Author's Note: This story is my way of coping with the Once hiatus. Since the finale aired, I've been thinking about the flashback scene were Mary Margaret gave Henry his book. A story idea began to form about what happened after that, and how it led to what we saw in the pilot. It's my way of filling in that gap. I'm also dedicating this two my two friends and fellow writers who understand my OUAT obsession, Leigh Ann (leighann415) and Anika (BaronessBlixen) for their love and support! :)

This is the dumbest assignment EVER, Henry thought as he stared at the paper Ms. Blanchard had handed him the other day. He usually did his homework on time, because his mother insisted on good grades. But this was one assignment he could not do. How could he, when it asked him to write about his family tree? The only family he had was Regina Mills, his adopted mother. The only thing his mother had ever told him about her family was that he had been named for her father, Henry, who died many years ago. When he wanted to know more, he was told that it wasn't important.

Henry sighed once more and glanced over at the book on his bed. Ms. Blanchard had given him that, too, just yesterday. It was a book of fairytales. From the moment Henry picked it up, he'd been fascinated. His mother had never had much time for stories, but Henry thought he knew most of them anyway. Who didn't know about Cinderella losing her glass slipper at the ball? But when he read the story in this book, it was different. It wasn't a fairy godmother who allowed Cinderella to attend that ball. It was Rumpelstiltskin. The imp had made a deal with her, in exchange for her firstborn. All the stories in this book were like that, each radically different from what he'd expected, and they were all somehow connected. Henry flipped the book open and quickly found his favorite story: that of Snow White. He remembered how, for just a moment, he'd noticed how the picture in the book seemed to resemble Ms. Blanchard. It was all too weird.

Not wanting to think about his assignment just yet, Henry continued to look at the book. Even though he'd only had the book for a little over twenty-four hours, he'd read all of it by now. Another flip of pages, and Henry landed on a picture of Rumpelstiltskin, this time talking to his beloved son, Baelfire. According to the story, Baelfire had disappeared from the Enchanted Forest after finding out his father had become the malevolent Dark One. The loss haunted Rumple from that day on. As he stared at the picture, Henry thought of Regina. His mother claimed to love him, but he knew it wasn't true. Regina was strict, more than most parents. And she was never home, either. Being the mayor took up an awful lot of her time, leaving Henry all alone. Rumpelstiltskin had made mistakes. There was no denying that. But he loved his son. So much that he'd been willing to create a dark curse, one which would hopefully bring him to the land where Baelfire was. Henry began to wonder what it would be like to have a parent who loved him that much. He eventually fell asleep, and as he did, he dreamed about the moment in the story when Baelfire went through the portal. Rumpelstiltskin stood there, staring at the hole where his son had been. "Come back, Bae! I'm sorry!"

When he awoke the next morning, the strange dream had become a plan. If his adopted mother didn't love him, maybe he needed to find a mother who did. His birth mother. He had a bit of time to spare before leaving for school, so he quickly turned on his computer. He found a website that specialized in reuniting adopted children with their birth parents. But he shook his head in frustration when he noticed that the site would require a credit-card number. Where would a ten-year-old get a credit card?

As he walked to school, Henry wasn't sure what to do next, but when he saw Ms. Blanchard standing outside the building, waiting for her students to arrive, he suddenly had an idea. He could borrow his teacher's. It wasn't hard to do. Henry just waited until Ms. Blanchard was distracted by a bird flying by the classroom window during silent reading time. He easily slipped the thin, plastic object out of her wallet before she even turned around.

Armed with Ms. Blanchard's Visa, Henry marched straight to his room, and back to his computer that afternoon. A few clicks later, he'd entered his name and birthdate. The website promised to do all it could to find the woman who'd given him up a decade ago.

For two days, Henry anxiously awaited a response from the website. He began to wonder who his real mother might be. Was she a top-secret spy, whose missions would be compromised by the needs of a baby? Or maybe she'd been poor, with too many children to feed. The possibilities were endless. Finally, Henry received an email. "Birth Mother Found," the subject line read. He scrolled down, eagerly reading the information.

Name: Emma Swan

Age: 27

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Birthplace:Unknown. Abandoned baby found near a highway in Maine.

Henry stared at the screen. He remembered his mom saying he'd been born in Phoenix, but his birth mother was from Maine. That was certainly strange. What were the odds that a baby born in Phoenix would come to be raised in the same remote state where his birth mother was found? Wait, Henry thought, his eyes going back up. Her name is Emma!

Quickly, he reached for his beloved storybook. He flipped to a page near the end. It showed a baby, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Her parents had been forced to send her away. It was their only chance to save her from the Evil Queen's impending curse. Though it was heartbreaking for them, Henry knew it was the right thing to do. The Queen would stop at nothing to have her revenge against Snow. But those details weren't what Henry was interested in now. He could only stare at one thing in the picture: The blanket the baby was wrapped in. There, embroidered on it, was her name, Emma.

Suddenly, Henry's heart began to pound. This had to be a sign. Things in this town had always been strange, and now he understood why. It was all because of the curse. Everyone here was affected by it, stuck in lives they didn't belong in. But that was all about to change, Henry knew. There was one person who was destined to break the curse, and he'd just found her. Emma Swan, the Savior.

The End