A/N: Thanks again for the follows and reviews! I would like to add that if it's unclear, this curse has made everyone into the people they became in the original storyline in OUAT, with some modifications done by myself of course. I enjoyed writing this chapter, so I hope you guys will enjoy reading it.

When Emma Swan woke early in the morning, she was feeling restless. It was the kind of restlessness that tickles inside your legs, that makes it impossible to stand still and you feel like you can run a mile and still not get rid of it.

She also had a feeling she had forgotten something very important but could not for the life of her remember what that would be, so she gave up and rose from her bed.

Her apartment stood silent as it always did; she thought had gotten used to being alone for her entire life, yet this morning it felt as if something was missing. Maybe someone sharing breakfast with her, a child laughing in the background, an arm hugging her tightly and making her feel loved and –

She stopped her thoughts, wondering where they had come from. She knew she was alone and had accepted she had always been an orphan nobody wanted to keep, so thoughts about a family she had never had did not cross Emma's mind often – if ever.

She continued to eat her breakfast in the silence that now somehow seemed eerie, making her throw it down so quickly she knew she would have to deal with a painful stomach up until lunchtime. She figured it would be worth it as she quickly started to panic in the small apartment, all alone with just her thoughts. Within five minutes, Emma was out on the main street in Storybrooke.

Her restlessness did not ease.

She walked past several people, nobody seeming familiar yet not unfamiliar as she could name them all; it was a very strange feeling. She figured she was coming down with a cold of some sort, with fever hallucinations starting before the fever – not that she felt ill.

She started to go over things she knew to be true in her head; she worked as a sheriff, she lived alone in her apartment, she had no friends, she never went out, she had been in Storybrooke for –

How long had she been in town? It should not be hard to remember, especially since she had clear memories of a life in Boston. But when did those memories end? There were no perception of time involved at all, making it seem as if she could've lived in Boston for everything between 30 years to 1 month, and in Storybrooke for the remainder of that time.

Emma Swan was a logical woman, and when logic failed her, she put away her thoughts into a small compartment in her mind she could choose when to open, so this was what she did now.

She started thinking about the day to come, letting it occupy her mind, and went to buy her morning coffee at Granny's.

Mary Margret was walking down the main street, feeling happy. She couldn't really put her finger on what made her cheerful since she lived alone, had no love in her life and never had that baby she so long had ached for.

At the thought of a baby, she put a hand on her belly in an unconscious gesture, not really noticing, but stopped dead as she walked past a narrow alley.

There sat a young boy – alone – and his face was wet from crying.

She did not hesitate as she walked up to him.

"Hello there honey," she said, trying to sound comforting. She gave him a smile. "Why are you sitting here? Can I help you find your mommy and daddy?" She offered her hand to him and waited patiently while he watched her with big, oddly curious, eyes.

"I have no mommy or daddy," he replied in a voice so peaceful Mary Margret almost flinched at the contrast to what he was saying. Instead, she gave him another reassuring smile.

"What's your name, sweetie?"

"My name is Liam."

By noon, Killian had gotten more work than he had done combined in the last month.

He thought.

He could not be sure.

And that made him frustrated. What bloody person had trouble remember what they had done in the last week? Well, him obviously.
He ran a hand through his hair, hissing at the pain it caused him; he rolled up the sleeve on his left hand and saw a big scar going all around his wrist. He looked at it doubtfully, blinking twice to see if he actually saw correct.

When had he gotten such a big scar? It was so big that it should've been impossible to forget the traumatic experience that probably came along with it. Still, his mind was completely empty.

He shook his head, wanting to get rid of ridiculous ideas, and headed to Granny's for lunch.

While the town was busy flowing with life – just life, no love – Regina sat by her desk in her office, biting one of her nails in an old nervous habit she'd gotten rid of years ago. She'd drawn the curtains shut and replayed her conversation with her mother in her head, just as she had for the past three days.

"- and I fear there is a way to break it," Cora had said to her.

Regina's head snapped up, not really hearing those words of their conversation until now, as if even though Regina had asked her mother about that, she'd still been in shock and hadn't actually heard any of it.

She flew up from her chair, grabbed her coat and ran outside.

Regina was sure Cora hadn't meant to say anything about it, that it had slipped out while she desperately tried to get Regina to come with her. But now that Regina knew – now that the words had sunken in along with the meaning of them – a glimmer of hope lit in all the darkness; a hope that her family and the rest of Storybrooke might not be lost forever.

Since Regina had always ignored her mother's yearning to teach her only child magic, she had no idea how you could break a curse, which meant she didn't even have a place to start looking for what was going to break it. This was why she ran over to Gold's, hoping the Dark one still had his memories like she did.

The bell chimed when she entered and to her disappointment, the room looked empty. She sighed heavily and turned around to leave.

"My, my. This is very fast becoming a family business," she heard Gold's voice behind her and she wheeled around just in time to see him coming out from his back room, wiping his hands on a towel.

"You… Have you talked to my mother?"

"Why yes, dearie. Have you?"

"So you do remember," she said, breathing out. He nodded, and waited for her to continue. "She said there was a way to break the curse."

At her words, Gold froze.

"Are you sure?"

"I don't know much about magic, or anything at all, but I heard what she said."

"That's excellent," he said, smiling wickedly. Regina rolled her eyes at him.

"How do you break a curse then?"

"Oh, I am not going to do anything. You are."

She gaped at him for a moment before she gathered herself.

"Fine," she said in a complaining voice of a child. "How?"

"You need to find the True love of True love," was all he said. She frowned deeply at him.

"I am in no mood for riddles, Gold."

"That's all I can tell you, dearie," he said, also frowning and looking as if he really wished he could tell her more.

"Can you tell me how much people in town remember then?"

He looked at her, as if trying to measure how trustworthy she was.

"Yes. They all remember names of their friends. Nobody remembers those they love. For instance, Belle has no recollection of me but remembers you well," he told her, sadness in his voice at the mention of Belle's name. She nodded.

"But, Robin and Roland knew me. They knew me as the mayor but they still knew me. How come?"

"That, dearie, is because your mother's magic doesn't affect you and the curse did the best it could with what it had to work with." He went back to wiping his hands.

She watched him for a moment, seeing how tired he looked, until she realized she would not get any more information from him, so she left without another word.

If True love was what could break the curse, then damn it, she would find True love.

Emma groaned loudly. It was five minutes left of her shift when she got a stupid call that apparently required the sheriff's presence. Five stinking minutes until she could've gone home and… heated frozen lasagna?

Was that all her life was about? Working and coming home to an empty apartment with nobody to cook dinner with?

The feeling of uneasiness came crawling back to her in less than a second.

She had memories of a life in solitude but no recollection of it ever feeling so lonely, as if she were missing a part of herself that was needed for the simpler things, such as sleeping, eating and breathing.

"This stops now," she told herself in the quiet car while she drove. "You know who you are, you know you don't love anybody and nobody loves you. Deal with it."

She ran her hand through her hair as if to draw away the thoughts she'd been having from her mind and continued to drive.

Her thoughts did not quiet, so she turned on the radio as loud as it would go and tried to listen only to the song and not her thoughts.

When she arrived at the library, there was a man on the floor looking like he was in real pain, his face scrunched together.

Emma could've sworn he looked familiar, yet she knew she had never seen him before because his was a face one would remember for a very long time after seeing it. He had pitch black hair, stubble and the most mesmerizing eyes she had ever beheld; she was glad he did not meet her eyes but kept looking up at the ceiling. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to look away from him.

Her eyes fell on the bookshelf lying beside him, and she imagined it falling over him.

She flinched the tiniest bit.

"What happened?" she asked Belle who stood closest to her, looking worried.

"I came in and heard a loud bang, and saw Killian lying under that enormous bookshelf," she said, sounding beside herself with concern. Emma wrote some notes in a small pad she always carried with her.

"And the man, his name is Killian?"

Belle looked at Emma as if she were crazy. "Yes?"

"And does he work for you?"

"Emma, for heaven's sake, why are you asking me this? You know Killian!"

Emma frowned and her insides felt like they were turning. "No. Should I?"

"Yes. He has worked with me since I opened the library."

Emma looked over at the man again and thought that maybe she did remember him, but she could not place him at all. Fortunately, she was saved from having to reply by another man entering the library wearing work wear, which informed her that he had come with the ambulance.

"David, thank god!" Belle exclaimed when she saw the man. "I didn't let him stand up; I have read about people getting concussions and other terrifying illnesses after being hit on the head."

"Which was when I informed her I had not been hit on the head," the man Emma now knew as Killian called in a rather weak voice, drawing all of their attention. When neither David nor Belle gave Killian a reply, Emma chose to act as if he hadn't said anything.

"I just got here myself, Mr. - ?" Emma told the man named David, and waited for him to tell him his name.

"Nolan."

"THIS IS RIDICOLOUS!" Belle shouted all of a sudden, making all of them jump, including Killian – which was saying something since he still lay on the floor.

"Belle, what – " Emma started.

"First you don't know Killian, then you don't know David and apparently David doesn't know you either. What is wrong with you people? David has always driven the ambulance in town, Killian has worked with me for ages. How come you guys don't remember each other but all of you remember me?"

David and Emma gave each other a quick onceover, and at first Emma was worried that David might know her and that would make her the crazy one. The she saw he looked just as confused as she felt and shrugged at him.

"Mind chatting later and helping me now? It bloody hurts," Killian's voice came from the floor, making Emma smile as David rushed forward to examine him before helping him stand up; apparently there were no serious injuries so David just gave him some pain medication for the night and instructed him to immediately seek help if he felt dizzy or queasy.

"It would be better to have you someone watch you during the night, just in case," David continued as he scratched his jaw. "A girlfriend maybe?"

Killian snorted, as if that were the most ridiculous statement he had ever heard.

"Emma, would you mind?" David wondered as he looked away from Killian.

Emma looked at David, confused. "Mind wha –" she began until it dawned on her what he meant. "NO, sorry, Nu-uh, that is not part of my job description." She then folded her arms across her chest stubbornly.

"Love, I swear I won't bite," Killian told her in an innocent voice but Emma refused to look at him and instead gave Belle a pleading look.

"Emma, please. It's just for one night. You are the only one without a family and – "

"Fine," Emma cut her off, not interested to delve deeper into her personal life along with two strangers. "But he comes to my apartment. I'm not sleeping in a stranger's home."

Belle rolled her eyes at her before giving the men a slight nod, unable to conceal a small smile.

"Come on, Casanova," Emma growled at Killian before storming out of the library. She heard him chuckle before he followed her.

"Since you are hurt, I'll let you have the bed and I'll sleep on the couch," Emma informed Killian as soon as they got inside her apartment. She pointed to a closed door. "That's the bathroom."

She then left him standing in the hallway as she went into another room without saying anything else.

"You're rather hostile, aren't you?" he said once he entered the kitchen where she was grabbing something from the freezer. She still had not looked him in the eyes once.

"No. I just like my personal space."

"I can see that," he said, unable to hide the amusement in his voice, making her finally look at him when she snapped her head up to respond.

Neither one of them said anything, but both felt the surge of… something. It was intense, that much Emma had to admit, but also strange as she felt physically unable to look away from his gaze; even when he walked up to her as if he were floating, she felt frozen in place.

It wasn't until she could feel his breath across her face she snapped out of it, smashed her walls back up – firmly placed – and told him they should eat dinner. They ate in silence, watched TV in silence and went to bed in silence.

Somehow, to Emma, it seemed even more eerie quiet than it had seemed that morning when she had been alone. She didn't sleep.

"True love's true love," Regina repeated to herself for the hundredth time that evening. She was going crazy trying to figure out what it meant.

Then, suddenly, as if she'd been hit by lightning she knew.

True love was Snow White and Prince Charming! Their child, Emma, also had True love. Or at least, that was what Regina begged, since this was the only solution to Gold's riddle she had come up with that seemed even remotely realistic.

How would she make it happen if they didn't even know each other? She had no clue.

She'd wing it once she saw them and pray everything would solve itself once she got them to kiss. But, again, how did you make two strangers kiss a True love's kiss?