A/N: New Story!

BETA: Wazgood529

Enjoy it. This story will be in progress as others stories.

Prologue

There was a place like Boston, Massachusetts but it was a home to the little blonde girl who had her parents. It was the lovely Emma Swan who was three years old and she had a lot of energy to fulfill her spirits. It has been affecting her cherished parents, Elizabeth and Joseph Swan to have their daughter to be happy together. They've been through rough times. Elizabeth was an editor chief of Boston Newspapers for 12 years and Joseph was a firefighter in the Boston Fire Department for 10 years. Emma always smiled when she approached them in their family greeting when her parents came home together.

Emma was everywhere to put her smile into the people's hearts to be happy. She always cheered when she saw her parents' co-workers at work. Most of her parents' friends loved her since they first met her after Elizabeth gave birth. The blonde girl always stood out for herself to be part of something that most of the people didn't expect her to be.

In the blonde girl's life, she always wanted to be like her dad, a firefighter but dreamed of being a law enforcement officer. She gathered many things like a fake badge, stickers and things from her father's co-workers and filled her bedroom with the posters. Remember, she was still three years old who had a big dream being a law enforcement officer. She always looked up at her dad as her role model since she was mocked out by her dearest mother who was still complaining about Joseph's profession. But Emma didn't care and she still wanted to be like her dad.

Before becoming four years old, in her family's apartment, Emma was playing with police officer cars and fire truck on the floor. Joseph was sleeping on the couch and he supposed to watch his daughter but was exhausted after his night shift. Elizabeth was in the home office, working on her layout for the newspaper and focused on the details while she put the music to her ears. It was a peaceful sighting until the disaster started a few minutes later.

Joseph and Elizabeth were unaware that their pipes behind the stove leaked. It started to ignite into a small flame on the stove. Emma was humming to herself and looked up at her dad with a grin. She got up and walked toward the couch but something caught in her eye and she turned around to see the smoke on the stove. The blonde girl tilted her head and started to smell it. She remembered her dad taught her how to be like a firefighter.

The smoke started to become a fire. The pipes went into a pop sound. It startled Joseph awake and he became aware of the sound from the kitchen. Emma looked away at her dad and pointed to the stove as the fire got bigger. He furrowed his brows and followed her point of gaze until he bulged his eyes when he saw the fire on the stove.

Now, the flames started to spread on the counter and the wall. Joseph got up and took Emma away from the kitchen then shouted for his wife from the home office. Elizabeth didn't hear her husband from the living room because she was listening the music with her headphones in her ears. Her home office was right beside the kitchen. Emma started to whimper when Joseph screamed for Elizabeth's name and decided to take his daughter outside with his friends from the bar who was talking on the sidewalk.

Emma shouted for her dad while she was trapped in the redhead man's arm. Joseph ran back to the apartment for finding her wife but he found out that the fire was spreading everywhere in the kitchen. He covered his eyes with a long sleeve t-shirt and ran away to the home office then kicked the door open. It startled Elizabeth when she looked up at him. He looked away at the kitchen and spoke loudly.

"Liz, we have to go!"

"What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked when she got up and walked toward him. Joseph grabbed her hand and tugged away. She looked away at the kitchen in a fire and widened her eyes. He tugged her hard and she started to move but it was too late. The pipes burst in the air and it pushed Joseph and Elizabeth away to hit the walls. They went unconsciousness. The fire devoured rapidly to consume the furniture and everything. It touched Elizabeth's pants and gained the flames on the clothes until it devoured her. It was happening to Joseph also.

Outside, Emma was wiggling violently and shouted for her dad. She started crying. The redhead man held her for a short time and the brunette man who was speaking with the police to quickly save Emma's parents but they heard a big pop inside the apartment and the windows shattered loudly. Others covered their heads. The blonde girl cried when the redhead man covered her head with his arms. The fire went rapidly. The apartment went into flames.

The fire truck and police cars came quickly. The firefighters went to get their hoses ready and burst away with the flames. The police officer got out of his car and it was August Booth. He looked away at the redhead man and he knew him. It was Archie Hooper, Joseph's bar friend. August walked toward him and saw Emma in his arms. The blonde girl cried and looked away at him until she made grabby gesture. The police officer reached her and held her in his arms. Emma whimpered.

Archie looked away at his brunette friend, it was Will Scarlett. He was shaken up when he saw the fire. August looked away at them and asked them for a witness statement. The blonde girl cried and whimpered her dad's name. It put the men to clench their heart when they looked at her. The firefighters finally defeated the fire with water. The apartment was black ash and some in the ruins. The police officers waited until the ruins cooled down and they went to investigate for the bodies.

August went to the ambulance and checked Emma's body for injuries with the paramedics. The police officer waited with her and looked away at his partner in crime who was speaking with the firefighters until he narrowed his eyes at several police officers who were walking toward his partner. He watched the scene between the police officers' conversation until his partner in crime looked away at him and nodded.

The police officer got up after his partner in crime walked toward him and raised his eyebrows. It was Elliott Johnson, an African man. August flicked his wrist. Elliott looked away at the blonde girl who had her red puffy eyes and spoke lightly.

"Her parents are gone."

"What?"

"Joseph and Elizabeth are dead. Their bodies were burned after the flames caught them. I assumed that they were unconscious. I don't know the facts yet but I will get more information from the crime scene investigators soon. Get Emma out of here and take care of her until the child services worker picks her up."

"No. No. It can't be." August said.

"I'm sorry, I know that Joseph and Elizabeth were your best friends but they are gone. Just get Emma out of here and I think that you need to go home with her. Can you do that?" Elliott mumbled while leaning forward. Emma was staring at her ruined apartment and hiccupped. August held his tears and nodded then turned around to pick the blonde girl in his arms and left the crime scene.

Emma stared at the black apartment and whimpered. August rubbed the blonde girl's back and whispered to several firefighters who knew Emma well then decided to go home with her. Others went to look at the ruins and the witnesses whispered in the crowd except Archie and Will were crying after mourning Emma's parents and got the word from Elliott.

A few weeks later, Emma was standing between August and his wife, Lalaine and they were mourning Joseph and Elizabeth at the burial grounds. The blonde girl was dressed in a black dress and whimpered. She held hands with August and Lalaine. Until, the coffins were in the ground and others were leaving after shaking the hands with the blonde girl. The police officer looked away at her and squeezed her hand. She looked up at him and made a grabby gesture. He scooped her up in his arms and left the graveyard with his wife.

The police officers and firefighters were throwing the dirt on the coffins and left in peace. It left Emma to stare at her parents' tombstone while she was being taken away by August. Several minutes later, she cried and went silent. Lalaine asked her if she want to eat but Emma gave her the silent treatment. She didn't speak any word since the fire incident. August tried to take her to talk but failed at these attempts.

A few hours later, Emma was taken away by a child services worker to place her with a foster family. She was not speaking at all and didn't show her emotions in the foster families. She shut herself away from the world and went with her thoughts. The blonde girl was not herself like she used to be a high-spirited child. It consumed her away.

Since her childhood changed, Emma went to different places to be with her foster families until, she finally became sixteen years old. She didn't speak at all since she was three years old. Her foster families struggled to get her to the speech therapy and tried to get her to talk but gave up and decided to give her away to other foster families. But Emma was intelligent and had her best abilities to write and read. She loved reading books and used her creative writings since she was a little child. She scored the best grades in school but in home, she was cooped in her room until she was taken away again. After becoming sixteen years old, she was placed with The Nolans in Storybrooke, Maine.

Mary Margaret was a pixie cut woman who was an elementary teacher. David Nolan was a Sheriff. They had a son, Neal Nolan who was a high school student but a football jock. She lived with them for few months and always went to her room to read books. Neal always barged in the blonde girl's room and tugged her out of the room toward the living room. He wanted Emma to stay there but not in the bedroom. The Nolans were aware that Emma was a mute but wouldn't t push her to say anything. The brunette boy looked away at his foster sister and spoke lightly.

"Emma, do you want to eat something?"

The blonde girl looked up at him and stared at him until she went back to her reading. She didn't show her emotions or gestures at him at all. Neal just knew because he studied her well since she came to his house on her first day. He sighed and got up then walked away to the kitchen. Mary Margaret was there, reading the newspaper and heard her son's footsteps then spoke lightly.

"Is Emma getting anything to eat?"

"She didn't say a word or make any gestures." The brunette boy told her. The pixie cut woman sighed and put her newspapers on the counter then looked away at her son with a reply.

"Just give Emma some time. Don't push her too hard."

"I know but it's been five months since she got here." Neal looked away at his mom and responded back. Mary Margaret nodded with no reply. The brunette boy slumped his shoulders and spoke again.

"I just wanted her to speak and I wanted to hear her voice. Is it too hard to do that?"

"I don't know but me too." David appeared in the kitchen and replied right away after meeting Emma in the living room. Neal and Mary Margaret looked away at the blonde man with sad smiles. The blonde man kissed his wife's lips and waved his hand at Neal. The brunette boy sighed and walked away to the living room to join his foster sister. David looked away at his children and spoke lightly.

"It's been five months."

"Just give Emma some time. She's very bright."

"I know."

They were staring at the blonde girl who was still reading a book. Neal was watching television while propping his legs up on the table. Emma stared at the book and delved into a story then went with her imagination. Others sighed and decided to join them then watched television except Emma in the corner on the sofa.

A/N: Next Chapter: Storybrooke High School (Regina, Kathryn and Ruby will meet Emma for first time.)

Please review.