A/N: This is a prompt idea I received from OnceUponATimeBiggestFan. I love this premise, and I hope you all do too! Enjoy!

A Land Far, Far Away

Chapter One: Another Time & Place

The wraith was overhead. The flames David set ablaze were distracting the evil creature, but for how long?

Emma looked to Regina, who kept spinning the hat, but nothing was happening.

"What's the problem?" Emma demanded.

"Its not working," Regina growled in frustration.

"Now would be the time!"

Emma turned to David's voice. Then her head swiveled back to Regina. She knelt to the ground as Regina tried spinning the hat again, but nothing. Regina almost lost her balance. Emma grabbed her arm. Regina gripped the hat in her fingers and spun it again.

"Not enough magic," Regina grumbled.

Emma closed her eyes. She wished for the hat to work, wished for the wraith to vanish, willed a portal to open.

"It's working," Regina said in awe.

Emma opened her eyes. Her blue orbs widened in shock at the swirls of black and purple lights. Quickly, the portal was swallowing the hat and overtaking the ground.

Regina looked to Emma in confusion. But there wasn't time to question what has just happened. The wraith was quickly approaching. Emma panicked. She pushed Regina out of the way but then something pulled on her own foot. She was being yanked the other way. Emma looked down to see herself falling through the portal and a scream left her lips.

Mary Margaret shouted in distress. She ran for her daughter but it was too late. Emma had fallen through.

"I'm not losing her again!"

Mary Margaret didn't look back. She dropped her broom and jumped into the portal.

XOX

Mary Margaret slowly came to consciousness. She winced in pain while putting her hand to the back of her head where the source of her discomfort was throbbing. She looked around, trying to get her bearings. Her memory took its time crawling back into her mind… the wraith… Regina… the portal… Emma. Mary Margaret's eyes widened with fear. She went to stand up; her lips ready to call her daughter's name when she found Emma lying just a few feet away.

Mary Margaret hurried across the forest and slid to the ground. "Emma, wake up," she called urgently while shaking her daughter, who groaned as she was forced to stir.

"Thank God," Mary Margaret murmured in relief. "Are you okay?"

"What the hell happened?" Emma asked while pushing her body to sit up, the move causing a wave of pain to shoot down her back.

"We went through the portal."

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that."

Mary Margaret frowned.

"Where are we?"

With her forehead wrinkled in confusion, Mary Margaret looked around. They were in the middle of the forest, that much was clear. There were dozens of trees around them, the branches blooming with leaves. The grass was a dark green, colorful flowers dotting various spots. Mary Margaret couldn't' help a small smile as a deer hopped past some trees.

"I'm not quite sure," Mary Margaret said while getting to her feet. She reached a hand out to help Emma up when she heard a sound. Twigs breaking. Her body alert, Mary Margaret looked through the trees and squinted her eyes, trying to see through the wood and shrubbery. She saw something moving; at least she thought she did. Then she was sure of it, when seconds later a blade swung in the air, taking down a mess of branches.

"Get down," Mary Margaret hissed.

Emma's eyes widened as she was pulled to the ground.

Mary Margaret put her finger to her lips, signaling for Emma to keep quiet as she led the way, crawling across the ground and to a nearby fallen log.

The pair peaked over the log as a man came into view. His back was towards them, but his light hair, the clothes he wore, the sword handle… well, even Emma recognized the sword.

"Is that-?"

"Your father's sword. I think so. But how-"

Before Mary Margaret could finish, the man turned. His bright blue eyes and easy smile… she couldn't believe it. She had to be dreaming.

"What the fu-"

"David."

"What the hell kinda crazy trip are we on?"

Mary Margaret watched as David bent to a bush that was bountiful with berries. His smile grew bigger as he picked the blueberries one by one, and then carefully dropped them into a basket that was hanging from his wrist.

"What's going on?" Emma demanded, her voice low but urgent. "Why is David here? Where the hell is here? He didn't go through the portal… did he?"

Mary Margaret couldn't answer. She was too entranced by the sight of her husband looking so happy.

"My liege."

Everyone turned to the voice of a man who was standing not ten feet away.

"The Queen has awoken."

David looked to the guard and said, "hey, I told you. Call me David."

The man who Mary Margaret recognized nodded.

"How is she?"

"The nurse says she is doing well."

"Thank you. Tell Snow I'll be back shortly."

The man gave a firm nod and walked away.

Emma's mind was swarmed with questions; Mary Margaret could see them written on her face, but she was starting to figure things out.

"Wait," Mary Margaret whispered.

The girls watched as David picked a few more handfuls of berries and within minutes, he was leaving the scene. When he was gone, Mary Margaret stood tall.

Completely confused and bewildered, Emma followed suite.

Just as Mary Margaret predicted, there was the castle, not a mile away, the structure standing tall and beautiful.

"I knew it," Mary Margaret murmured.

"Knew what? What's going on? Where-"

"The past."

Emma's forehead wrinkled, the answer making her confusion grow.

"When I was pregnant with you, every morning, David would venture out before I had the chance to wake up. He would collect fresh berries to go along with my breakfast. He wanted to do it himself, to make sure to gather the ripest and sweetest. I would always wake to a nurse in my bedroom. She was adamant about checking on the baby- well, you- every morning, the very moment I opened my eyes."

It took a moment to hop on Mary Margaret's train of thought. "Are you saying-"

"I think we've time traveled to the past. Before the curse hit… Twenty eight years ago."

Emma's eyes widened in shock.

Mary Margaret kept her stare on her daughter, waiting for words to come.

Seconds went by. Then a minute. Emma fell to the log behind her. Mary Margaret sat down as well.

"Am I being punked?"

"Are you what?"

"Punked, the TV-never mind."

Mary Margaret frowned.

"Pinch me."

"What?"

"Really? That's not a universal thing? Or… multiversal?"

"You think you're dreaming."

"You have a better explanation? And don't say time travel."

"Magic is real, Emma. I never met a time traveler, but I heard tale of one. It's a nearly impossible feat, but-"

"Even if what you're saying is true," Emma interrupted, "then how the hell did we end up here?"

"I don't know," Mary Margaret said through a frown. "It has something to do with the hat of course. The portal it created, but… I don't know."

Emma got yo her feet. She started pacing.

"Emma, please, sit."

"Why?"

"You're making me nervous."

"That makes two of us. You're welcome to join me."

"I do it too," Mary Margaret said softly.

Emma stopped. Their eyes met. Everything came flooding back.

"We need to talk, Emma."

"No. We need to find out where and… when we are and how the hell to get back."

"Yes, but-"

"I really don't wanna talk. Not right now. Henry is a million miles away, in a different time and place. I need to get back to him."

Mary Margaret nodded in agreement. "We need to steal from the castle," she said, as if it was so simple.

"What? Are you crazy?"

"Your father and I, during this time, we were wealthy. We had plenty of gold, enough to keep our Kingdom's people alive and well and happy."

"What can we do with gold? Besides buy souvenirs."

"Trade. We trade the gold for information and directions."

Emma nodded.

"We need a sorcerer or a wizard. Someone powerful enough who may be able to get us home."

"Can we just talk to, you know, the other you?"

Mary Margaret shook her head. "That's too big of a risk, Emma. We could change the past."

"This is giving me a headache."

"I know ways inside the castle that most people don't know about. But once inside, I can't go undetected. Not without help. You need to cause a scene. They might lock you up, but don't worry; I'll break you out. I know where they hide the keys."

"Wait, what?" Emma asked while shaking her head, trying to get a grip on the situation. "You want me to get myself thrown in jail? Been there. Done that. No thank you."

"There's too many guards. I can't be seen by even one of them. They might recognize me."

"But-"

"Emma, listen to me. Please… I know I was never there for you, but, please, try and trust me. I won't let anything happen to you."

Her sincerity wasn't just in her voice, but it was in her eyes. Emma was reluctant, but she agreed.

Mary Margaret explained to Emma that she needed to make a spectacle. She told her to go up to the gate and claim to be a homeless traveler, in need of some shelter. The guards will get Snow and David.

"And when they see me?"

"I won't turn you away."

Emma nodded while trying to hide her doubt.

"You'll get inside. If I remember… myself, I'll give you food and water first. David will be suspicious. He'll want to make sure there isn't anything going on. He'll send guards to check the perimeter. But not all of them."

"This the part where I get my ass tossed in jail?"

Mary Margaret went to nod and explain Emma's next move, but she stopped when something crossed her mind. There was something familiar about all of this. While pregnant, there was a stranger with blue eyes, blond hair and foreign clothes…

Emma's brows furrowed in confusion when Mary Margaret's eyes widened.

"This happened before," she murmured, deep in thought.

"What?"

"That's why there was something so familiar about you."

"You lost me."

Mary Margaret focused on Emma and said, "When you came to Storybrooke, I was sure I'd met you before. I trusted you, from the moment we met. That wasn't just you weakening the curse. I'd met you before. Here. Today."

Emma frowned in confusion. "But it hasn't happened yet."

"In the future, it has. Don't think about it too much. You'll give yourself a headache."

Despite her mother's words of warning, she tried to make sense of it. But quickly she realized that was a bad idea."

"Told you," Mary Margaret gloated, seeing the look on Emma's face.

"Okay, so, what does that mean?"

"That I met my daughter before she was born."

Emma gave a tiny smile as she tried to wrap her head around everything.

"I don't remember learning the truth about you, Emma. But that day is so hazy. Thinking about it, I don't remember anything but a faint image of you at the gate… that must mean that magic intervened… Emma, go in there. Tell the guards the story I told you. But tell me the truth."

"The truth?" Emma asked. "The real truth? The whole thing?"

Mary Margaret shook her head and said, "Just enough. You're from the future. You need help getting home. You're my daughter. Tell me about the blanket, with your name on it."

"What about you? Do I tell you about… you?"

"No. Seeing myself, that might be too much to handle. I don't want to risk it. But I'll believe you, Emma. With Regina's threat hanging in the air, I'll want to believe my daughter."

Emma nodded. "So, just, what, come out and say it? You really think you'll believe me?"

Mary Margaret nodded. "While I was pregnant, I prayed, Emma. Every night, I prayed for a sign. For something to show me that my daughter, the savior, would be okay… seeing you… well that's the answer to my prayers."

"Okay," Emma agreed. "What the hell. When in Rome, right?"

"What?"

"Never mind."

TBC…

Thoughts before you go? I'd love to hear what you have to say! Hope you enjoyed!