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SCENE: 2011. An upscale restaurant. arrives and walks through the restaurant. She comes to's table, he stands and extends his hand)

Ryan: Emma.

Emma: Ryan? You look relieved.

Ryan: Well, it is the Internet. Pictures can be...

Emma: Fake. Out-dated. Stolen from the Victoria's Secret catalogue. So...

Ryan: So... tell me something about yourself, Emma.

Emma: Oh... Uh, well, today's my birthday.

Ryan: And you're spending it with me? What about your friends?

Emma: Kind of a loner.

Ryan: And... you don't like your family?

Emma: No family to like.

Ryan: Aw. Come on, everyone has family.

Emma: Technically, yeah, but not everyone knows who they are. Ready to run yet?

Ryan: Oh, not a chance. You, Emma, are, by far, the sexiest friendless orphan that I have ever met.

Emma: Okay! Your turn. No, wait, let me guess. Um... you are handsome, charming...

Ryan: Go on.

Emma: The kind of guy who... and now, stop me if I get this wrong, embezzled from your employer, got arrested, and skipped town before they were able to throw your ass in jail.

Ryan: What?

Emma: And the worst part of all this is your wife. Your wife loves you so much that she bailed you out, and how do you repay that loyalty? You're on a date.

Ryan: Who are you?

Emma: The chick who put up the rest of the money.

Ryan: The bails bondsman.

Emma: Bail bondsperson. (Ryan flips the table and runs out of the restaurant, out into the street and to his car. Emma walks calmly after him. Ryan gets into his car and starts it, but it goes nowhere. He opens the door to discover that his car has been booted. Emma walks up)

Ryan: You don't have to do this, okay? I can pay you, I've got money.

Emma: No you don't. And if you did you should give it to your wife and take care of your family.

Ryan: The hell do you know about family, huh?

Emma: (She slams his head against the steering wheel) Nothing.

~~~

Emma walked into her apartment, holding a small box with a cupcake she picked up. It took her seconds to get off her uncomfortable, pinching heels and sit down at the island in her tiny kitchen. When it came to birthdays, this one turned out to be one of the worst, which really didn't say much due to her dislike of her birthday.

Emma took out some star-shaped candles and placed a blue one in the center of her white frosted cupcake; this would have to do. Emma lit a match and then set the candle ablaze. Emma rested her arms on the island, so the candle was at eye level.

"Another banner year," Emma whispered to herself before closing her eyes. Whatever hope Emma had caused her to make a wish, not expecting anything to come to fruition. When had her dreams ever come true? But seconds after the doorbell rang, she definitely wasn't expecting anyone.

So Emma got up quickly and headed straight towards the door, worried about her visitor's identity; her job made Emma a target for uncomfortable situations. Emma raised her eyebrow as she opened the door to her Boston apartment, "Seriously, how did you find me?" Emma stared into familiar ocean eyes; wow, it's been a long time.

"Are you Emma Swan? The last time I saw her, she wasn't the type to wear such tight dresses." He smirked as he entered the apartment.

Emma closed the door with a slam, "I was on a date. You seem to enjoy showing up unexpectedly. Any reason for you to disturb my night?" She followed him in and found him taking a bite of her cupcake. "That's mine."

"I know I said no birthday parties, but I have to say this cupcake is amazing. Get a full cake next time." The man took the cupcake with him to the couch and took another bite, "I came to celebrate with you, which doesn't seem to be an issue because your date seemed to end so early." Crumbs covered his leather jacket.

Emma grabbed the cupcake from him, placed it back in its box, and then into the fridge, "What if I'm not in the mood to celebrate?"

"You promised me a drink Emma Swan, and I won't take no for an answer." August grinned at her playfully. "We have quite the night ahead of us."

~~~

"So what have you been up to these past few months? Still traveling?" Emma asked as she drove her yellow Volkswagon while August sat beside her.

"I've been traveling all around Asia, until last week. I had this feeling that I had to visit." August ran his hand over his thigh; Neal trusted him to bring Emma to Storybrooke with no complications. "So I took a flight a few days ago and headed here to celebrate with you."

"There was no reason for you to do that, I've spent quite a lot of birthdays alone, I've gotten used to the isolation." She focused on the road ahead with a sigh, "Maine is not the first place I think of when someone says they want to get drinks." What made him think of it?

"Well, as we met originally on your first birthday, I thought it only proper...as for Maine, I have the perfect spot in mind." August opened his window to enjoy the fresh air, "it will be worth every drop."

"I kept looking for my mother while you were traveling. Still found nothing." Emma rubbed her swan keychain necklace with her free hand; old habits die hard.

"Sorry I can't tell you any more yet. I'll help you look if you want; information is part of my skill set. You deserve to find them." August worded his sentences carefully, wouldn't want to slip up and lie or tell too much of the truth.

Emma looked out the window as she passed the diner, the same one she visited 2 years before. The place August brought her as a baby after finding her on the side of the road. Too many coincidences to not mean something.

~~~

"August Wayne Booth, why have you made me drive to the middle of nowhere?" Emma had left the car a mile back, and now they stood in front of a well. A freaking watering hole.

August walked up to the well, putting his bag down on the dirt, "Well, say what you want about me – I always tell the truth."

Emma rolled her eyes, "I just thought a drink was, like, wine or whiskey." No one other than August would ever take going for a drink so literally. Water might be a form of liquid, but it definitely wasn't how she thought she would celebrate her 28th birthday.

"What, do you want me to get you drunk?" August smirked at Emma; he knew she would be skeptical about his idea to come here. Suggesting that Emma would not be in control, aka drunk, would definitely make her more comfortable with the situation at hand. August just had to keep this conversation going; everything was going to plan.

"No," Emma assured him. She stuffed her hands into her red jacket's pockets, her armor.

"Next time." He playfully looked over at her; she was beginning to close herself off. August had to get Emma talking again and keep her mind open.

"You are optimistic," Emma contended with a laugh as she watched August take out a pair of metal cups. He must have planned this all out without knowing if Emma would agree to go.

August begins to pull the bucket of water up, "They say there's something special about this well. There's even a legend. They say that the water from the well is fed by an underground lake, and that lake has magical properties."

"Magic? You have got to be kidding me. How old do you think I am, August?" Emma rolled her eyes, expressively, "You and your stories."

"So, this legend. It says that if you drink the water from the well, something lost will be returned to you." August spoke with an air of mystery, ignoring all of Emma's doubt.

"You know an awful lot about this town for being a stranger." Emma put her hands in her pockets, trying to give off an air of confidence. She wouldn't let August have all the fun. "How do you know all this? You've been here before?" Not that Emma believed anything about magic water, but August was acting stranger than usual.

"I know all of this for one very simple reason – I read the plaque." August gestured to the shiny metal plate along the side of the well.

"You actually believe that?" Emma stepped closer and looked down the well, finding flowing water underneath. Magic water that could return what was lost, ya right. But somewhere inside, subconsciously, Emma had a spark of hope, could she maybe find her parents?

"I'm a writer. I have to have an open mind." August smiled and gestured freely with his hand.

"Yeah, but magic?" Emma smiled playfully, flaunting her disbelief.

"Water is a very powerful thing. Cultures as old as time have worshipped it. It flows throughout all lands, connecting the entire world. If anything had mystical properties – if anything had Magic – well, I'd say it'd be water." August almost drowned as a child and then was made into a real boy; water was definitely Magic. Compared to August's usual mysterious aura, he basically radiated happiness while talking about the water. Something that made Emma feel so uncomfortable.

"That's asking a lot to believe on faith." Emma's gaze and voice oozed skepticism. What had faith ever done for her? Oh right, jail time and being left alone, plus a bonus child, she tried to forget but kept showing up in her dreams.

"If you need evidence for everything, Emma, you're going to find yourself stuck in one place for a long time." August added, his jocular voice was sprinkled with pity.

"Maybe. Or, maybe I'll just find the truth before anyone else," Emma smirked as she grabbed a metal cup from August filled with fresh 'magical' water.

"Well, Miss Skeptic, there's one thing I can tell you for sure that requires no leap of faith, and I know you'll agree with me," August took a victorious sip.

"What's that?" Emma paused.

"It's good water." August grinned, clinking his cup into Emma's. Progress was made.

~~~

"It's been a nice birthday, thank you." Emma held her empty steel mug and handed it to August for him to put into his bag. "Just what I needed, simple."

"Leaving so soon?" August looked at his watch. It read 8:15; it must have been much later than that. "Are you sure you don't want to stick around for the night in town?" He knew Emma staying would unfreeze things; until then, the regular curse would just keep going. What could get her to stay?

"I have a job, August, I'm not just going to sleep over in some quiet little town. Next time you want to go for a drink, let's do it closer to my apartment." Emma gave him a small smile, "It was good water. Do you need me to drive you back?"

"No, I plan on hanging out for a while longer. There is a bus that'll take me where I need to be." August hoped some part of the curse would get Emma to stay as well, but hope wasn't usually successful on those who didn't believe.

"Goodnight then." Emma walked off and got into her yellow Volkswagen; it would be a long drive home.

~~~

Emma was glad August stopped by; her wish had been answered. She wasn't alone. Emma wouldn't count going on an artificial date with Ryan as socialization, especially after all of those insults about not knowing what family was. August a long time ago said he was her family; fate was twisted and dripping with irony.

There was a mysterious stillness as Emma drove to leave Storybrooke. All she could hear was her car's engine. But even throughout the quiet, Emma had a feeling something was wrong. Suddenly, a glint of light caught her eye; on the seat next to her was a set of keys.

"Sneaky bastard," Emma cursed. Seriously? She looked up from the keys, and as soon as she did, Emma swiftly noticed a wolf standing in the road.

Emma gasped as she attempted to swerve out of the wolf's way. Unfortunately, the car spun out of control, crashing into the "Welcome to Storybrooke" sign. Emma's head hit the steering wheel, and she fell unconscious. In the middle of the road, the wolf howled, breaking the unspoken silence as if he knew a story was just beginning.