It has been a terribly long week for Emma already and it is only Wednesday. As she limps towards the parking garage to fetch her car, she replays the events of the last several weeks in her mind.
She had just recently moved to Seattle from New York City which was a place that she had spent most of her adult life. She cannot pinpoint the exact moment she realized she had outgrown it, but she knew if she stayed there for much longer that it would start to feel more and more suffocating. In Emma's mind, leaving to find a place somewhere else to start over was a perfectly sound decision and because she had never felt any attachment to The Big Apple, it was not a very difficult decision to make.
Ruby, who is Emma's one and only close friend, could not be convinced at all that this idea was a good one so she refused to help with any travel arrangements or the packing. It takes about a day and a half for Emma to notice as she was packing her things up into boxes, Ruby was stealthily unpacking the boxes she has already finished. Luckily, Emma's lack of emotional attachments meant that she had very little to pack in the first place and she was able to fit everything that she wanted to take with her in four good-sized boxes.
She remembers on her last morning in New York, she and Ruby decided to have breakfast together at their favorite coffee shop. It was a very nice Spring day so they opted to sit outside on the small patio which also gave Emma the chance to take in the sights and sounds of the city one last time.
As they both reached for the last bite of an order of French toast they were sharing, Ruby quickly pulled the plate towards herself playfully. The quick motion caused Emma to react instinctively by reaching out further nearly knocking over the two glasses of water on the table.
"Hey! You could at least let me have the last bite just this once seeing that I won't be back here for a while." Emma says, a hint of irritation in her voice.
Ruby considers the plea and eventually pushes the plate back towards her friend.
Emma smiles triumphantly and reaches her fork out again but just as she is about to grab the last piece of syrup-coated toast, Ruby seemed to have changed her mind and quickly stabbed it with her fork. Without pause or a second thought, she put it into her own mouth.
Emma balled up the napkin that she had in her hand and threw it at her best friend. "Rubes, you're such an asshole."
Ruby unfolded the napkin, wiped her mouth off with it, and grinned at Emma. "It's not my fault that you won't be back here for a while." Then she frowned. "You could just stay, you know."
Emma shook her head, "Rubes…I just…"
Ruby, however, does not let her finish the sentence, "Yeah, yeah, you just need something different. Or something more than this." In her frustration, she motioned upwards with both arms in air. "Whatever the hell that even means. I just wish that you could try looking a little bit harder for that here. There are plenty of eligible men and women in this city, Harp."
Emma was more than just a little irritated when she replied, "You know damned well that isn't what I mean. I'm not looking for a new relationship. I haven't gotten over the last one and anyway, a new love interest isn't going to magically make things right. It isn't going to make me feel like I belong here or that I should stay."
Ruby frowned. "I just don't understand! Especially if this isn't about Wes. You have such a good thing going for you here and I feel like you're throwing all of that away. You were doing so well. You finally found steady work and you just got your own place after ending that toxic thing you had going with him. I guess I just keep assuming that you did feel like you belonged here. You know that I certainly think you do."
Emma knew that Ruby was right. There had been moments that she felt like she could stay in this place forever. It took her a long time to find a stable job and even longer to find a peace she did not think was possible after her relationship ended. Wes turned out to be a man that constantly put his own needs above hers and it was so difficult to deal with towards the end. It made her cringe to think that she nearly accepted his marriage proposal. Where would she be now if she had? Stuck, no, trapped. And that was the last situation that Emma Swan ever wanted to put herself in. She sighed, "Rubes, I can't tell you why but I have to do this. I don't even think that I know why. But, even if I end up back here months from now, I need to know that I made an effort to change this feeling that I have."
Ruby knew that there was no talking her friend out of something she had already set her mind to. She had attempted to do so for weeks and they kept coming back to this same conclusion. "Emma Swan, you are such a stubborn asshole. Can you at least tell me that you know where you are going? Do you even have a destination in mind?"
Emma shrugged, "You know what, I think that I'm just going to wing it and drive until it feels right."
Ruby rolled her eyes. "What a very typical 'Emma' thing for you to do."
It took Emma over a week of driving to get to the Pacific Northwest. She made very few stops the entire trip, only really stopping to eat or sleep for the night, all the while still without a final destination in mind. Eventually, after a long day of driving through most of Montana, Idaho, and Eastern Washington, she decided to stop so that she could refuel both herself and the car. With little knowledge of the area she was in, she drove until she saw what looked to be a big Ferris wheel in the distance and decided that it would be a good place to stop for a bite to eat.
After what seemed like a lifetime of sitting at stoplights and looking for parking, she found an area to park her car and started walking towards the giant wheel. It was a bit after 8pm but it did not surprise her that the waterfront was still busy with people. It was a beautiful day and the sun was barely starting to set, illuminating the sky with a brilliant tangerine glow. She stopped in front of the giant wheel at a spot overlooking the water. She stood there and took in the sights of all the ferries and boats, the people all around her, and the mountains in the horizon. She sensed that there was a busyness that she definitely missed already about New York but also an entirely different energy that was so much more serene than what she was used to. It was just so beautiful. After some thought, she decided that she could stay in this place for a while. She could explore this new city, maybe find some odd jobs and just see where it takes her. When she left the East coast, she was in search of some place different and new so maybe this was just what she needed.
Emma has been in Seattle for five weeks now and she has not really settled in very much. She is staying at a hotel close to the city that is within walking distance to a lot of the prime spots. It is not the best place she has ever stayed at, but it definitely is not the worst either. She has no idea that Seattle is such a tourist destination but quickly learns that upon her arrival. The place she is staying at seems to lack vacancy most of the time so she is very grateful that they are allowing her to pay for two months in advance, ensuring that she will have a place to stay until she can find something more permanent, if that is what she decides to do. Also, her job situation has been crummy to say the least. She was able to find a staffing agency in downtown Seattle and they interviewed and tested her within her first few days in the city. Since then, they have been sending her to work very random gigs all over the city. She has worked for the cruise lines checking passports, at the football stadium and baseball field checking bags and tickets, and has even worked security on the floor for some large concerts and corporate events.
Just yesterday, Emma started a new assignment at the Key Arena for an international video game competition, some online game she has never heard of. Apparently, there are kids from all over the world that have come to Seattle to compete for some ridiculously large cash prize. It is a very interesting job albeit not very dynamic,but she has yet to find anything more permanent. She supposes that the pay is alright because she undoubtedly could be making less and working harder. She has learned over the years that as long as she was willing to work, there will always be money to be made and jobs available.
Emma notes that her shift today was more than twelve hours long and she was given just one break to eat. After standing on the hard concrete floor of the arena all day long, her feet are in excruciating pain. It surprises her because she considers herself in pretty good shape and is no stranger to working long hours. Standing around for a long day hardly seems like it would be something that would cause her so much grief, but currently, as far as her poor feet were concerned, she feels utterly defeated.
When Emma finally makes her way to the parking garage, she notices a piece of paper taped to the outside of the elevator doors. Broken. Use Stairs. "Fuck. I'm parked on five." Feeling beaten and clearly without any other options, she makes her way over to the staircase that is located by the entrance of the garage and situates herself on the bottom step. This instantly relieves most of the pain in her legs as the weight is lifted off of her feet. She realizes that walking all the way up five floors is going to take more effort than she has the energy for. Reaching for her phone that is in her back pocket, she checks the time. It is close to 11pm and she is both starving and exhausted. She hangs her head between her knees for a moment and takes a deep breath. She reminds herself that she is just five flights of stairs away from being on her way back to the hotel where there is a bed and at least a half-eaten chocolate chip muffin leftover from her breakfast this morning. She cannot decide which she wants more, but right now, they both sound like heaven.
"C'mon, Swan. You can do this." Emma says as she tries to encourage herself to get up off of the ground. As she looks up again, ready to push herself back up onto her feet, she notices a neon sign across the street on the corner opposite of where she is currently sitting. She cannot really make out what the sign says but there is a chalkboard sign standing up on the sidewalk a few feet from the door that makes her think that it is most likely a restaurant or bar. She perks up immediately and pushes herself up off of the step. Pain shoots up one of her legs causing her to lose her balance for a second. After steadying herself, she makes her way out of the parking garage and limps her way across the street. As she nears the neon sign that first caught her eye, she can finally make out what it says. Regina' on the chalkboard directly below that, it says: Regina's, Open Until Late, Homemade Burgers, Full Bar, Local Beer on Tap, Live Music. As she reads the part about the burgers, her stomach rumbles obnoxiously. She thinks to herself that this is going to be far better than attempting five flights of stairs, so she pulls the door open and steps inside.