Mulan sat in the passenger seat next to August so she could try to help him trace the map route back to the gas station Nicole had gotten the map from. It was after sunset when they finally arrived. The stars twinkled in the sky and the crescent moon shone down, combining with the lights of the gas station to illuminate the place somewhat. August parked at the gas station and everyone got out of the car.

"Which direction did you come from when you got here?" Mulan asked Nicole.

She shrugged. " I can't remember."

Aurora took the map from August and began to examine it. Finally, she pointed to what seemed to be a field of grass that was completely empty about three miles behind the gas station. "Nicole, you said it was in an empty field, right?"

Nicole nodded. "Yes."

"Then I think I found it." Aurora turned the map around and showed everyone else.

"I think that might be it!" Nicole exclaimed.

~

Lily was laying on her back. Merlin had said Aurora was on her way, but it could be a week before she actually found her. And Nicole....had she actually escaped? Where would she go if she had? Would Lily ever be able to find her again and take her to Storybrooke, or would she end up like Emma; in the foster care system until age eighteen? Nicole didn't deserve a life like that - no one did.

On the other hand, maybe Nicole knew someone from the Enchanted Forest. It couldn't have been coincidence that Lily had become friends with Emma of all people. No coincidences happened across the town line. In Storybrooke? Maybe. But it seemed to Lily that if you had roots in the Enchanted Forest, the only people you ever got close to across the town line also had roots from the Enchanted Forest. That's just the way it was.

Lily was almost asleep when she heard a loud crash. She sat up, silently listening to see what would come next. The door handle began to shake, and Lily stood up. She watched the door until it swung open to reveal Aurora, August, Mulan, and...Nicole?

~

Author's note: I know this chapter is super short, but I have another one almost ready to be published