Twice Upon A Time {reader x once upon a time}

The Stranger - Part 2

Just how August had predicted, Emma went to Mr. Gold's shop to ask for his help, and just like he had promised, he refused to take the case, forcing Emma to go back to August. She knocked on his door and pushed past him as soon as he opened "Hey, take it easy" he told her "Is everything okay?"

"No. I'm just about out of options" she said

"Just about?" August wondered

"You told me that to beat Regina I need to see the big picture. Then show it to me" she demanded

August smiled "Let's go then" he said, grabbing his jacket and the bike helmets

As they were approaching the town line, Emma couldn't help but ask "August, you going to tell me where we're going and how it's going to help me beat Regina?"

"We're going on a trip, Emma" he replied "So I can tell you somebody's story"

"Whose story?" she asked

"Mine" he said, accelerating his bike and driving past the Storybrooke sign

David was leaving work when he saw Regina trying to fix her car. He offered to give her a ride home, seeing as she had just bought some groceries. Once they arrived at her house, Regina asked his to stay for dinner but he declined the offer. When she pretended to read a note from Henry saying he was having dinner with Archie, David fell for it and agreed to have dinner with her.

After finishing dinner, David asked Regina for the story of when she found him and she told him. When she finished, she leaned in for a kiss, but David stopped her. Regina apologized and claimed she had just got caught up in the moment. David left immediately after that. Once he was gone, Regina smashed the mirror in front of her by throwing her wine glass to it.

It was late when Emma and August arrived at their destination: a small dinner on the side of the road.

"What the hell is this?" Emma asked agitated, having recognized the dinner

"Last I checked it was a dinner" August replied innocently

"No more screwing around" Emma demanded "I am not a character in one of your books. What the hell are we doing here?" she asked again

"I think you know. You've been her before" August said, pulling a newspaper article from his pocket and showing it to Emma "This is the dinner you and Angie were brought to when you were found as babies"

"So you found an article about me and my sister. So what? I thought this trip was supposed to be about you" she tried to deflect the conversation

"It is. This is my story, and it's your story" he replied

"And how is that?" Emma asked

"That seven-year-old boy who found you two, that was me" August confessed, before starting to walk through the woods, Emma following him confused "Why are we in the woods?" she asked

"All the answers you've been searching for are right where I found you and Angie" August explained

"See, you're not that seven-year-old boy. We weren't found in the woods. We were found on the side of the highway" Emma pointed out

"Why do you think that?" he asked her "Because you read it in the newspaper? Did it ever occur to you that maybe, that seven-year-old boy lied about where he found you?"

"No" Emma admitted "But it occurs to me that you've been lying to ma about everything. And I'm done listening" she said, turning back to leave

"When I found you, you were both in a bassinet, wrapped in blankets. The names 'Emma' and 'Evangeline' were embroidered along the bottom of each of them" August said, making Emma stop and turn again "That wasn't in the article, was it? How would I know that unless I was there?"