. "He's not exactly great company."

"I can be thrilling company," Hook said from the front, the innuendo drenching his tone. "I could show you if you'd like."

Emma had to physically restrain herself from throwing a rock at the back of his head. It would be childish, she told herself.

"He may know more of Cora's plans," Snow said. "If she expected him to spy on us, then she gave him something to look for. We need to stay a step ahead of her."

"Fine," Emma acquiesced. "Then where are we going?"

Snow pressed her lips into a tight line. It was strange to see Snow White and Mary-Margaret as the same person—although they looked the same and sometimes acted the same, that hard, dogged expression did not belong to Mary-Margaret the school teacher. "To get help."

Mulan looked at Snow sharply. "Help?"

"Yes," Snow said as indifferently as she could manage. "I have a… friend… we can go to."

Emma may not have known Snow White for very long, but she knew Mary-Margaret. She could hear the unease in her light tone.

"What kind of friend?" Emma fished warily.

"The kind that'll understand the problem we're in," Snow said cryptically.

Mulan drew to a stop. Ahead of them, where Hook was blindly picking his way through the worn path, he came to a stop as well, sensing the shift in the air. The dark haired pirate turned and glanced at the three women, an eyebrow quirked impatiently.

Mulan was gazing at Snow as if trying to read her mind. "Where are we going?"

Snow didn't meet her gaze. "To the Infinite Forest."

It grew very quiet. Not even the birds chirped.

"What?" Emma asked tactlessly, trying to gauge everyone's reactions. "What's the Infinite Forest?"

Mulan squared her jaw. "Not a place worth visiting."

Surprisingly, Aurora spoke up. "Is that not a place of banishment? A curse?"

"It's a forest just like any other," Snow said a little too sharply. She continued walking, glaring at Hook, prompting him to move forward again. The others followed slowly behind. Emma and Aurora exchanged puzzled looks while Mulan stormed after Snow.

"It's a wretched place," Mulan said vehemently. "Of monsters and spirits. What kind of friend would you find there?"

"The kind that has experience with dark magic," Snow said. "Which is the kind of help we need."

"Dark magic?" Mulan sounded almost accusing. "You aren't serious."

"I am," Snow challenged, canting her head at the warrior. "There's nowhere else I can think of to go. She wouldn't abuse the magic—it's the reason why she's there in the first place. To avoid it. But she's the only option we have."

"And who exactly is 'she'?"

"Rosalie," Snow said carefully, holding her breath. "Rosalie Fox." She waited for their reactions. They came promptly, in a dizzying variety.

Hook clicked his tongue in interest, a strange light in his eyes as if there were gears turning in his head. Emma stared at Snow vacantly, waiting for an elaboration. Aurora's eyes were wide and fearful; her step faltered and her foot caught on a large root protruding from the ground. Mulan was very hard to look at—the warrior was seething, her dark eyes narrowed and judging, forcing Snow to come to a stop again.

"Rosalie Fox," Mulan repeated. "The kitsune."

"You say that as if it's a disease."

"It is," Mulan spat. "It is common knowledge that all kitsune are killers."

Snow gritted her teeth together. "And what about you? Have you never killed?"

Mulan looked away.

"You can't judge her," Snow said icily. "You don't even know her."

"Predators are predators, Snow. They cannot change what is in their nature."

"Then clearly you know nothing of nature."

The tension in the air was thick, gathering in Emma's lungs almost painfully. She glanced between the two strong-willed women. "Listen, if this kitsune," she tried out the word, "can get me back to my son, then I'm willing to give her a chance." She gave Mulan a firm look. "Whether you come with us or not."

Mulan looked very much like she wanted to say something, but bit back whatever it was. She clenched her fists together and nodded stiffly, giving Snow a long hard look before pushing Hook forward and continuing on.

Snow looked after them, lingering a moment with Emma.

"Are we gonna be okay?" Emma asked suddenly.

Snow looked at her. She offered a small, uneasy smile. "Yes," she said. "I promise."

Review if you're interested. I think this is a promising fic.