Summary: When in doubt, feign ignorance. What if Emma's arrival isn't a negative thing to a much calmer Regina. 28 years living the same day over and over again, isn't quite what she had envisioned for her happy ending and has left her with quite a lot to think about. Now, trapped in this town in more ways than one, she comes to the conclusion that the best way to get what she wants is to aid Emma break her own curse all while feigning ignorance and carrying out life as normal. Surely the insufferable woman could free her from her self made prison. Season 1 with a less high strung and dear we say likable Evil Queen. Know what they expect, then do the opposite.

Disclaimer : I do not own Once Upon A Time nor any of the characters.

Chapter 1: Hello Miss Swan

Regina POV

He's gone. Regina drew a shaky breathe. Her baby boy was missing, no where to be found. Was this it? Was this her punishment for all the wrongs she had done all those years ago?

She supposed it was fitting, that the one thing that gave her happiness would leave her eventually. Ever since she told him he was adopted, Henry started to pull away from her. That, she had expected.

She told him that it didn't matter that he wasn't hers by blood, that family was about love and trust. Trust? He had whispered the word so quietly that she had nearly missed it over the sound of the pouring rain. She had nodded and he looked up at her with those big teary eyes, met her eyes and stripped her very soul.

"What would the Evil Queen know about love and trust?" Those words were forever engraved in her mind and heart. Her past had come back to haunt her. That woman, the one she once was, had come back to haunt her. She'd sat there, whether in shock or shame, she couldn't recall, perhaps a bit of both.

"Nothing." Her voice cracked and the lump in her throat seemed to expand. She bowed her head in shame and wrung her hands in her lap.

It's the truth though. The Evil Queen knew nothing about love or trust. In fact she was but a shattered reflection of both those things.

She knew love once, a long time ago in the arms of a stable boy.

She knew trust once, in the eyes of a young girl.

Regina sniffled and exhaled heavily. She turned to look out of the window, feeling her son's gaze on her though she paid him no mind, lost in her memories and regrets.

In one fell swop she had lost both love and trust. Daniel, she gripped the arms of her chair till her knuckles were white. Daniel had died as a result of broken trust and Regina had slowly died with him. The trust she'd once gave freely was now one of her most precious belongings. And she had attacked the one who had broken her, Snow White. She had hunted her, destroyed her happiness and in turn got her own.

Now however, looking passed the glistening rain drops on the windowsill as they glide down, seemingly fall, only to be caught by another, get bigger and slide down even faster, Regina wasn't so sure.

For the trust that was broken that day was not the one given to Snow White but that given to her mother. Reflecting back on it, Regina could now see that her and Snow were a lot like these water drops, both trusting the other to hold them up, to keep them from falling, but instead caused their own downfall. And now they're all trapped here.

Clenching her teeth, Regina looked back at her son, whose gaze hadn't left her form for a second. "I'm sorry Henry." She didn't know what exactly she was apologizing for, everything and nothing?

Her son seemed to know though. Henry reached forward and grabbed her hand and they sat there in her study, before the fireplace and listened to the sound of the rain.

Regina, in her chair and Henry on his knees with his head in her lap as she ran her hands through his hair. "We'll fix this mom. I promise." And in that moment Regina Mills gave a little trust. She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "I hope so baby."

The mayor didn't realise she was crying until Graham placed his hand on her shoulder. "We'll find him Madam Mayor. He couldn't have gone far." Regina shook her head; he had to have gone far, far away from this cursed place, far away from her.

Emma POV

If you told 18 year old hipster Emma Swan that 10 years from now, the kid she gave up would come knocking on her doorstep, she would have laughed in you faced and flipped you off. But even you would have struggled to come up with his "everyone in my town is a fairytale character and my mom is the Evil Queen" theory. Glancing at the boy in question out the corner of her eye, Emma couldn't help but notice how solemn he looked now that they were approaching Storybrooke. She hadn't even known such a place existed outside of say Disney Land. But apparently it was real alright, she could see the town sign "Welcome to Storybrooke".

Hearing the sound of shuffling paper, Emma saw that Henry, as that was the kid's name, was fingering the pages of his book, chewing on his bottom lip as they drove through the town.

Stopping the car, Emma asked "Okay, kid. How about an address?"

And just like that, the boy's demeanour did a complete 360. "Forty-four Not Telling You street." He said with a cheeky grin. Emma released a sigh of frustration, massaged her temples before pinching the skin between her eyes, the night was already getting to her. Suddenly she jolted at the sound of someone tapping on her car window. She rolled it down and came face to face with a ginger man. His square glasses framed his dark blue eyes that were creased with a look of uncertainty. Everything about him screamed skittish, though he had a perfectly calm Dalmatian at his heels.

"Henry! What are you doing here? Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine Archie."

The newly introduced Archie turned his attention back to her. "

"And who's this?"

Emma opened her mouth to introduce herself to the man.

"She's my mom." What?

"Oh, I see." Archie nodded his head. Oh you most certainly do not see.

"Look, I'm just trying to get him home. Any idea where he lives?" Emma sighed.

"Yes of course, the mayor's house in just down there on Mifflin Street. Big white house you can't miss it." Mayor? He's the mayor's kid?

Emma voiced her question to Henry to which he responded, "Uh, maybe." scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.

Shaking her head, Emma thanked Archie and followed the directions given, before stopping in front of the massive manor. They exited the car and walked up the walkway.

"Thanks for bringing me home Emma. I really wanted to meet you but my mom would have been completely against the idea. Plus it was pretty cool getting to see places outside of Storybrooke. My mom never takes me anywhere."

Emma nodded her head, looking down at the pavement with her hands in her back pocket. She wasn't sure how to handle the kid's gratitude.

"Right, because your mom is the Evil Queen." She said jokingly. "She keeps you locked up in a tower."

Henry shook his head sadly. "She's afraid I'll leave her one day and never come back. She can't really follow me if I did."

Emma was confused by what the kid meant by that. The front door of the house opened and a man sighed in relief at seeing Henry.

Now Emma was truly lost, the kid said it was just him and his mom. "Henry there you are! Where have you been? Your mother has been worried sick."

The kid hung his head in shame and fiddled with his sweater sleeves. "I'm sorry Sheriff Graham. I didn't mean to worry her but I had to go find her." He pointed at Emma, turning the Sheriff's attention on the woman.

He was about to ask who she was when a voice came from behind him.

"Henry! You're okay! Where have you been?!"

The Sheriff moved out of the way to reveal who Emma could only assume was Henry's mother, but at the same time, this woman looked nothing like some Evil Queen. She had expected someone a bit more terrifying. The brunette woman was dressed in a sensible gray pant suit. She had dark eyes that were filled with relief at the sight of Henry and her lips were painted a strong brick red. Though that wasn't what surprised Emma and had her struggling to believe this woman was evil. She had had all sorts of foster parents who didn't look the part of which they played. No, what shocked Emma was the wheelchair the woman was sitting in.

Mayor Mills rolled herself out the door with a little help from Graham. "Where have you been?" she asked once more, lifting Henry's chin to meet his eyes.

"I found my real mom." Emma was shocked by the boy's cold tone after hearing him speak about this woman with nothing but care.

It seems that she wasn't the only one surprised by this as the mayor leaned back into her chair as if she was just slapped. Henry pushed pass Graham and ran up the stairs to she assumed was his room and Graham was quick to follow, leaving her with the intriguing woman.

"You're Henry's birth mother?" She asked staring at Emma so intensely that the bails bond person couldn't help but blush a bit.

"Hi..." She responded weakly. Then right before her eyes, just as the kid had down earlier, the woman's personality did a complete 180. She was now smiling Emma as if she was the salvation of all. What's wrong with this family?

"How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?"

"Got anything stronger?" Emma chuckled and ran her hands through her hair. The mayor just smiled before spinning around to head back inside. Emma was quick to help the woman, elevating her chair to get through the door. The smile she got for efforts warmed her heart.

"Thank you dear."

Moments later the two women were in Regina's study glasses in hand. Emma had gone for some whiskey, the night's events finally settling in her mind. She had met her son, the kid she gave up to ensure he got his best chance and looking around this room, seeing a paper mache hand with the word "mommy" spelt out on each finger, she was happy to find that he had grown up in an obviously loving home. Emma sipped her whiskey as she heard the front door close. The sheriff had just left then. She was now alone with the other woman. Regina instigated the conversation. "Thank you for bringing him home." The mayor smiled kindly, "I know it must have been a hassle for you to have him pull you out of your life. I really don't know what has gotten into him."

"Kid's having a rough time, it happens." Emma shrugged. Regina sighed

"I try my best, given you know..." She waved at herself and Emma nodded

"Being a mother as well as the mayor is hard on its own, but to also be incapacitated, it's a challenge." Emma shook her head.

"Hey I get it. You're strict, you have to be. It's not like this whole fairytale thing is your fault."

"What fairytale thing? Regina asked with calculating eyes, though Emma didn't notice.

"Oh, you know. His book. How he thinks everyone's a cartoon character from it."

"I'm afraid I don't have the faintest idea on what you're talking about. What book?"

"You know what," Emma downed her whiskey and stood up. "He's your kid and I need to get back."

"Oh, of course." For some reason the mayor looked saddened by Emma's leaving.

Showing Emma the door, Regina said " Why don't you stay the night at the town Bed and Breakfast, I mean you did just drink and it would be unethical of me to allow to drive all the way to Boston so late at night." Emma knew this was complete bull but she found herself agreeing anyways, because for whatever reason Emma finds the mayor quite fascinating.

AN Henry knows about the curse and Regina's past, she told him when he first brought it up with her. Regina has been in the wheelchair even before Henry came along. It was why she decided to adopt in the first place. Regina doesn't know who Emma is, just that she's Henry's birth mother who makes him happy. She also doesn't know about the story book. Henry loves her but his book dictates her in a very negative light and he has come to see the difference between the Evil Queen and the woman he calls his mother, but there is still some resent in that Regina won't let him leave StoryBrooke ever so long as the curse is still intact and she can't go with him.