Author's Note: I know, I know, I should be working on TTBL but this has been in my head for awhile and I've got it mostly planned out. This fic will be updated depending on how people like it so if you do, give me a comment or bug me on tumblr (same name as here) and it'll make me update faster! Like TTBL, this is mostly a set up chapter, more meaty goodness will be in the next chapter.
I really hope you guys enjoy!
P.S. TTBL should hopefully be updated next week!
Chapter 1
Thunder rumbled in the distance as town folk bustled in and out of stores, gathering supplies before the oncoming storm hit. The sky was quickly darkening with bulbous grey clouds that threatened to drench anyone left outside when it opened its gates. There was a chill in the air, unusual for a summer day in Storybrooke, Maine that caused the girl running down the nearly empty street to draw her red leather jacket closer to her muscular frame. The wind whipped her blonde curls back and forth as if they had a mind of their own. She paused to look up at the ominous sky, a few fat drops spattered across her rosy cheeks. She closed her blue green eyes, enjoying the calm before the storm, ears taking in the silence as wildlife had hunkered down in anticipation of the tempest. The seventeen year old took a deep breath, the air crackled with electricity and her hairs stood up on end, as if receiving a phantom kiss from the storm. The power wrapped around her and she felt renewed.
Raindrops fell more frequently and the girl opened her eyes and darted under awning of the local grocery store. She stood watching the earth become wet before she turned around and entered the near empty store. Her mother, Mary Margaret, had asked her to quickly pick up some bread and water in preparation for if their power went out. Blonde locks fell forward as she watched her boot covered feet as they made obnoxious squeaking sounds against the linoleum. The store was so small she didn't need to watch where she was going; she knew the aisles like the back of her hand. She made her way down the row towards the bread when she bumped into something hard.
Limbs tangled together as each body tried to find a solid purchase. The blond grabbed onto the other person's arms but didn't notice the little puddle of water that someone's shoes must have brought in, her boots lost traction and both people fell to the ground with a loud "oof". The blonde's back smacked the ground hard, her head quickly following with a resounding crack. A second later, the bothersome person she had knocked into fell on top of her, knocking the wind out of her lungs. The girl let out a groan as she mentally cataloged her pain, checking if anything had broken from her fall. Her head was pounding and stars were shining behind closed eyelids.
She managed to raise a hand to rub her face but hastily stopped when she felt soft strands against her cheek. She slowly opened one eye and was greeted with a view of a head of dark locks. The girl's heart rate picked up as her mind reeled with who was lying on top of her. She immediately closed her one open eye, feigning ignorance when she felt the other body on top of her move. The other person seemed to gather their wits as a sharp voice spoke up.
"Oh, honestly, watch where you're going. What were you-" the voice ground to a halt as it realized who the blonde was. "Oh, it's you, of course it is." Somehow, the voice still managed to sound condescending, despite being sprawled out on the dirty floor. "Emma Swan, you would refuse to look where you're going, wouldn't you." It wasn't a question.
Finally, Emma opened both eyes and stared up at the dark haired girl above her. Once they made eye contact, the other girl seemed to realize what exactly she was pressed up against and quickly got to her feet. Now, looking down at her from full height, Emma had the feeling of being scrutinized by an unpleased parent, despite being practically the same age. The standing girl crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared at Emma, refusing to help the fallen girl.
Emma stared right back, light eyes taking in the darker girl. Dark chocolate curls feel loosely down her back and equally dark eyes pierced the space between them. She was dressed immaculately in a black pea coat and short black skirt. Long legs were encased in sheer black tights that drew Emma's eye down to sharp stiletto heels. How someone could look so annoyingly perfect aggravated Emma to no end. The girl smirked at Emma's wandering eyes and shifted her weight, cocking out her hip.
Emma cleared her throat. "Regina. What are you doing here?" She scrambled awkwardly into a standing position and continued to gaze at the other girl.
"What do you think I'm doing? Shopping for puppies?" Regina's smirk grows wider. "This is a grocery store, Emma. I'm obviously getting groceries, or did that fall make you lose any brain cells you had left."
Emma's mouth gaped open, at a loss for words.
"I think you need to go home dear, you obviously are incapable of functioning right now. You might want to get that head of yours checked out, wouldn't want any permanent damage." With that, Regina turned on the balls of her feet and the harsh staccato of her heels faded from Emma's ears.
Emma stood still for several minutes, taking in the event that just took place. For some reason, that girl was always able to get under her skin and it infuriated the blonde to no end. Ever since they were small children, they never got along. Whether it was hair pulling or stealing each other's toys at recess; they were always arguing about something. With a shake of her head, Emma cast Regina out of her mind and went about getting the few groceries that her mother needed.
She paid for the food and stepped back outside. Even though she was only inside for a few minutes, the sky was infinitely darker. The rain was now coming down in sheets; the other side of the road was barely visible.
"Shit!" Emma was stranded; there was no way she could run home now.
"Hey! Girl!" Emma turned, looking for the voice. An older woman was leaning out of a truck window a few yards away. Emma sprinted for the truck, head bowed, holding the groceries to her chest, trying to keep rain off them. She opened the door and hopped in, casting a grateful look at the sole occupant.
"Thanks, Granny, you're a life saver." Granny shifted the truck in gear and took off down the road.
"What that woman was thinking sending you out before this storm is beyond me. You could've drowned in this rain!"
"It's alright, Granny. I thought I could make it. It wasn't raining when I left."
"Of course you thought you could make it, you're invincible, right? You and those young kids. Never thinking anything can kill you." Granny glared at her momentarily before focusing back on the road.
Granny jerked the truck to a stop when she got to the girl's house and Emma swiftly climbed out with a "thanks" before bolting for her front porch.
She let herself into the house and was welcomed by a shriek. Mary Margaret launched herself into the hallway, anxious to get to her daughter. She pulled her into a hug, not caring about her drenched clothes. Emma let her mother hold her for a minute before squirming out of her grasp.
"Mom, here take the food. I'm fine and want to get out of my wet clothes."
"Oh, honey. I'm so sorry for making you go out. I shouldn't have! I didn't know if you'd be able to get back to the house and be stuck somewhere! How did you get home?!" Mary Margaret continued blabbering for a few minutes, unable to believe her own stupidity.
Emma just laughed and put a hand on her mother's shoulder. "It's fine, Mom. I got a ride with Granny. Where's Dad?"
"Oh thank god, I had hoped you didn't run back here! And your father is in the basement, setting up the safety shelter in case it gets too dangerous."
"Okay, thanks Mom." She moved down the hall, Mary Margaret trailing after her until she reached the stairs that led to her bedroom.
The wet girl entered her safe haven and searched the messy floor for her pajamas. She peeled off her wet clothes, hoping the leather jacket wasn't now ruined and went to the bathroom for a hot shower. Once she was warmed up and dry, she went back downstairs. Mary Margaret and David were snuggled together on the couch, watching the rain patter against the windows. Thunder could still be heard in the distance and every once in a while lightning lit up the sky. She sat with them in silence for a short time before turning on the TV to take her mind of the raging storm. Despite the loud noise from the TV, Emma could still hear the house groan with every gust of wind and clap of thunder.
The storm grew to a cacophony; a loud boom was heard followed by a bright flash and everything went dark. Emma let out a loud sigh. The power had gone out. Mary Margaret went around lighting candles, casting the room in an orange glow.
They passed the rest of the night in relative silence, content to just relax to the sound of the rain. Once it became a respectable time for bed, Emma went upstairs and cuddled into her blankets. The drumming of rain was louder on the top floor and Emma could once again feel the power of the storm above her. She stared at the ceiling as if she could actually see the clouds above her.
Her mind drifted back to her encounter with Regina at the store. Maybe it was her sleep addled self but Emma could feel a connection between the older girl and the storm. Strong and fierce, yet majestic and beautiful. She finally fell asleep to those hauntingly russet eyes.
The next morning broke to bright sunlight. Beams streamed across Emma's bed, right in her face. This did nothing to wake the girl who slept like the dead. An alarm pierced the air and the blonde's hand whipped out from under the covers and slapped the device off the nightstand. The clatter was enough to spur the girl to open her eyes and let out an annoyed groan. The blinding light caused her to bury her face back in the pillow, wishing she could go back to sleep.
She crawled out of bed as if weighed down by concrete blocks, changed into her running clothes and made her way downstairs for a quick breakfast. Mary Margaret was already downstairs, a cup of coffee in her hand, reading the newspaper. She looked up at her daughter and took in what she was wearing.
"Emma do you really think you should go out for your run this morning? Trees are down all over the place, it could be dangerous."
Emma rolled her eyes. "Mom, I swear, I'll be fine. I've run after storms before. It's not like I'm going to get lost, plus I have my cell on me if anything happens. "
With a sigh of defeat, Mary Margaret concedes. "Alright, fine. But if you're not back in two hours I'm sending a search party."
Emma gives her mom a peck on the cheek before grabbing a banana and stuffing most of it in her mouth. Once the fruit is finished, she bounds out the door, ear buds in place, ready to start her morning workout. The sky is a bright blue with not a cloud to be seen. It's hard to believe a storm even took place last night. Emma looks around the neighborhood and can see several trees downed. Luckily, they didn't receive much damage; just a few branches litter their front yard. The air smells of wet earth, Emma can't help but breathe deeply at the rich scent. The ground is still wet but that doesn't stop her as she takes off at an easy pace down the road.
She makes her way down Main Street before cutting through one of the wealthier neighborhoods. Emma glances at the Mayor's mansion, as she passes by, looking for any sign of Regina. The house remains dark and she guesses that mother and daughter are already out fixing issues the other residents of Storybrooke have complained about. She gets to the outskirts of the block and the neat lines of houses turn into rows upon rows of trees.
The forest appeared to have survived the storm without a scratch. Birds chirped from the branches and squirrels went about collecting acorns on the forest floor. The scent of trees filled her lungs as she picked up her pace, feeling the burn in her muscles. The path that she had been following twists and turns, taking her deeper into the woods.
Lost in the rhythm of music pumping though her, she doesn't notice the subtle changes in scenery around her. Even though it's early in the morning, the forest was starting to get darker. What were once fat, thick beech trunks have given way to extremely tall and thin pine trees. Emma skidded to a stop, pulling the buds out of her ears and finally took in the woodland around her. Her brows knit together as she realized she didn't know where she was. She had taken this same path time and time again and had never encountered anything different. She mentally retraced her steps, checking if there had been some kind of new route to the path that she had missed but came up empty.
Pulling her cell phone out of her sports bra, she checked it for a signal but it appeared she didn't have service this far out of the town. Emma worried her lip, wondering if she should turn around and try to get back to town. There's no possible way she could have taken another path. She distinctly remembered taking the one right next to Regina's house and that distinct path doesn't have any offshoots and circles right back to the center of town. It stood to reason that she usually didn't pay attention to her surroundings and just hadn't ever noticed what the forest really looked like until now. She put the buds back in her ears and continued with her run, figuring she'd eventually get out of the forest but this time remaining more aware of what was around her. However, the further she went, the more uncomfortable she felt.
Once again, she stopped and looked up to where the sun should be, but it was hidden behind the canopy of trees. Again, she checked her phone for coverage but no bars appeared. She still had time before Mary Margaret started looking for her but she figured it would probably be best to head back just in case. She turned around but something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned her head; just off to the right was an arch.
Something about the structure was calling to her; a soft wind whispered around her, cooling her sweat drenched skin. It caressed her skin, an invisible force pulling her forwards and off the path. Emma hesitated for a minute, unsure if she should move away from the safety of the paved road. She shook her head, feeling ridiculous. She took one step forward and before she knew it, she was staring up at the impressive trellis.
Tree branches wove together in an intricate braid and ivy snuck its way through the crevasses that were too tiny for the larger fingers to get through. The height of summer treated the plants well, bright green leaves scattered across the branches and little white blooms burst into existence all around. Emma's fingertips grazed one of the blooms and she drew her face close, inhaling the flowery scent. It smelt of warm summer nights; it was intoxicating. The blonde's eyes drifted closed, letting the warmth encase her, relaxing her body. She glanced up at the arch; she wished she could see the upper portion better, it seemed impossible that something so intricate could create itself naturally. She stepped through the archway; her feet involuntarily move her forward. Another gust of wind coaxes her forward, now she stood on the other side. Goosebumps rise up on the back of her neck and arms and she shivered.
Something about that structure seemed mystical. As if it wasn't of this world, but that's impossible. It's just an archway; someone must have created it long ago. She scans the formation once more and heads back to the path. It was right where she left it and she takes off the way she'd come, back towards civilization.
She picks up speed once she notices the trees thinning around her; finally, she's back in town. Her feet hit a hard surface but it feels unfamiliar under her soles. She looks down and sees cobble stones. Emma scrunches her face in confusion. The streets of Storybrooke don't have cobble stones. She walks further down the street and comes upon the mayoral mansion. Or what used to be the mansion. Now, a huge Victorian estate stands in its place. The mansion that she remembers was a whitewashed home with pillars guarding the front stoop. This building was made of stone but looked no less modern. It was all sharp edges and seemed twice as big. Two towers with curved bay windows embellished the upper floor and a balcony stood proud between them. A huge window let out warm light above the front doors and an extravagant crystal chandelier hung in the entryway. Emma's eyes drew back down to the ground. The front gate and outer hedges remained as she remembered them, one word adorning the side of the box.
Mills.