Dark Hearts | Once Upon A Time

Xiii. I Know it Sounds Insane

Storybrooke. Present day.

THE MYSTERIOUS GUY who wore a leather jacket and rode a motorcycle walked up to Erica as she was eating a breakfast bagel and drinking coffee before her shift started later in the day, like she had gotten into a routine of doing however mysterious men walking up to her was new in her routine and she simply raised an eyebrow in his direction as he got even closer to her and leaned against the counter that Erica was sat at "You're a hard gal to track down" He stated simply as his opener to the conversation

"Oh am I?" Erica quirked her other eyebrow a few crumbs falling from her mouth

"You are indeed" He smiled at her "I'm feeling thirsty, so how bout that drink you owe me?"

"You owe me a drink" Erica corrects him before she sighs "But alright. Take a seat and we can talk about whatever it is you really want to talk about while I order a drink and you can pay for it how does that sound?"

"You catch on quick" He tells her impressed with her ability to that he wasn't just going to buy her a drink and ask about her life as if it was a simple catch up between two friends -- no this was much more than that. "I said I would take you for a drink but I didn't say I wanted it to be here, if you want that drink Sheriff, you're going to have to come with me"

"Lead the way, jacket guy". Erica waved her hands as she gestured towards the door

He chuckled "Not the most flattering nickname, but not the worst either"

"Well if you don't tell me, you're actual name I'm just going to have to come up with more nicknames for you and each one will be worst than the last" Erica shrugged barely able to stifle her laughter as the man's face morphed into a picture of horror at all the nicknames that the blonde could think of before he quickly introduced himself

"August Booth" He introduced himself sticking his hand out for her to shake

"Sounds like a writers name already" She teased him

"It's a blessing and a curse" He shot right back before patting the seat of his motorcycle "Hop on"

"You want me to get out that?" She asked and for a moment August took her for being scared before she exclaimed "AWESOME!" As if she was a little kid again and wasted no time in hopping on the motorcycle and clicking the helmet into place and August chuckled before getting on the motorcycle himself and driving towards a place that he found a couple of days ago

"A watering hole?" Erica asked once again raising her eyebrows "Seriously?"

"Say what you want about me, but I always tell the truth"

"Oh yeah, is that because your Pinocchocio?" Erica only half joked after finding out that fairytales were real the first thing she did was go to Henry and ask about their new arrival, but then they couldn't find anything so Erica let it drop for a while until Henry's book mysteriously went missing and when Henry found it the puppet who turned into a real boy story was added and judging by the look that has come across August's face, she guessed that she was right in her assumption

"Y-You know?" August asked quietly and it was the first time Erica had seen him not give her attitude

"That you're Pinoccohio?" Erica asked before she burst out laughing pretending to mess with the puppet boy's strings a little longer "Dude, I was just kidding, you should have seen your face though"

"Oh" He says quietly, frowning in disappointment "I know it sounds insane --"

"However," Erica grinned a mischievous look in her eyes "I do happen to know that fairytales are real and everyone in this town is cursed by the Evil Queen and you are the puppet who turned into a real boy, is that what you wanted to talk about puppet boy?"

"How did you find out--"

"That your Pinocchio?" Erica finished for him "It really wasn't that hard --"

"No" August cut the overexcited blonde off shaking his head "That fairytales were real"

"Oh" Erica admitted shyly "It was all because of Henry"

"Does that mean Emma knows?" August asked the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming hopefully, but the hope in his chest quickly deflated when he saw Erica shake her head distastefully

"No she doesn't know: She's too bust locked in a battle with Regina over Henry and won't let it go, no matter how many times I tell her to drop it and she doesn't have have any legal rights over Henry, to even notice how strange the town of Storybrooke really is"

"Damn well that's why I came here, because I need you two to help me because I have a bit of a problem" He says and upon Erica's pointed look, he knew he had to elaborate "I'm turning to wood" He tells her lifting up his jeans to show Erica and Erica's mouth dropped open in shock as she continued to look at the foot that was now slowly turning into wood "and I'm going to continue to turn into wood unless you and your sister can break the curse?"

"How?" Erica gasped "How do we do it?"

"Don't ask me you two are the saviours" August shrugs

"I'm new to this whole things" Erica tells him "I don't know how to be a saviour"

"You'll figure it out, I'm sure of it."

"How can you be so sure when I cannot even speak to my own mother?"

"Because you're Erica Swan"

* * * * *

Storybrooke. Present day.

Erica Swan found herself walking down Main Street, the butterflies in her stomach gone and instead replaced by a burning desire to break the cure to save her new found friend, the puppet boy but of course it wasn't going to be that easy as her thoughts of breaking the curse were suddenly put to a screeching halt when she saw the words home wrecker spray painted onto the front of Mary Margret's car.

"Mary Margret?" She asked the woman who was sobbing over her car, they could do what they wanted to Erica but nobody was-allowed to hurt or upset her mother "What the he'll happened here?"

"David said he would break it off with Kathryn but he lied! He lied to me too, saying he had but he hadn't told her that he wanted to break up with her and see me so when Kathryn found out, she slapped me in front of the entire school and now the whole town has found out that I'm a home wrecker a-and...They hate me" Mary Margret cried as she collapsed into Erica's arms

Nobody was allowed to hurt Snow White especially when all she was doing was trying to be with her Prince Charming "Shush Mary Margret the whole thing is going to be okay and the whole thing is going to blow over soon enough and you may be many things but the one thing you aren't is a home wrecker. Do you hear me." Erica asked firmly as she got to the ender part of her sentence

Mary Margret nodded, still bleary eyed and hiccuped "I-I think so"

The sooner I break this curse the better Erica thought

* * * * *

a/n: yeah two chapters in one day! I am awesome, anyway this chapter is short because it mainly focuses on the David/Kathryn/ Snow triangle and Erica has tried to stay out of it, only giving advice when she feels like it was needed and can I say I not only love the protective side of her, ready to defend her mama, but I like the banter and sibling relationship between her and August.