A/N: New story guys, not sure where it's heading but I had this idea and couldn't stop writing. This chapter is pretty long but I hope you enjoy it. Meet Emma Swan and her daughter, Emma runs a successful coffee shop, has a great group of friends and loves her daughter very much. Even though her life is going great she feels like something is missing from her life. She makes a wish and gets more than she bargained for.

Chapter One

A flick of a coin, a splash of the water, and a wish was made. Emma didn't believe in wishes but here she was making one anyway. She passed by this wishing well every day on her way to and from work. Each time it was surrounded by adults and children all throwing in coins and making their wishes, each looking for their own little bit of hope. Emma decided today was finally her turn to make a wish and get a little hope of her own. She stood staring at all the coins sitting at the bottom of the well, she wondered how many of those wishes, if any came true. She put the rest of her change inside her pocket and headed out of the park. Emma crossed over the road, she stood on the pavement, looking in the direction of home. After losing her parents in a car accident on her 16th birthday, she bounced from Hostels and friends' couches until she moved in with her best friend and her Grandmother, it was nice to have a roof over her head they did everything to make her feel welcome but it still never really felt like home. She didn't think she would ever feel at home somewhere again. But from the moment she held Esme in her arms she quickly learnt that a home wasn't four walls it was two eyes and a heartbeat. She made the short walk along the pavement until she reached her front door. It was a bitter evening and of course she left her jacket at work. She pushed open the door and a rush of warm air hit her in the face. She kicked her shoes off, chucked her keys and change into the bowl and headed upstairs. Emma pulled her blonde hair from the tight bun and ran her fingers through it. She unhooked her bra, threw it into the washing basket and grabbed her hoody from the banister. She pulled the hoody over her head, crept across the landing and gently nudged the door open.

"Mummy, you're just in time."

"Just in time for what kid?" she asked.

Emma walked into her daughter's bedroom, she dodged the dozens of toys and stuffed animals that were sprawled on the floor. No matter how many times she made Esme clean her room, she could guarantee within a few hours it would look the same.

"Henry is reading me his book and he's at the best part."

"Esme, it's past your bedtime and Henry has to be getting home."

"Sorry Emma, that was my fault. I must be crazy, but I couldn't say no to those big, beautiful brown eyes."

Emma looked down at her daughter, Henry was right her eyes were big and brown and most certainly beautiful. Emma always felt biased telling people Esme was beautiful, but she really was. She had long wavy brown hair slightly darker than her eyes, the rosiest cheeks Emma had ever seen and the cutest little dimples. She didn't really resemble Emma apart from their matching dimples, Emma knew she likely got her looks from her father but because Emma used an anonymous sperm donor she would never know what Esme's father looked like.

"Don't worry Henry, those eyes get me every time" Emma joked.

Henry climbed off the bed, ruffled Esme's hair and placed his book on the bedside table.

"I promise we will finish the book next time I watch you."

"Pinky promise?"

Henry held out his little finger and Esme did the same. They intertwined their little fingers and shook them three times.

"Pinky promise" Henry replied.

"Thank you for watching her at such short notice, Rachel fell down the stairs and broke her arm, so she spent most of the day in the hospital" Emma explained.

She hated taking advantage of Henry, he was her employee, but she seen him more as family. He got on great with Esme and she really loved spending time with him.

"Aunty Rachel hurt her arm?" Esme asked.

"Yes, so tomorrow if Henry doesn't mind opening up and being in charge we will go and visit Aunty Rachel."

"That's not a problem Emma. Thank you for a lovely evening Esme, I will see you soon."

Esme smile at Henry and he headed out of the bedroom. Esme jumped out of bed, ran over to her colouring table, grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil.

"Esme Cora Swan get back into bed this instance" she ordered.

"But Mummy…"

"No buts, get over here."

Emma stood up, walked over to her daughter, picked her up and threw her over her shoulder. She carried Esme over to her bed, gently dropped her down and unleashed the tickle monster. She started tickling her stomach and under her arms.

"Mummy…stop it…please" Esme giggled.

"It's bedtime for you kid, colouring can wait."

"Mummy, I only wanted to make a get well soon card for Aunty Rachel" Esme sighed.

"That's a really nice idea but right now it's sleepy time and not colouring time. How about you colour Aunty Rachel a card while you're eating breakfast?"

"That sounds acceptable to me."

Emma couldn't help but laugh, Esme often sounded like a middle-aged woman when she spoke. Emma wasn't sure where she learnt to speak like that, she figured it was probably due to the fact she spent a lot of time around adults.

"I'm glad it sounds acceptable to you Miss Swan. Now how would you feel about getting some sleep?" Emma questioned.

"That is unacceptable, I'm a big girl and big girls don't need sleep" Esme groaned.

"Esme, how old are you?" Emma asked.

"Mummy, you know how old I am."

"I would like you to show me how old you are."

Esme held up one hand and wiggled four fingers.

"I'm four so that makes me a big girl and big girls can stay up as late as they like."

"When you can show me your age by holding up all ten fingers then I will see you as a big girl until then you are still a little girl and little girls go to bed when they are told.

So, close your eyes and get some sleep or I will stop you from staying over Lucy's this weekend" Emma warned.

Esme jumped under her blanket, pulled it up to her neck and started to snore.

"I'm sleeeeping, see" Esme whispered.

The trouble Esme had saying the letter S came with a cute little lisp and it made it impossible for Emma to stay mad at her.

"Good girl, now I will see you in the morning. Night night sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite."

"Night Mummy. I love you."

"I love you too."

Emma pulled the blanket down, pushed Esme's fringe out of her eyes and kissed her forehead.

"You need a haircut kid."

Emma brushed her little finger across Esme's eyebrow a few times until she was sure she had fallen asleep, ever since Esme was born this had always soothed her and whenever Esme had a nightmare she demanded that Emma rub her eyebrow until the bad thoughts left her.

Emma stood up, pulled the blanket back up to Esme's neck and headed out of the bedroom. She walked towards the bathroom, pushed open the door and found a bubble bath had been run. She placed her arm in the bath to find the water was still hot, she figured Esme had asked Henry to run her one as Rachel usually did it whenever she watched Esme. Emma pulled off her hoody followed by her jeans, socks and underwear. She picked her jeans up off the floor, grabbed her phone and stepped into the bath. She led down, let the hot water soothe her aching muscles, unlocked her phone and opened tinder and HER, she wasn't one to use dating apps but since Rachel signed her up she thought it couldn't hurt to see what was out there. She started on tinder, after swiping left a few times she decided to move onto HER. After about ten minutes of flicking through some profiles she dropped her phone onto the floor. She put her head back, closed her eyes and stretched out her body. After a few more minutes Emma could feel herself falling asleep, she pushed herself out of the bath, grabbed a towel off the rack and wrapped it around herself. She gathered the clothes into her arms, headed over to the bathroom washing basket, pulled off the lid and threw the clothes inside. Emma walked out of the bathroom into her bedroom, closed the door, dried herself and dropped the towel onto the floor. She opened her underwear drawer, picked out a pair of knickers and grabbed a tank top. She quickly got dressed then went back to the bathroom to grab her phone and brush her teeth. She checked the time and it was a little after eleven, she walked back to her bedroom and climbed into bed. Emma closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep, after a busy few days she thought she would sleep like a baby, but her insomnia had other plans. She spent the next hour tossing and turning. Emma pulled her phone off the bedside table, switched on the flashlight and climbed out of bed. When she couldn't sleep she would often read a book, but she had been so busy lately she didn't have the time to buy a new one. She crept into Esme's room, quietly manoeuvred past the stuffed animals and stopped just shy of the bedside table. She picked up Henry's book and gently ran her fingers across the cover. Henry's book had been released over a year, Emma had promised Henry she would read it when she had time, but being a single mum and running a business, time wasn't a luxury she had. She leaned down, kissed Esme on the head and went back to her own room. She settled under the blanket, pulled back the cover of the book and ran her hand along the first page. She started to get tired, she decided to flick through the book to see why it was Esme's favourite. She flicked the pages over until she reached chapter 30 "The queens happy ending" Emma looked at the pictures and something caught her eye. A picture of a beautiful brunette sat in the middle of a long table in a diner and she was surrounded by 9 other people. Emma didn't pay attention to the other 9 people, she was completely drawn in by the brunette, Emma knew the woman was only a character from a book, but Emma was sure she was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She wondered if Henry had based the character around someone from his life, because if that was the case Emma really wanted to meet her. Emma flicked back to the first page and began reading the book. After reading the first chapter, Emma realised the brunette was Regina also known as the Evil Queen. Now Emma knew who the woman was, every so often she would turn back to the last page of the book and run her fingers over the picture of Regina. Emma wasn't sure why, but she felt a sense of familiarity.

"Don't be silly Swan, it's just a book."

She closed the book, placed it on the floor, she looked at the little clock on the bedside table. It read 1:45am, she had been buried in reading; concentration had replaced her need to sleep. She had kept on reading, page after page, not caring for flying time. Emma's eyes started to blur, she massaged her forehead with both palms and then grabbed her phone to set the alarm. She had a little over 5 hours sleep, she couldn't believe she had been reading for over two hours.

Emma didn't expect to enjoy the book, but she was invested in these characters and she needed to know what happened. She needed to know if the Saviour and Evil queen finally declared their love for each other and if Henry got the family he always wanted. Emma needed to know how the book ended and she needed to know now. She looked at the time, looked at the book and then looked at the time again. She was just under half way through, there was no way she would finish the book before her alarm went off. Emma jumped out of bed, headed down the hallway and pushed open Esme's bedroom door. She turned on the light and walked over to the bed. She watched as Esme stretched out her little body, pulled the blanket down and sat up.

"Mummy is it time to wake up" she yawned.

Emma sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled Esme onto her lap.

"No kid, you've got a few more hours of sleep, I'm sorry I woke you. I started reading Henry's book and I need to know how it ends."

"Finally," Esme giggled.

"Well, are you going to tell me how it ends?" Emma asked.

Emma didn't really want to know how it ended she just wanted to know if Emma and Regina ended up together.

"They destroy the black fairy, and everything goes back to normal."

"That's it?"

"Well yeah."

"There's got to be more to it than that. What happens to Regina and Emma?"

"Nothing, Regina becomes the good mayor and the dwarfs change the sign on her office window to the Queen and Emma married Captain Hook" she explained.

"Oh, so Emma and Regina don't end up together?"

"No, they don't. Mummy, did you know that Henry based the character of Emma on you?"

Emma could see some similarities between her and the Emma from the book but not anything major.

"No, I didn't know that kid, do you know who Henry based the character of Regina around?"

"Henry said she was based around someone from his past. Can I go back to sleep now?"

Emma stood up, placed Esme back into her bed, pulled the cover back over her and kissed her head.

"Yes, of course you can and I'm sorry for waking you up. I will treat you to a doughnut tomorrow on the way to Aunty Rachels."

"Wake me up anytime if it comes with doughnuts" Esme giggled.

Emma kissed Esme again, turned off the light and left Esme to get some sleep. She gently closed the door, walked down the hallway and climbed back into bed. She was rather disappointed that Regina and Emma didn't end up together, they had so much chemistry it was obvious they had feelings for one another and she didn't know why Henry didn't write them together. She knew she needed to talk to Henry about the possibility of a sequel, preferably one where Emma and Regina confess their love for one another. Emma pulled the blanket up to under her arms, rolled over onto her left-hand side and closed her eyes. After over an hour of tossing and turning, Emma's breathing slowed, her body had relaxed, and she was finally asleep. Her mind filled with images of Regina, Esme and even Henry. She was walking hand in hand with Regina into Granny's diner followed by a teenage Henry who had a baby Esme on his shoulders. This image played over and over until Emma's alarm went off. That had to be a dream, Emma thought, but it seemed so real.