Chapter 1: Arrival.
Living in a two hundred square feet apartment has its perks when it comes up to packing your entire life in a few boxes, by the time Mary Margaret, her neighbor for years and best friend knocks at the door and burst into tears realizing that it's finally happening, she is all done. Everything is packed up in boxes and she's ready to leave this kind of life behind and give her child everything she wished and never had growing up.
She hugs Mary Margaret patting her back to soothe her sobbing, but as much as it's hard to leave her friend, who has been a giant support for her ever since she moved to the building and Henry was born, she can not avoid the relief it makes her feel to leave the pigsty shoebox she lives in with her ten years old son.
"I made this for you," the pixie haired woman says with weepy voice, "it's not much just a scrapbook with pictures and memories of all the things we have lived together.
"Thank you," she replies awkwardly, not sure if she should have had prepared a present too, "do you think David can give me a hand with this boxes?" She asks and Mary Margaret yelps gasping for air as if she was about to burst into tears again, but she nods and leaves the apartment only to come back again seconds later dragging David with her.
"Are this all of them?" He asks narrowing his eyes to the five medium sized boxes in front of him and Emma shrugs in response.
They carry the boxes downstairs and fit them all in her car, one in the trunk, other in the front beside her and the other three in the backseat.
She stands there feeling awkward while Mary Margaret sobs holding little Neal in her arms and David takes a look at the engine of her car like she is driving to another city instead of a few blocks down the road.
"We can make you company, make sure you get home safe and sound," Mary Margaret says and her eyes get glassy again.
"I'll manage fine by my own," she refuses gently, giving her a little pat on the shoulder, "it's only a few blocks down the road, I'll call you when I'm all set, okay?" Her friend agrees with a nod and she hugs her softly, then she kisses the baby's forehead and does her special handshake/hug with David before jumping in the car and driving off to her new life.
The unsettling feeling in her stomach grows bigger as the number of blocks separating her from her new house decrease, but there is something exciting about it, something she can not quite discern, her life is about to change completely , she is about to get everything she ever wanted and that makes her feel proud of herself as well as it makes her feel absolutely terrified of her near future, well aware that hope and dreams can grow big fast and then turn around and bite you even faster .
She pulls over in front of the 109 of Mifflin Street, her yellow bug contrasting drastically with the few cars she can pick a glance at the entrances of the rest of the houses, like the black Mercedes across the street, she shrug it off and hops out of her car. She then sits on the porch stairs, writing down some ideas for her next book on a piece of paper she manages to find in one of the boxes of the move, while waiting for the real state seller that apparently is late to their appointment. She frowns looking at the page she just wrote and curse herself for letting her 'muse attacking' notebook out of her reach when she started packing her things, the lack of writing support under the paper affecting badly her already horrendous handwriting.
"I'm sorry for the delay, Miss Swan, traffic downtown is horrible," a short man in a red jacket and a thick mustache, greets her cutting off her line of thoughts.
"That's alright, found myself a bit of inspiration while waiting," she responds standing and clumsily waving the piece of paper, a little too close to his face, due to their height difference, she flushes a bit mortified by her action.
The man obliges a laugh almost as awkward as she feel in that moment, waiting for the man to hand over her keys and get over with it.
"The house is completely furnished as requested," the man starts tapping on his pockets looking for the keys, almost as if he had heard the silent plea in the crashing awkward silence that came after his laughter, "here you go Miss Swan, this are the keys to your new home, I hope everything is to your liking and if not, know I am just a call away," he says wriggling his eyebrows at her, in the worst try of flirtation she had seen in her entire life and she suddenly feels pity of the man, instead of embarrassment for having slapped him in the face with her draft paper. She nods receiving the keys, the pity clearly showing in her features as she watches the man deflate in front of her, his shoulders sinking further as he walks off to pick up the house sale sign and tosses it in the trunk of his car, he waves at her and she does the same trying to be polite and then she finds herself alone in front of her new acquired mansion.
Not sure of what to do first, she takes one of the boxes out of the car, completely forgetting to open the front door first, so she is forced to balance the box between her hip and the door as she fights to find the right direction to open a lock, she is not used to yet and when the lock finally gives in to the pressure of the key, the door fully opens and she falls forwards crashing the box under her weight.
"Shimmmht!" She mutters still holding the draft piece of paper she had put between her lips, in order to use both hands with the stubborn door, as she tries to regain the oxygen her lungs were just deprived of. It's just then that she hears the very subtle giggle behind her.
"Was it not easier to put the box on the floor and just open the door first?" A woman says behind her, she can hear in her voice how badly this woman is trying not to laugh and her face automatically flushes a deep shade of red because of the humiliating position she was caught in, laying over a cardboard box, with her ass up in the air and her face slammed on the marble floor of her foyer. Emma somehow manages too flip herself around and sits ungracefully on the floor, the vision in front of her leaves her wordless, "you alright down there sweetheart?" The short haired brunette in the sport short and top asks,, frowning a little concerned by the blonde's complete lack of answer and Emma just gaps at the perfect formed abs and toned legs in front of her.
The woman is more than amused by the whole situation, she had been observing the girl since her arrival through her window and it was exactly her utter clumsiness what drove her attention the most in first place, so she just walked across the street and was about to introduce herself, when the girl landed over the box and ended up kissing the floor.
"Ih'mm alrighmmt," Emma manages forgetting about the paper she is holding within her lips, "I'm alright," she repeats slamming the thing out of her mouth.
"You must love that drawing very much since you kissing it so fervently," the woman comments leaning against the doorframe, arms folded over her chest and head bowing in the paper's direction.
"Oh that? No, I don't draw, that's just a raw draft of an idea for my next book, didn't want it two fly away in the wind, you have no idea how many good ideas I've lost to the will of Mother Nature."
"I start to have an idea dear, you are a clumsy one, are you not?" The brunette laughs, extending her hand to help her up, "Regina Mills, I'm the neighbor from across the street and you little damsel in distress are—?"
"Emma, Emma Swan," she answers bowing awkwardly for no reason when she is on her feet and that only makes her cheeks flush darker.
"So Miss Swan, tell me more about this book of yours, what is it about? May I?" She inquires picking the piece of paper from the floor and Emma rushes to take it of her hand, before she can give it a look.
"Oh no, that's definitely not happening," she replies folding the paper and tossing it inside her pocket.
"Hmm, do tell, is it something naughty what you have there and that's why you don't want me to read it?" She hums and Emma gives her a mortified look while her face goes impossibly redder.
"I just hate people reading what I write!" Emma snaps, turning around to pick up the box that's basically falling apart at her feet, just as an excuse to don't show her utterly embarrassed face to this woman that so blatantly invited herself in her house, to ask her uncomfortable questions and make her feel like a teenager having the 'talk' with her parents, not that she knew how was that like anyways.
"Isn't that the whole point of being a writer?" Regina retorts.
"I suppose it is, when the writing is finished and since this isn't, you won't be reading it at all, now if you excuse me I have some moving to do," the blonde responds blurting out of the door beside the brunette.
"Need any help with that?"
"I think I can manage pretty well myself," she says a little bit annoyed.
"By all means," Regina rolls her eyes and waits right where she is, delighted by Emma's biceps clenching under the weight of the mysterious boxes, the blonde manages to carry three boxes inside in no time, but then when she goes for the last one on the backseat, she remembers this is the one she put all of her books, laptop and writing machine in and she makes the unfruitful attempt to pull it out by herself, silently wishing she had super strength in order to shut the hell up of the very annoying and hot as hell lady standing at her doorway, "I got it," the Brunette suddenly whispers in her ear startling her with a soft squeeze on her upper arm, just before she walks around the car and pushes the heavy box from the other side, "now wait for me there darling, because I swear I'll scream, if I get there and you are already finished,"she winks as a double entendre warning and Emma feels her blood running to her face again and she cannot believe the effect that woman has over her already, but she waits for the other woman to help her carry the box inside.
They barely manage to make it to the foyer with the box, because its absurdly heavy and they are afraid the tape might actually give in to the weight and the heavy content will fall free directly over their feet.
"Thank you," Emma breathes a little agitated by the effort.
"Don't mention it dear," Regina says dismissively, "although you could invite me in, Miss Swan, just to be polite you know?"
"If I let you in, please don't break a thing," she rushes to answer and completely regrets her use of words when Regina's replies to them.
"Oh honey, I sure like it rough, but I cannot say I have ever made it to actually break anyone's thing," she says roaming around te room and something about her mocking flirtatious tone, makes Emma want to bang her head against the wall, to have at least one excuse for her deep red flushed cheeks.
"I would offer you something to drink, but I kinda just moved in," Emma speaks to divert the subject.
"Hardly," the brunette replies, "when is the moving truck going to arrive anyway?"
"There is no moving truck, I'm finished already, you helped with the last box remember?" Emma shrugs.
"You cannot tell me all your life is packed up in those five boxes."
"More like two and a half," Emma corrects, "the other half belongs to my son's life."
"You have a son?" Regina asks with a shocked expression plastered on her face, almost as if it was very hard for her to believe that someone as clumsy as the blonde, could ever keep even a goldfish alive longer than a day and Emma suddenly feels offended, not that she had not thought the same of herself when she first found out about her pregnancy, but this was a stranger woman right in her house and she really was not good at dealing with judging.
"She does and he is amazing!" Henry interrupts her bursting in the house, right before she snaps at the brunette, "I'm Henry and you are?" He says, extending his little hand in front of Regina.
"Regina Mills, I'm the neighbor from across the street," she puts into words taking in the ten year old in front of her, the boy is dressed up in his school uniform and has a smug smile printed on his lips.
"What a lovely name Regina, nice to meet you."
"Are you not a charming one, little boy?"
"I'm practically an adult," he states crossing his arms over his chest.
"Sure you are kiddo," Emma interrupts ruffling his hair.
"Mom you are embarrassing me in front of the lady!" He complains.
"Oh sorry, you clearly were getting to something there pal, but I kinda saw her first" Emma winks at the boy.
"Oh well," he shrugs," did you at least asked her if she had a daughter or may I do all the work?" He says with a reprimand tone, folding his arms over his chest again.
"Did you just claim on me like I was not standing right here?" The brunette asks arching an eyebrow.
"Maybe—," Henry slurs.
"And just to be sure, your mom won, right?" She inquires and he answers with a nod of his head, "well, good luck next time Henry," she purrs stepping forward and leaning in to kiss a very shocked blonde, "the neighbor from the house beside this, have a daughter around your age," she adds winking at the boy, when she cuts the kiss and then heads to the door, "by the way, welcome to Mifflin street."
AN/: This story was inspired by Swingtown series, I'm sure most of you have watched cuz it's a must if you are an Evil Regal, but in case you haven't I highly recommend it, seriously guys your life won't be the same after that. Anyway, I hope you like this first chapter and please let me know what you think about the story.