So this is my first shot at a OUAT fanfic with no magic or no curse or anything like that, no one's a Fairytale character or royalty. Mary and David are a happily married couple in their late 20s who have been trying to have a baby for a few years. They decide to foster to adopt and are placed with a 13-year old girl, Emma. She's been shuffled from home to home and as a teenager, she never expected to find a home. Mary and David have no intention of sending her back, but she's not used to having people who care. Just some warnings, there will be some potentially triggering subjects and flashbacks, such as sexual and physical abuse. Also, the title was inspired by the song "The Lost Get Found" by Britt Nicole.

Chapter One: Family

"I need you to keep an open mind," David said. He and his wife Mary sat across from each other in Granny's diner, enjoying a dinner of burgers and fries. The 28 year old blonde had met with the social worker that day, as the sheriff of a small town where nothing ever happened, his schedule was a tad more laxed than the school teacher's.

"What kind of open mind?" She questioned, sipping her tea.

"Well…she's not exactly a baby."

"That's okay. I knew with foster care we'd risk getting an older child. So how old is she? Five or six?" David shook his head. "Older? Younger?"

"Older. She's thirteen."

Mary bit her lip. "Oh."

"I know we didn't want to foster teenagers, but you didn't hear her story. She was put into the system when she was 5 years old. She's never had a real family. Here, look at her picture." He laid the file on the table. Paper clipped to the outside was a picture of a beautiful blonde girl, with green eyes. She wasn't smiling, but the background didn't look very pretty either.

Mary frowned. The girl looked so little, despite being so old. She looked so lost, like she was in need of a family. So, this girl wasn't a baby, but she had the potential to be her baby. "She looks so lost."

"I know, that's what I said. The social worker thought of us, because of our status in the town. She needs a firm yet gentle hand, and you know that's both of us."

"Okay, okay. So she's not what we pictured, but our lives so far haven't been." She smiled. "Let's do this."

"Are you sure?"

"I want to be a mom, I want her to be my daughter." Her smile faltered a bit. "How sure are they that she's adoptable?"

"Her biological mother died of a drug overdose shortly after she became a ward of the state and her father had his rights stripped."

"Why? They don't just do that lightly."

David bit his lip. "He molested her."

Mary turned pale and her fists clenched. "He what?!"

"He wasn't the only one. Her parents were pretty heavy drug dealers and some of the men would molest her. There were even…pictures taken. It's how they were caught."

Mary shook her head, guilt filling her for being so against taking the little girl in to begin with. She needed a family, a real family. "That man should be killed," she muttered.

"He's locked up in prison."

"Not good enough. So, how long do we have?"

"She's currently at a group home in Boston, her social worker will drive her over tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? That doesn't give me much time to get a room together."

"Well, maybe we should wait until she comes. She can help you decorate it."

Mary smiled a bit. "I'm glad she's a girl. I always wanted a little girl to go shopping with."

Emma walked into the group home, to find her social worker standing there with the woman who ran it.

"What's going on? I didn't do anything…" She wondered if they found out about her sneaking out the night before to go see that concert.

Helen, her social worker, gave her a small smile. "You're not in trouble, Emma. Actually, quite the opposite. We've found a family for you."

"A family?" The young girl laughed. "I'm thirteen."

"There's a family in Storybrooke, Maine…"

"Storybrooke? Sounds a bit unrealistic."

"It's a quaint small town, the couple is very excited for your arrival."

By now Emma knew better than to trust her social worker. Her last five foster homes were supposedly very excited for her arrival, when in all reality, they were just excited for the check. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning. So go pack your things and get some rest."

"Okay…"

She headed upstairs to the room that she shared with three other girls. She found the suitcase she had brought with her and packed her two other outfits and then picked up her baby blanket. It was the one good memory from her childhood and she brought it with her everywhere. She slid it in and shut it quickly, before the other girls would see. Just then, her roommates walked on in.

"What's with the suitcase, Ella?" Denise, the oldest at all of fifteen, taunted.

"It's Emma and I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Finally running away?"

"No, they found me a family." The words sounded weird in her mouth. She didn't believe these people really wanted her anyway, but she wasn't about to admit that to Denise.

The brunette laughed. "Yeah, right. You're too old to be adopted. Not to mention too ugly." She shoved the little blonde.

"Leave me alone!"

"Make me."

Emma shoved her back, causing her to fall against her bunkbed. She turned back around to climb under the covers when she felt her hair being grabbed. She was forced to the floor and received a swift kick to the face.

The following morning, Mary rearranged the pillows on the couch. She was nervous, very, very nervous.

"What if she doesn't like me?" She asked David. Both had taken the day off work to help get Emma situated and it was the start of a long weekend, which meant at least Mary would be home every day.

"She'd be crazy not to like you. Just remember she's been through a lot. She may not be all ready to call us Mom and Dad."

"I'm fine with that." She looked out the window and watched a station wagon pull up. "That should be Helen."

David slipped a hand through his wife and walked out onto their porch. Helen stepped out and a moment later, the door to the passenger side opened.

Out stepped a very petite teenager, with blonde curls that fell past her shoulders. She was wearing beat up jeans and a brown and white striped t-shirt. She also had a black eye. Mary gasped and before she could hide her shock, the teen saw her face and frowned. Helen lead her up the steps.

"Emma Swan, this is David and Mary Margaret Nolan. David, Mary, this is Emma."

David smiled. "Hi there, Emma, welcome."

"Hi," she muttered. She looked over at the brunette.

"Hi Emma!" Mary said, trying to stay enthusiastic. She was happy to see the girl, she was just concerned about her face. "Why don't you come inside?" The blonde said nothing, but followed her new foster parents into the house.

She looked around, it was by far the nicest home she had ever been in. It wasn't a palace or anything but it was beautifully decorated. Pictures of Mary and David were strung on the walls, including a gorgeous wedding photo. Emma walked over and stared at it. Mary was in a floor length white gown and was wearing a tiara, a freaking tiara. Emma thought she looked just like a princess. Beside her, David was beaming, looking quite dashing in his tux. He wasn't wearing a crown, but all the young girl could think is that they looked like they were ripped straight from some fairytale.

But she knew by now that life didn't have fairytales. There had to be something with these people. She already thought that Mary thought she was weird, no doubt to her black eye.

"Emma, are you hungry?" She turned around to see Mary standing there, a kind smile on her face.

"Uh, not really, no. The trip was long though and I'm tired. Could you please just show me to my room?"

"Of course," David lead her up the stairs. "That's mine and Mary's room, and this…" He opened the door directly across the hall. "Is your room."

It was a standard guest bedroom, white walls with a four poster bed in the middle with a brown bedspread. In the corner was a dresser, a desk and a T.V.

"Mary's going to take you shopping to make this place feel a little more like home."

Home. She had just arrived, this wasn't her home and even if it became it, she doubted it would last. Suddenly, she felt his hand on her shoulder and she bit her lip. Here we go, she thought. She hadn't been molested since her biological father and his friends, but she had foster fathers who were a bit too handsy. She immediately pulled away and then saw the worry in David's eye. He must have known about her past.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

She blushed, realizing he wasn't like the others. "It's…it's okay."

"I'll be downstairs with Helen and Mary, you come down when you're ready. Welcome home, Emma."

There was that word again, home.

"What happened to her face?"

Mary, David and Helen sat around the kitchen table, sipping some tea.

"She was in a group home, as you know. Whenever kids leave, whether it's to go back to their parents or if they get placed, some of the older kids get jealous. Emma told me that her foster sister kicked her in the face," Helen explained.

Mary sighed. "Oh that poor thing."

The social worker finished up her cup. "Emma is a good girl, she hardly gives her foster parents any trouble. I think she's just had bad luck thus far. People see her file and assume she's going to go around accusing them of doing the same thing."

"You're sure that no one can come and claim custody, right?" David asked.

"Like I said, she has no one. Her parents were both only children and their parents were long gone by the time Emma was placed."

"Okay, good."

"Has she received therapy, you know for all she's been through?" Mary asked.

"She saw a psychologist when she was younger but no, not anymore."

The school teacher thought of her friend Archie. She often recommended students going through a hard time to him. Perhaps she would phone and set up an appointment.

"Anyway, you will be receiving $495 a month…"

"We're not doing this for the money," David cut her off. "And we'd like to be able to adopt as soon as possible."

Helen smiled. "I understand, however, you need to take into account what Emma will want. She's never had a family like you."

Soon, the social worker was gone and Mary headed upstairs to Emma's room. She found the girl sitting on her bed, staring into space.

"Emma?" The blonde looked up. "Do you need help unpacking?"

"Oh, I already did."

"Already?" Mary cocked an eyebrow. "How long were we talking with Helen?" She walked over and pulled open one of the drawers. "Is this all you have?"

Emma nodded. "All they let me keep from my last foster home." She saw the shock on Mary's face. "It's fine, I don't mind doing laundry. Speaking of which, what chores do I have here?"

"Chores?"

"You know, at the group home I had to clean the kitchen, do dishes, laundry, vacuum…the woman who ran it didn't like to lift a finger."

Mary gave her a small smile. "Well, I think all we'll ask is that you pick up after yourself."

"Okay. Any rules I should know?"

"I guess we never thought about that…"

"Am I your first placement?"

The woman laughed. "That obvious, huh?"

"Normally they have the rules and chores ready to go."

"I'll have to talk to David, but honestly, I don't think we'll have too many."

"Sounds good."

"So, why don't we go shopping?"

"Shopping?" The blonde gave her a weird look.

"Yeah. We can buy stuff to spruce up the room, I haven't touched it since David and I moved in a few years ago. Plus, you could use a few new outfits."

Emma blushed. "I uh…"

"Not that your clothes aren't good, they're fine." That was a lie, they were torn and beat up. "But, I figured you'd want more than three."

"You haven't even gotten paid yet."

Mary walked over and placed a hand on Emma's cheek. Both girls were surprised when she didn't pull away. "We're not doing this for the money, sweetie. We want a family."

Emma wanted to believe her…but she had just met her. All she could do was force a smile. "I guess shopping would be okay."

"Great. I'll go tell David we're going!"

Please tell me what you think. I wanted to do a story like this for a while and went back and forth over which characters to use.