EVA WOKE up to Mother Superior. "Eva, dear child. Wake up" The woman called, pulling the duvet back. Eva shivered from the cold, glaring at the nun. "You need to be ready, you have work" the woman told her before leaving the room. Eva knew what that meant. Gold was coming for the rent and Eva couldn't be there till he was gone.

She threw on a black hoodie with gold stars on it, her phone ringing loudly. "Without looking at the number she answered, "This is Eva" she groaned. The phone was squished between her shoulder and ear.

"Eva, any chance you could swing by after you drop Henry to school? I have something to do during our usual slot" Archie asked her, as the girl struggles to put her converse on. "Yeah no problem but you're paying for breakfast" Eva smiled at him, earning a laugh. "Grilled cheese with a double choco mocha with cinnamon?" Archie guessed. "You know it. I gotta fly" Eva said before grabbing her bag and jumping out the window.

As she did, she saw the familiar cane of Gold's making its way to the nunnery. Eva let out a breath of relief. She looked up to see the clock tower moving, the time right for once. She smiled as Henry ran towards her.

"See, I told you!" He squealed, hugging her tightly. "All I see is a working clock tower. I've been tryna fix that stupid thing for months, finally worked I guess" Eva rolled her eyes, taking his hand to walk down to Granny's. "Whatever, it's only a matter of time before you realise that I'm right" Henry smirked at the teen. Eva raised her eyebrow at him. "Did you just make a clock pun?" She asked him, noting the mischievous smile he wore.

Emma walked back to where she was sitting at as Ruby gave her hot cocoa. Eva snickered as Emma assumed it was from Graham. She walked away, grabbing her own order from the counter. She looked at the paper Henry was holding, seeing Emma's mugshot about the town sign.

"Don't you have school?" Emma asked two children that seemed to pop up everywhere she went in this town. "Duh. I'm ten. Walk me" Henry smiled at his birth mother. Eva placed a hand on her hip and raised her eyebrow at the boy. "What am I? Hire a friend?" Eva asked the dark-haired boy. "No, I want both of you to walk me" Henry cheered, grabbing his things to go.

Eva looked at Emma, amused with the ten-year-old's plan. "I'll buy lunch?" Eva offered her, seeing her taken back face. "I'm holding you to that" Emma smirked, almost identical to Henry's.

<><><>

Eva walked with Emma and Henry to the bus stop, fiddling with the straps of her bag."So, what's the deal with you and your mom?" Emma asked Henry. "It's not about us, it's about her curse. We have to break it. Luckily, I have a plan. Step one – identification. I call it Operation Cobra" Henry smiled proudly, a bounce in his step. Eva rolled her eyes at him. If he wasn't so caught up in these stories he would be such a good author. "Cobra? That has nothing to do with fairy tales" Emma pointed out. "Exactly. It's a code name to throw the Queen off the trail" Eva snickered slightly, earning a playful elbow into her side from Henry.

"So, everyone here is a fairy tale character. They just don't know it" Emma explained to herself once more, wrapping her head around the crazy theory. "That's the curse. Time's been frozen – until you got here" Henry explained. Eva noticed that Emma took a bite of her apple. "Hey! Where'd you get that?" Henry asked, grabbing the fruit out of Emma's hand.

Eva slapped him over the head for his manners. "Your mom, obviously" She told him, glaring lightly at the child. "Don't eat that!" Henry throws the apple over his shoulder. "Okay, uh... Alright. What about their pasts?" Emma asked, changing the subject. "They don't know. It's a haze to them. Ask anyone anything. And you'll see" Henry told her. Emma looked at Eva, hoping for confirmation. "I've been here since I was a baby, all my memories are legit" Eva told her, taking out a lunch bag to put in Henry's school bag. "So, for decades, people have been walking around in a haze, not ageing, with screwed up memories, stuck in a cursed town that kept them oblivious.?" Emma summarised earning a nod from Eva.

"I knew you'd get it. That's why we need you. You're the only ones who can stop her curse" Henry smiled brightly at the girls. "Because we're the daughters of Snow White and Prince Charming?" Emma asked, clearly not believing her parents were fairytale characters. "Oh! Not to mention being twins but the fourteen year age gap" Eva added, nudging Henry's side. "Yes. And right now, we have the advantage. My mom doesn't know that" Henry exclaimed, his hands taking out some ripped pages from Eva's bag. "Rude" Eva rolled her eyes.

"I took out the end. The part with you in it. See? Your mom is Snow White" Henry showed them the page, two small babies wrapped in white wool blankets with their names embroidered in purple as they were held by Prince Charming. "Kid..." the two sighed in unison, scaring themselves. " I know the hero never believes at first. If they did, it wouldn't be a very good story. If you need proof, take them. Read them. But whatever you do, don't let her see these pages. They're dangerous. If she finds out who you are, then it would be bad" Henry told Emma, knowing Eva had read them plenty. "Come on Henry, we need to get you to school" Eva rushed the boy.

"I got to go. But I'll find you later and we can get started. I knew you'd believe me!" Henry said, hugging Emma and Eva before running into the school. "I never said I did!" Emma called back Henry. "Why else would you be here? " Henry smiles as he runs into the school. Mary Margaret sees Emma and Eva and approaches them. "Why did you stay?" Eva asked the blonde. Emma only shrugged.

"It's good to see his smile back" Mary Margaret smiled kindly. "I didn't do anything" Emma brushed off. Eva elbowed her side with her eyebrows raised at her. "You stayed" Eva told her. "So, does the Mayor know you're still here?" Mary Margaret asked, knowing the brewing rivalry the two seemed to have. "Oh, she knows. What is her deal? She's not a great people person. How did she get elected?" Emma asked them. Eva shrugged, "I only got the right to vote last month".

"She's been mayor for as long as I can remember. No one's ever been brave enough to run against her. She inspires quite a bit of, well, fear. I'm afraid I only made that worse by giving Henry that book. Now he thinks she's the Evil Queen" Mary Margaret sighed, no one wanted to be on the wrong side of Regina. Ever. "Who does he think you are?" Emma asked the teacher. "Oh, it's silly." Mary Margaret brushed it off with a nervous laugh. "I just got five minutes of silly. Lay it on me" Emma shook her head. Eva was curious, she never figured out who Ms. Blanchard was in the book. "Snow White" She laughed off, not noticing Eva and Emma's shock. " Who does he think you are?" Mary Margaret asked the pair. Eva shrugged, "Won't tell me. I gotta go but I'll see you guys around" Eva smiled quickly before turning back towards the main road into town.

<><><>

"And what about Ms. Swan?" Archie asked the teen. Eva sat on his couch, drawing two swans inspired by the upcoming local ballet production. She looked up at him, tilting her head. "What does Emma have to do with my fear of men?" Eva asked. She may be an academic genius but emotions weren't her strong suit.

Archie clears his throat "Well, is it not concerning that Henry believes you two are... sisters?" Archie asked her. Eva stopped drawing, her face neutral as she looked up at the shrink. "I don't know" Eva answered, shrugging her shoulders. Archie was taken back, Eva always has an answer for everything. "Has Emma's arrival caused you any anxiety?" Archie pondered, noting her metathesiophobia in his journal. Eva bit her lip, looking back at her drawing.

Archie noticed the sign. "You are not a failure Eva. What happened with Henry wasn't your fault" He spoke with a reassuring voice. Eva stopped abruptly, "What happened was Henry told me he found his birth mother and I foolishly told him to find her. What I didn't know was that she wasn't from town but Boston and she's supposed to be my sister but the only things we share are the foster system and a birthday!" Eva snapped, breaking her pencil in half.

Tears met her chin as she packed her things. "I'll see you next week" Eva stated, going straight for the door. She wasn't paying attention when she came head first with red leather. "Watch it, kid, you good?" Emma caught Eva's shoulders.

The younger felt a shiver go down her spine as Emma's hands gently gripped her shoulders. A flash of a weird looking tree crossed her mind, making her jump. Eva took a deep breath before brushing past Emma.

She walked out to the streets, the fresh air hitting her like a brick. "Eva?" a voice called out. She turned to see her, brown eyes full of concern. "Mara?" Eva called out to her, wiping her eyes quickly. Mara walked closer to her friend, a soft hand on her cheek. "Evs, wanna go talk over some rocky road?" Mara asked, knowing her friend. Eva nodded, linking arms with Mara.

<><><>

Eva gave Mara a tight squeeze. "Thanks, Mara, I needed someone that didn't have a bedtime" She smiled gratefully. Mara gave her a shy smile, "Always Evs. See you at practice tomorrow" Mara told her before heading off home. Eva had barely walked into town when she saw Graham running towards her.

"Woah! What's got you in a hurry? Wanna lose more money playing darts?" Eva snickered at him. "Eva I need you to come to the station" He told her in his work voice. Eva felt a knot in her stomach, her hands rummaging through her bag. Her fingers touched the soft white wool of her baby blanket, giving her slight ease. "What happened? Is it Henry again?" She asked, following him to his car.

The short ride was quiet, Eva's thoughts filling the unbearable silence. She hated when Graham was silent, it made her anxiety bubble until she had a very strong urge to jump out of the car. She followed him inside, her nails scratching up and down her arm.

"Emma!" Eva called out, running up to the blonde, who was cuffed to the table. "Kid, what are you doing here?" Emma asked her before glaring at Graham. "Good question Emma" Eva remarked, giving Graham a side look. "Ms. Swan had stolen files from Dr. Hopper. Some of those files were yours, Eva" Graham told her.

Eva took a step away from the adults, her hand landing on a stack of files. Her files. "Why did you ask for my files?" She asked the blonde, her breath short and sharp. "I didn't. Archie thought it might help me understand why Henry cares about you so much and... He wanted me to be able to connect with you more" Emma answered her, watching the girl assess her words and movement.

Eva walked closer to Emma, her hands shaking ever so slightly. "Why didn't you refuse?" Eva asked her, knowing there was more to the story. "Because for such a bright kid, you're still stuck in this town" Emma added. Eva smiled gently before turning to Graham. "If you're gonna charge her, then don't add my files to the descriptions or whatever. She can read them if she wants" Eva told him before leaving the building.

She knew Regina was up to this.

As the familiar sound of her ringtone began to play, the bluenette answered without looking. "Eva Crow speaking" The girl gritted as the anger-fueled inside of her. "Yeah, I'm on my way to the bank now" Eva answered before stopping in her tracks. She felt lightheaded, her eyes failing her.

A grey swan was at her feet, tilting its head. But that wasn't the weirdest part. In the centre of its head was a light blue teardrop shape. That shouldn't be possible. A car honking took her out of her daze. Shaking her head, Eva looked down again. "It's gone?" She whispered.

<><><>

Both Eva and Henry walked into the station with Mary Margaret at their backs. "Hey!" Henry smiled brightly, catching Emma off guard as he hugged her. "Henry! Henry, what are you doing here?" Graham asked, curious as to why the young boy seemed so reassured.

"His mother told him what happened" Mary Margaret informed the sheriff. Graham should have expected the mayor to do so. "Of course she did. Henry, I don't know what she said-" the blonde was cut off by Henry. "You're a genius! No offence Evs" Henry smiled at the pair. Eva winked at Emma without Henry noticing. "What?" Emma asked the duo. "I know what you were up to. You were gathering intel for Operation Cobra" Henry reminded her, trying to whisper but ultimately failing.

"I'm sorry. I'm a bit lost" Graham butted in, only to earn a glare from Eva. "It's need to know, Sheriff" Eva hissed at him. She never called him by that title, the man was hurt. "And all you need to know is that Miss Blanchard and Eva's going to bail her out" Henry added, not feeling the sudden tension between Eva and Graham."You are? Why?" She asked them, shocked that they were helping her. "We, uh, trust you" Mary Margaret explained, Eva nodding from beside her. "Well, if you can uncuff me, I have something to do" Emma declared, the look in her eyes making Eva jump in anticipation.

Mary Margaret brought Henry back to school while Eva followed Emma into town. The blonde couldn't shake off the weird feeling she got around the teen. It wasn't necessarily a bad feeling, but it wasn't bothering her in an overly positive way. She was so smart, graduated already but she was still in this town.

"I can tell that you're thinking about something, what I don't know is what" Eva spoke, her voice was soft. Emma raised an eyebrow at her. The older blond might have only been in the town for less than two days but never had her voice been this soft unless... "Androphobia? What does it mean?" Emma asked as they crossed the street.

"Official meaning; An abnormal and persistent fear of men. Sufferers experience anxiety even though they may realize they face no real threat" Eva recited off by heart. She has read that meaning more times than she can count. "How about the Eva meaning?" Emma asked, gaining no real understanding from that. " I'm not comfortable around men. There are a couple I am okay with, like Archie, Graham and a small handful of others. If I'm not comfortable around them or with people I feel safe with, I'll have an anxiety attack" Eva explains as they enter the hardwood store.

Emma nodded at the explanation. "So when you're in the diner, you feel safe with Henry and Mary Margaret" She summarised. Eva nodded, but Emma didn't include herself. It made Eva wonder how long she'd stay in Storybrooke. "I trust you too" Eva told her, catching her full attention. "Why? I'm not the trusting type" Emma shrugged before paying for the chainsaw in her hands.

Eva pursed her lips. "If I get an angry phone call from one of my bosses, you're paying for my next meal" She said before leaving the adult to her next great scene.

<><><>

Eva smiled as Henry ran towards her, the smile on his face making her happier than ever. "Slow down kid, next thing we know you'll be leaving Robin Hood in your dust" She snickered as she grabbed his backpack strap to stop him. "Come on Evs! Today was epic!" Henry exclaimed as they walked to Regina's office.

With the small drop in her stomach, Eva kept her smile as he rambled about Emma. It was bittersweet. She had always wondered what her parents were like. Was her mother a blonde like her? Maybe she got her attitude from her father. What if she had two moms or dads? She hated that fact her jealousy was creeping up in mysterious ways. Eva used to love collecting Henry from school, now there was this little voice in the back of her head reminding her that he has what she will forever crave. A mother. Some sort of family.

But she knows that no one can ever love her. She's too fucked up for someone to ever love a way a parent should. "Thanks, Eva, for helping Emma. I wouldn't be able to do this without you" Henry smiled, hugging Eva's stomach as tight as he could. "Always Henry" Eva mustered up, hugging him back.

They walked up the painfully long stairs, and the mutter of voices became louder. Immediately Eva recognised them. Emma and Regina. Immediately a pit in her stomach grew and the hairs on her neck and arms stood up. "How can I? The poor kid can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality and it's only getting worse. It's crazy" Emma spoke, not knowing that Henry was at the door.

Tear swelled in his eyes at her words. "You think I'm crazy?" Henry asked, fighting back the tears. Eva quickly went to grab him but the ten-year-old ran away from her. Emma turned to the mayor, her face livid towards her. "How long was he there?" Emma asked Regina. "Long enough" Regina stated calmly.

Eva felt her veins ignite. "What the fuck Regina! He's just a kid!" She screamed at him, fighting back every urge to bitch slap the woman. "You knew he would be here" Emma figured out, ready to stop the teen from attacking her employer. "Did I know that my son comes to my office every Thursday at precisely 5:00 pm so I can take him for dinner before his therapy session? Of course, I did, I'm his mother. Your move" Regina smirked victoriously at Emma.

"Move? This is your son's life, Regina! Not some game!" Eva screamed at her, tears falling from her eyes. "You have no soul. How in the hell did you get like this?" Emma spat before walking out and taking Eva with her. The teen could barely look at Regina let alone think about her.

Emma brought Eva to her car, trying to calm her down. "Eva, you need to look at me" Emma spoke as gently as she could. The teen looked at Emma, her normally green eyes filled with tears. "Everything is going to be okay? We just need to figure out how to help Henry" Emma told her, giving her hand a slight squeeze.

Eva nodded, stuck in a daze of her own makings. That's when she remembered. "Henry believes the curse is real. So that's what we'll use" Eva remembered, thank the gods for Archie's advice. Emma was taken back by her voice. It was shaky as she grabbed something out of her bag.

A white knitted baby blanket with 'Eva' embroidered in purple. Eva held it close like a pillow or a stuffed animal. She took a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing. "If Regina's the evil queen then we use that to convince Henry that we only want her to hear what she thinks is right by using what he thinks is right" Eva explained, handing Emma the storybook pages. "Here, he needs to hear it from you" Eva told her. Emma nodded before starting the engine. "Am I dropping you off at the convent?" Emma asked the young girl, she might not be her sister like Henry thinks but she could at least make sure the kid gets home safe.

Eva thought for a moment. She can't go back since Gold doesn't back down, especially when there are new people. The nuns won't worry much since they usually know when she won't be home because she was hiding from Gold. "Can you drop me near Mary Margarets's place?" Eva asked, still playing with the baby blanket.

<><><>

Mary Margaret opened the door, with a small smile as she welcomed Eva into the cosy apartment. "Want some cocoa?" She asked, noticing Eva's upset mood. She nodded before curling up in the corner of the couch. Eva was never usually this quiet, just the sound of the kettle filling the silence.

"Do I get attached too easily?" Eva asked out loud. Mary Margaret was taken back by the question. The teacher went to sit by Eva, handing her a cup. "I believe that you have a very trusting nature and when you feel like someone is deserving of that trust, you give it no questions asked" Mary Margaret answered, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Eva snuggled up to the woman. "I'm scared" She sniffled, tears welling up in her bloodshot eyes. Mary Margaret tightened her grip around her, humming a soft tune. "She's only been here two days. I feel like I can trust her more than almost everyone I know. Maybe Henry's wrong about her being my sister or maybe he's right, but there's this feeling inside me that tells me she's more than just his mom" Eva tried to explain, her voice hoarse and soft.

Mary Margaret just held as she cried, the urge to protect Eva growing with every sob. "Even if Emma leaves, you'll always have me" The older woman reassured the teen. Eva looked up at the woman, hiccuping back the sobs. "Thank you for believing me and never giving up" She thanked the only person that felt like her family. "Always" Mary Margaret told her.

Eva soon fell asleep on the couch, all the crying has tired her out for good. Mary Margaret pulled a blanket over her body. She made sure she had her baby blanket to before leaving her to sleep.