Chapter 1
Emma pulled up at the curb of the Rabbit Hole and killed the engine. Ruby had begged her to have a drink tonight. David would be taking the morning shift at the station tomorrow. Of course, the blonde would rather be at home taking a long hot bath. She needed to release tension she had in her neck and shoulders from the hours of paperwork. Regina was adamant that all paperwork be completed every Friday. She wanted it dropped off by her office before closing.
"Crap", Emma said out loud as she looked over at the manila folder that lay in the passenger seat.
The ringtone on her phone went off making her jump. Pulling it out of her coat pocket, she swiped her finger across the screen to answer, "Yeah."
"Where the hell are you?" Ruby's voice shouted through the receiver so to be heard over the loud music in the background.
"I'll be there in a few minutes, I have to swing by the Mayor's office to drop off the reports", Emma said.
The noise coming through the phone made Emma's head throb, "Hurry up, and don't do anything I wouldn't."
Before Emma could ask Ruby what she meant by that, the receiver clicked, indicating she had hung up. Shaking her head, Emma pinched the bridge of her nose, there was a headache coming on. She pushed in the clutch as she started the car. Shifting into first gear she pulled back out onto the street.
Her cell phone rang again, and she answered, "Yes", knowing it was Ruby.
"Are you here yet?"
"Ruby, it has only been like two minutes, and no I'm on my way to the Mayor's office. I'll see you in a bit", Emma said before hanging up.
The blonde pulled up across the street from the Mayor's office and killed the engine. She couldn't see the light in the window, but Regina's car was parked outside to let her know she was still there.
"Great", she said to herself.
She knew, as soon as she walked into that office, the Mayor would start in on her. Pointing out the hour, and saying that she had other things to do than sitting around waiting on Sheriff Swan. She would say something insulting in regards to her competence. Normally Emma kept her mouth shut, but today had been a long day. She made no promises once she walked through those doors.
She climbed out of the yellow bug, took a deep breath. After all this time, Emma still couldn't understand why the Mayor acted like such a bitch to her. She thought they would at least be better friends by now. It seemed the harder Emma tried, the more Regina pulled away. The blonde didn't know why she continued to put up with the Evil Queen, or the way she treated her. Maybe it was for Henry's sake, she thought to herself. Deep down though, she knew that wasn't entirely true.
The sheriff realized some things had changed between the two women. Not as much as Emma would have hoped, though. Ever since the blonde and Henry had gotten back from New York, there were moments when it seemed the Mayor was trying to be her friend. Of course, something would happen and out would come the bitch again. Maybe Regina was still upset with her about the whole Marian thing. Honestly, the blonde didn't know what the Queen saw in the thief. Emma did say she would help the Queen find her happy ending, whichever she chose.
Looking first left, then right, Emma crossed the street. Ruby's comment replayed in her brain. What had Ruby meant by that? Sure, Emma thought the Mayor was a beautiful woman. She had many good and attractive qualities. However, there was no way she could even consider something like that with her. Hell, if they couldn't be friends, how in the hell could they be more. Not to mention, that Regina was in love with Robin.
As Emma reached the door handle, she noticed it was ajar. She slowly pushed it open and peered inside. Nothing in the entryway looked out of place, so she continued in. For a moment she thought maybe the Mayor had been gathering her stuff to leave for the night. Like always, she was waiting on the Sheriff.
Emma took a step forward and her cell phone went off again. Her heart almost flew out of her throat. Annoyed, she swiped to answer the phone without looking, "Damn it, Ruby."
A weak voice said, "Miss Swan."
"Regina?"
The hair on the back of Emma's neck stood on end, and she knew something was wrong. She waited for a response, but all she could hear was breathing, "Where are you, Regina?"
Emma heard the clacking noise of the phone hitting something hard through the receiver and then something fall against the marble floor from behind the Mayor's office door.
Emma shoved the phone into her pocket. Sprinting the last ten feet to the door, she turned the knob to the glass-paned door. It was locked. Without a second thought, she hit her leather cover elbow into the glass causing it to shatter. She reached in to turn the lock on the knob, before swinging the door open.
She scanned the room, first looking to her left, and noticing the sofa overturned. Papers covered the floors. To the right, a few chairs from the conference table we overturned, but then she looked straight ahead. The contents from the desk were all over the floor. The telephone cord of the office phone stretched out from behind the desk. Panic was rising in Emma's chest. She took a step closer and noticed what seemed like blood.
"Regina", she called out scanning the room again? There was movement from the other side of the desk.
Drawing her gun and walked toward the sound. As she rounded the back of the marble desk, she could see legs. Soon the whole body came into view and she gasped at the scene. Regina was lying on the floor, face down. Her lower body was bare, and her silk shirt was ripped and appeared to be hanging on by a thread.
Emma holstered her gun before falling to her knees next to the Mayor. Grabbing her shoulders, Emma rolled her onto her back, "Regina?"
A small moan or grunt, Emma wasn't sure which one, came from the Mayor's throat. Emma pulled her jacket off and placed it over Regina's naked lower half.
Blood was running from the Mayor's temple. Her lip appeared split, and her eye was swelling up as if she had been punched repeatedly in the same spot. She ran her fingers softly down the side of Regina's face, "Regina, open your eyes".
She knew the Mayor was alive, she could see the rise and fall of her chest, "Regina, please open your eyes."
The Mayor's eyes fluttered, but they didn't fully open. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she moaned.
"It's going to be okay, I'm going to take care of you," Emma said as she fumbled the cell phone out of the jacket she had to cover Regina with.
Her fingers didn't seem to want to work. She hit the wrong number for 911 a couple of times. "Shit, come on Emma, you got this. Its three damned numbers", she said to herself.
On the third try, she was able to dial the correct number and gain control of the situation. "This is sheriff Swan. I need an ambulance at the Town Hall immediately. I have a female with head trauma and possible sexual assault".
Emma didn't wait for the operator to respond, nor did she want to tell her that the victim was the Mayor. The last thing she needed was the newspapers or any other nosy ass resident getting wind of this right now. She felt helpless and angry. Who the hell did this? She didn't care why. Nothing would condone this kind of thing. It was her job to protect the people of this town including Regina. She had made that promise, more to herself than actually out loud. She felt she was looking a broken promise in the face.
She put her arm around the Mayor's shoulders and lifted her upper body so that she was cradled to Emma's chest.
The blonde's eyes started to water. "I am so sorry Regina", she said leaning down and kissing the top of the Mayor's blood-soaked head.
SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ
Emma called David to inform him that there had been an attack. He arrived in less than twenty minutes, with a very worried snow in tow.
"Emma, what happened, where is she?" Snow asked.
Emma narrowed her eyes at David. He threw his hands up and shrugged his shoulders.
The blonde looked to her mother," We don't know anything yet. The doctor is with her right now."
Snow went to pass Emma but was grabbed by the arm. She turned to meet her daughters face, "Mom, you don't want to see her right now. It was pretty bad", Emma said.
"How bad can it be? I want to see her, believe it or not, I care about her Emma", the short-haired brunette said with tears in her eyes.
The sheriff let out a sign. "I know you do, but Regina needs her privacy on this one, and she wouldn't be happy to know you saw her in this state."
Mary Margret searched Emma's eyes for a long moment. A tear escaped and rolled down her round cheek, "What happened?"
The Sheriff hadn't told David much of anything either. Henry was still asleep when they got the call and Granny came to sit with him and baby Neal. David figured he could go pick the teenager up, once they knew how Regina was. He watched the sheriff waiting for her to elaborate on the situation.
Letting out another sigh, Emma pinched the bridge of her nose, "I don't know. When I got there, she wasn't responsive."
"Start from the beginning," David asked?
Emma started pacing back and forth as she explained. "I had to run the reports by Town hall for Regina like I do every Friday evening after work. I was running late, and when I got to her office, she called me and said my name, but that was all, and I knew something was wrong. I broke through her office door and found her half-naked and bloodied on the floor. It must have been one hell of a scuffle because her office was a disaster."
More tears filled the short-haired brunette's eyes. David stepped close to her and pulled her into his arms. Emma looked everywhere but at the couple. She was afraid that if she saw how upset her mother was, then she wouldn't be able to hold back her own tears.
Just then, the double doors behind Emma flew open with a bang, causing all three of them to jump. The sheriff spun on her heels to see the doctor who was now inches from her as he whispered in her ear. "She is awake, and is asking for you, only you".
The last part of his sentence made her a little nervous. She nodded her head at him and looked at her parents, "I'll be back."