DISCLAIMER: I do not own Once Upon a Time.

Chapter 1: Storybrooke

Emma looked into her rear view mirror at her sleeping daughter. Emma had been driving all night. She was leaving Boston with her 4 year old daughter, Charlotte. Emma had been in a relationship since Charlotte was six months old. Killian was the sweetest man she ever met, for the first year. Then she made him angry. She lived through it for three and a half years but 2 days ago was the final straw. He threatened Charlotte. Emma needed to protect her daughter.

Emma packed their bags and left for a small town in Maine. Storybrooke. Emma read the town limits sign as she passed it. She let out a sigh of relief. Killian would never find them here. She's safe. They're safe.

Emma pulled up to the local bed and breakfast. It wasn't too late. Only nine o'clock. Emma got out of the drivers seat and pulled it forward to reach her baby girl. Emma drove a yellow VW bug that had to be over a decade old. It wasn't very big but it was perfect for her and Charlotte and that's all that mattered.

Emma carried Charlotte inside the bed and breakfast and saw an older looking woman standing behind a counter. Emma cleared her throat to get the womans attention.

"What can I do for ya?" She asked roughly but with kind eyes.

Emma cleared her throat and approached the counter, "I need a room, please?"

"Alright. Do you want a room with two twin size beds or one queen size bed?

"Uhh. Just a queen size bed. The two of can fit in one bed comfortably."

Hearing her mother speak Charlotte started to wake up. She rubbed her eyes with her tiny fist and whimpered because she wasn't ready to wake up. Emma looked towards Charlotte after hearing her whimper.

"Hello sweet girl. Did you have a nice nap?" Emma cooed in the little girls ear while rubbing her wild head of blonde curls.

"Mama what we doin'?"

"We're checking into this bed and breakfast right now sweetie. Remember when I told you we were leaving Boston to come to a nice town. Well we're here."

Charlotte nodded her head in the crook of her mothers neck and slowly fell back to sleep. Emma looked back up at the older woman and smiled a shy smile.

"Can we have that room now?"

"Of course, do you need any help getting your luggage out of your car?"

"If you don't mind that would be really helpful. I would get it myself but Charlotte won't like waking up not in my arms. Thank you, ma'am."

"I understand. I'll call down my granddaughter to help with those bags. Here's your room key. Room 5. It's upstairs, third door on the left. Oh and you can call me Granny, everyone does."

Granny turned around and walked into an office. Emma turned towards the stores and started making her way up. She found the room no problem. She left the door open for when Granny's granddaughter came up with their bags. Emma laid Charlotte in the bed. Charlotte groaned a little bit, rolled over, and curled into a ball. Emma was looked at her daughter when she heard a small tap on the door. She turned around to see a tall, lanky brunette standing in the doorway with their bags.

Emma hadn't brought a lot with them. She packed the necessities for herself and what she knew Charlotte would want so that was most of her stuff. But Emma herself knew how to pack light. She didn't grow up with much. Emma was found on the side of the road as a new born. She spent the first three years of her life with a lovely family until they got pregnant. After that she was bounced around from home to home. Emma didn't have much and she wasn't given much. She took what she could get and learned to travel with very few things. She never did get rid of that habit.

"Oh thank you for getting those for me. I appreciate it." She handed the girl a five dollar bill as a tip for getting the bags.

"It's no problem, ma'am. Clearly you had your hands full with that little one."

"Oh please don't call me ma'am. It makes me feel older than I am. I'm Emma, Emma Swan. And this is my daughter Charlotte." She put her hand out to shake hands with the brunette.

"Okay, Emma. I'm Ruby. I need to head back downstairs and see if Granny needs anything else before I head out. But it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope you enjoy your stay at the bed and breakfast. And welcome Storybrooke." She flashed a big toothy grin at the blonde and bounded down the stairs.

Emma closed the door after Ruby had left and turned back around to look at Charlotte. Emma grabbed the girls back and pulled out some pajamas. She changed Charlotte into a pair of pajamas and then took of her own pants and t shirt. She slept in her under and tank top.

"Mama." Emma heard a small whimper from behind her. She turned around to looked at Charlotte who was rubbing her eyes with one hand and making a grabbing motion with the other. Emma crawled into the bed with Charlotte and grabbed her little girl to cuddle with her. Charlotte rolled over and buried her face into her mothers neck. Emma was happy to have her baby girl in her arms and to feel safe. That's all she wanted; was to keep Charlotte safe. She would do anything for Charlotte. Charlotte always came first.

She thought about the change that happened the past 72 hours. She left her abusive boyfriend, left the city she spent most of her life in, and she found a place she could settle into. This was their new start. Just her and her little girl. That's all she needed. Storybrooke.