Please be gentle. This is my first SQ fic, English isn't my first language and I'm still looking for a beta. I just couldn't get this idea out of my head and had to write it down. The rating might change in later chapters ;)
"Excuse me" Emma Swan murmured as she tried to make her way through the crowded train. She was already regretting her decision to spend an hour after her last class in the library to get some research for her paper done. This extra hour now got her fully into the rush hour. The train filled with people who just finished their shift and were on their way home and there was basically no chance for an empty seat.
Emma let out an annoyed groan as she kept pushing forwards. She hasn't eaten properly since the lunch break and just wanted to get home as soon as possible. It has been an awfully long day. She almost finished her final year at Uni, still those last few weeks were usually packed with classes from early morning till the late afternoon and the deadlines for her papers were getting closer.
Emma usually didn't worry too much about those though. She was a good student, always has been. She was used to work hard for her goals and right now this was to finally get her teaching degree. Becoming a teacher has been her dream for as long as she can remember and now she only had to hand in one last paper until she was finally allowed into the practical training.
Last week she received the mail that she was accepted for the training program at the school, she once visited as a student herself. Despite most students Emma didn't mind school when she was younger, instead she actually enjoyed spending her time there. Being in school was her escape from her foster family. It gave her the opportunity to see her friends and was just a nice change from her rather dull daily-life that mostly consisted of staying inside and taking care of her foster brothers and sisters. So Emma was indeed really looking forwards to get back to that school – this time not as a student but a teacher. She was actually very excited about getting to know the school from the teachers' side and was wondering how things had changed at Storybrooke High since she left. Maybe she would even get the chance to work with some of her old teachers.
The blonde woman was still trying to make her way through the crowded train and was once again regretting her decision to rent an apartment a few train stations away from her Uni. Sure, it was cheaper, but the constant rides in stuffy trains were really getting on her nerves. She was just about to give up her last spark of hope for a free seat when the train suddenly braked hard. Emma lost her balance, stumbled forwards and found herself pressed up against another woman. She muttered an awkward apology, kept her gaze low and was about to give the woman her personal space back when a husky voice made her freeze on the spot.
"It's alright, Miss Swan. No need to apologize."
She would have recognized that voice anywhere and when Emma finally lifted her gaze, she was not surprised to stare into a very familiar pair of hazel eyes. Eyes that she hasn't seen since her last day of highschool and that ghosted through her dreams ever since. Emma cleared her throat. Realizing that she and the woman were still standing far too close, she finally stepped back, the corners of her mouth raising up to an overexcited smile.
"Keep it together, Swan." She internally cursed herself.
Trying to get her facial expression back under control, she stuttered a simple "Miss Mills. Good to see you." Then moved very ungracefully away from the woman, not even giving her the chance to reply. Head down and cheeks in a dark crimson she moved further through the crowd, trying to bring some distance between herself and the dark haired woman. She finally found an empty spot a few meters away, trying to control her breathing again she realized she was still smiling.
She hated her body for showing such strong emotions towards a woman that was technically still a stranger to her. Well, to be fair, this was by far the closest she has ever gotten to the woman and her light smell of apples was still clouding her mind. Regina Mills has been Emma's English teacher in her final year of highschool. She was feared by everyone because of her strict teaching and was known among students as the Evil Queen. Truth be told, Miss Mills definitely wasn't the best teacher Storybrooke High had to offer – she just lacked the necessary empathy the job requires. If you end up in Regina Mill's class without being passionate about the English language and literature, there was no way you would pass it with an acceptable grade. The woman was moody, bossy and was definitely someone you don't want to mess with.
Yet, Emma always enjoyed her classes, which might be partially because her gay ass developed a huge crush on the woman the moment she first stepped into her classroom – wearing a pencil skirt that left nothing to the imagination. She didn't even need words to gain the class' attention. One deep chuckle followed by a death glare that would have made some of her students jealous if they wouldn't have been scared to death.
While everyone was trying to keep their gaze low, clearly intimitated by the woman in front of them, Emma couldn't keep her eyes from her perfectly shaped face. She was so focused on her starring task that Miss Mills had to say her name three times during the attendance check. When Emma finally reacted with a sputtered "Here. Sorry." Miss Mills reacted with a disapproving raise of her eyebrows. The blonde made a mental note to herself that apart from all her other flaws Miss Mills probably hated nothing more than absent-mindedness during her classes.
From that moment Emma has been always a bit more attentive in Miss Mill's class than in her others, she has always worked a bit harder for her exams, has always put some extra effort in her essays. She passed the class with a quite decent grade, but even though she spent hours of her time imagining about the dark haired woman, her interactions with her never got beyond an awkward good morning and some mediocre contribution towards her discussions in class.
She would have loved nothing more than to actually impress her teacher with her knowledge or show some of her usual cheeky side during their discussions in class, but around the brunette woman her mind always ended up being completely blank. Who would have thought that after all this time Regina Mills would still remember her name?
She carefully lifted her head to risk another view on her former teacher. The woman was reading something that Emma guessed was a student paper. She frowned and was obviously not very impressed with her reading. Emma couldn't repress a quiet giggle when she realized the woman was still chewing on her lower lip – just like she always did when she was deep in thought during her classes and thought nobody was watching her.
Emma was so distracted by her former teacher that she almost missed her station. She hurried towards the doors not daring to give the woman another glance. If she did, she would have seen hazel eyes that went from staring on the paper in front of her to intensely staring at a certain blonde, monitoring every move and eventually wandering lower as if to appreciate the skinny jeans Emma decided to wear today.
If Emma ever thought she was over her crush this little meeting at the train clearly proved her wrong. The brunette woman was the only thing on Emma's mind during her walk home. The way she said Emma's name still sent shivers down her body and she couldn't help herself but kept thinking about how good it had felt to be pressed up against Regina Mills.
The final realization didn't hit her until she unlocked the door to her apartment though.
She was going to start her teaching training for English at the same school Regina Mills was working. She was going to see her every day. She might even work with her.
Well, that was going to be fun.