Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Once Upon a Time. I am not making money off of this story. I am an unapologetic August W. Booth fan (Booth Babe) and Wooden Swan Shipper.

Emma couldn't stand the silence. The tension in the room was beyond palpable. She sighed, which caused Mary Margaret - no, Snow White - to look up. She avoided her gaze. Her life wasn't supposed to be like this. Magic wasn't supposed to exist. Her parents weren't supposed to be fairytale characters.

The curse broke. The purple cloud vanished as quickly as it came. Emma and Henry left the hospital to go to Granny's, hoping that maybe August was alive and okay. On the way, they ran into Mary Margaret and David, Snow White and Prince Charming - Her Parents. "So it's true."

They tearfully embraced her before she could utter another word. When they let her go, she confronted them. 'How could they send her to a strange world with only a child to look after her? Were they so true to their word that they gave up a spot to Pinocchio no matter what the cost?' And that was when a horrified Snow and Charming made it clear nothing like that happened - they didn't know what she was talking about. When she told them that August was Pinocchio, they were shocked, then livid, realizing they'd been betrayed by people they trusted.

Stunned, Emma explaned what happened to August and that she was on her way to find him. They followed her to Granny's and went up to August's room. As angry as they had been, it all vanished when they saw the scene inside. August remained where Emma had left him - wooden and lifeless. Only this time his father was weeping over him and Archie - no Jiminy, stood there helplessly not knowing what to do.

They had left Archie and Geppetto upstairs with August. Granny, Ruby, and Henry were in the meantime going back and forth between them, trying to find some way to help.

"I'm sorry about August." Mary Margaret's voice returned her to the present.

Emma scoffed. "Some savior I turned out to be." Her voice started to choke. "First Graham, and now August."

Snow White's eyes misted over as she saw her daughter trying to hold back her grief. She always suspected how Emma felt about August, now it was confirmed. "Emma…"

Emma wanted to avoid the subject. She wasn't in the mood to be comforted. "I hope you both aren't still mad at Geppetto anymore. I think he's being punished enough."

Snow and Charming exchanged a look. He simply shrugged, not disagreeing with Emma. "No. You're right," Snow responded. "I mean, I understand why he did what he did, but…you grew up an orphan…I could have been there for you…" she paused, fighting the tears. David and Emma's eyes were wet with unshed tears as well. "It just breaks my heart that you think we didn't want go with you."

"Well, I know the truth now." The hopeful look in their eyes made Emma regret her words. She wasn't ready to be their daughter. Not yet. "Look, my entire life I've wondered who my parents are and why they gave me up and of all the scenarios I imagined..this…is not what…" Emma sighed. "…It's gonna take some time."

Snow nodded. "I understand." Both she and her husband tried to hide their disappointment.

David reached out for her hand, giving it a light squeeze. "Well if you aren't ready for parents, how about friends?"

Emma looked at them. Friends…she'd been best friends with Mary Margaret before the curse broke, maybe she could be friends with Snow White. And David…she hadn't really known him too well at all, so maybe it would even be easier with him. "Okay," she nodded.

The three of them managed a small sad smile at each other. It was a beginning at least. Emma still felt awkward. She stood up. "I'll go get Henry." She turned to head upstairs. She wasn't ready to face August's wooden and dead body, but she and Snow White and Prince Charming needed Henry. He was the one who united them all and held them together.

Just as she reached the stairs, Henry came racing down. "He's alive!" he exclaimed. "August's alive!

The three of them exchanged shocked expressions before following Henry upstairs to August's room. When they entered, they were once again stunned by what they saw, since Henry hadn't told them all the details. Yes, August was alive - but still completely wooden. He sat on the edge of the bed, still visibly trying to regain his bearings. Archie grasped his shoulder and Geppetto's arms were around his son, whispering over and over "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry, my boy."

Emma felt relieved despite her shock. At least he was alive. If magic was in Storybrooke than hopefully they could fix him.

August looked up at her. Even in his wooden state, she could make out the same guilty expression he had when he confronted her in the forest days earlier.

"Can I talk to Emma alone?" August requested.

Emma was surprised, but no one said anything. They just nodded. Snow squeezed Emma's shoulder and Geppetto gave his son a quick hug as everyone left the room.

It was just the two of them. Both weren't sure where to begin. "I'm glad you're alive," Emma finally said. She truly meant it, but even she felt awkward since August was entirely wooden. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

"Don't be. I'm the one who should be sorry…"

"You were just a kid…"

"No." He shook his head. "My failure runs deeper than that." He sighed, forming the words in his head how he was going to explain himself. "You better sit down."

He told her. He told her everything. How he spent two years looking for her, how he found her with Neal, that Neal was really Rumplestiltskin's son, how he convinced Neal to let her go, that he stole the money Neal left for her, that he promised Neal he'd watch out for her and send him a postcard when the curse was broken…everything.

Emma sat there stunned. She didn't utter a word. "Emma, please say something," he begged.

"I..I don't know what to say," she stammered, not looking him in the eye. "How do you expect me to process all this?!"

"I promised Neal I'd send him the postcard…"

That triggered it for Emma. The frustration and overwhelming from August's revelations combined with everything else that happened in the last 24 hours just exploded within her. "What gives you the right?!" She bolted up and stood in his face. "What makes you think I want to see Neal again?!" She started pacing around the room. "How am I supposed to explain this to Henry?!"

August sighed, knowing that no matter what he said he could never make things right. "I'm so sorry. I promised Neal…"

"What about your promise to me?! You said you would be there for me! Twice! And you weren't! Do you know what it was like out there? I had no one! Do you know how much it killed me to give Henry up?! You had no right!"

August closed his eyes. The betrayal he saw in Emma's face hurt too much. "I'm so sorry," he repeated, knowing the words were hollow.

"And that's supposed to make things alright?"

No. He knew it well. He abandoned Emma and interfered badly in her life. Nothing would make things right.

A knock on the door interrupted them. A visibly nervous Archie slowly entered the room. The look on his face made it clear that everyone downstairs had heard the shouting. "Um…I'm sorry, but…" he turned toward Emma. "There's a mob on their way to Regina's house. I think they're going to kill her."

Emma rolled her eyes, her frustration growing. "What else can possibly happen today?!" She stepped past Archie but stopped in the doorway. "Send your damn postcard." She didn't even look at August before disappearing out of sight.

Archie gave him an apologetic look while August just lowered his gaze. He knew she was never his to begin with, but that didn't make the pain of losing her hurt any less.