"Until somebody takes responsibility for this," she hissed. "nobody is leaving."

Miss Mills, currently in the running for the schools most hated teacher, held up her vandalized Gucci hand bag. Bright red crimson screamed out the word bitch across it's leather exterior. Only somebody with a death wish would do that Emma thought.

After a painstaking minute. No one had yet to speak up. They were all too terrified to even look the woman in the eye.

This was seriously cutting into her lunch time. She knew immediately who did it from the sloppy handwriting. It was Neal Cassidy but of course he was too cowardly to own up to it. Her stomach was grumbling, she hadn't eaten all day, and she just knew Miss Mills would remain true to her word. The woman already loathed her and everyone in the school so why not bite the bullet?

"It was me." Emma stood up, instantly regretting that hero complex of hers.

"Miss Swan." She looked surprised but it was easily overwritten by a new look of pure hatred. "You will remain here. Everyone else. Enjoy your lunch." She gave a mock smile directed towards the rest of her class. There was a collection of murmurs and Emma made sure to catch Neal's eye on his way out. He bowed his head and looked ashamed but never came to her defense. She was never fucking talking to him again.

As soon as the last student filed out Miss Mills dropped the bag on top of her desk with a loud thud.

"This bag costs more than your entire college education will." she growled. "Do you think your little stunt was worth it? Did your message hit its mark?"

The teacher was livid, her voice had risen in volume and she could see her visibly seething in rage. Why did she think she could take the blame for this?

"No." She croaked.

Brown eyes ignited even further to the point where they almost looked like charred pieces of charcoal.

"Miss Swan you will report to me before and after school everyday until I see your punishment has been fit. Understood?"

"Yes Miss Mills."

"Now get to lunch before I regret not involving the authorities for vandalism of personal property."

She scooped up her books and left the room, feeling furious eyes glaring a hole in her back the entire walk.

"Hey Em what took you?" Ruby was halfway through her lunch.

"I sort of got in trouble..."

"Really? What happened?" Belle spoke up next.

"Miss Mills gave me an indefinite amount of before and after school detentions..."

"What! Why?"

"Because I'm an idiot." She whipped out her bagged lunch. "Someone spray painted bitch on her handbag."

"That's awesome!" Ruby interjected.

"No it's not. Its mean. And my point was." She tossed a look at Ruby. " I took the blame because I wanted to eat."

The two broke out into laughs.

"Only Emma Swan would take on the wrath of Storybrooke's HBIC for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

She turned bright red at their teasing.

"Well the class owes me big time." She sputtered. "And so does Neal. I'm 99.9% sure he was the one that actually did it."

"So what do you think she'll have you do?"

"I don't know... I don't want to think about it. Can I just eat my lunch.I mean I do deserve it after all."

"Sure. But there's only 5 minutes left to lunch."

Emma groaned but quickly went to work on devouring her meal. She just started on her chips when the bell rang. Well it looked like she was going to have walk and eat.

As she was funneling the remaining crumbs into her mouth she missed the other person rounding the same corner. They collided with a painful thud. She had managed to stay standing but the other body unfortunately stumbled backwards onto the tile floor.

"Shit!" Emma exclaimed. She quickly wiped her greasy fingers onto her jeans to help the person up and froze. It was Miss Mills. FML she thought.

"Miss Mills I'm so sorry I should have been watching where I was going."

The woman looked at her and sneered.

"If I had known you were so hellbent on ruining my day Miss Swan I never would have let you leave my sight." Her hate filled eyes narrowed in on the offered hand and she oh so defiantly refused it by picking herself up. She brushed on by her and carried on her day. Emma had never felt so worthless or so horrible in her entire life.

"Class I'm giving you all a special assignment. You can thank Miss Swan for this."

Oh what the fuck. She thought. Everyone was glaring at her. Like she needed their hatred too!

"I want you all to write an essay on what it means to behave in a responsible and respectful manner during school hours. What it means to be a role model, the ideal student. You have the weekend to write it. Extra credit if you use Miss Swan as an example of how not to behave."

Snickers filled the room and Emma was beginning to feel her own hatred churning in the pit of her stomach. She was taking this way too far. It had to have been her running into her earlier, knocked something loose in her brain.

"I'm giving you the rest of this period to start it, that way you can at least observe some of her poor mannerisms."

Emma's pencil broke in two at this moment from the sheer force of her grip. Miss Mill's eyes flew to Emma's at the sound and so did many others. Their eyes locked and they both intended on relaying the anger they felt towards one another in their glares, somehow wishing to inflict damage through them. Somebody in the room let out a noise that closely resembled a whimper and it broke their death match, causing the tension between them to snap like a stretched out rubber band.

Miss Mill's quickly moved to her desk and pulled out a stack of papers to grade. Emma got to work on her paper, not amused by the extra credit, and visibly shaken by the intensity of her teacher's glare.

She knocked on the closed classroom door but in a daze. Her heart was beating so fast it felt like the rest of her body didn't even exist. She was just a rapidly beating pulse drifting in and out of a state of consciousness. When she heard Miss Mills tell her to come in she wished that was truly the case, that she was not actually a body capable of movement.

Coffee brown eyes zoomed in on her the instant she stepped through the doorway, the doorway she mentally cataloged as leading to the fiery pits of hell, but even that felt like it would be a breezy vacation due to the scalding hostility currently radiating off her teacher.

"Miss Swan please take a seat." She sent her a smile but the pearly whites contrasting against sinfully red lips only made her look more intimidating, like the Cheshire cat up to no good.

Wordlessly, she moved to the vacant desk. Don't fucking do anything stupid. She reminded herself, as if that could save her now.

Miss Mills stood up from her desk and came to stand before her. She leaned forward and far too much cleavage became visible for Emma to properly focus. Her hands firmly planted themselves on each side of the desks surface and breathing suddenly became a voluntary act.

"Today's punishment is a simple one." She said. "Take out a piece of paper and write down what it is exactly that you think qualifies someone as a bitch."

Her body's reaction to Miss mills, olive skin suddenly on display was confusing. She knew what it meant but why it still reacted when she knew that person would personally see to her death, if it were legal, was the most mystifying.

"Well?" Miss Mills' lip twitched upward in a snarl. She blushed deeply and fished out a paper from her backpack. Miss Mills pushed off the desk and retreated to her own. Once more she managed to feel like the worst person in existence. Despite not having actually done what had the teacher so obviously hurting. She didn't want to do this. Whatever she put down on that paper meant another nail in her coffin. That's when she had an idea.

Miss Mills didn't read it in front of her, she wished she had but all the woman did was tell her to go and reminded her to return at 7 am.

Now she had to get to school half an hour early. Sighing into the empty hallway she made her way to the parking lot. At least she had her bug back from the shop.

Rarely anyone stayed as late as Miss Mills did. She was a dedicated, meticulous planner and right now her work had been put on hold because of one student, and one haunting word. Emma Swan and the word bitch. Yes the blonde often gave her trouble in the usual teenage ways but she hadn't pinned her down as a bully. Based on the quality of Emma's work, she would have placed her above this type of behavior. So when Emma stood up it was hard not to feel hurt. At some point during the year she had actually come to appreciate her work and usually respectful demeanor towards her. Since nobody else did. As hers her eyes scanned the wavy writing she questioned why she decided to assign her this. It was punishing herself too. Just gripping her heart with the feeling of betrayal even more.

Bitch- a lewd overbearing female that is usually unpleasant to deal with.

There was an angry slash across the letter t and Regina knew Emma was probably shaking with rage. She took in a deep breath and continued reading. She need this as ammunition to use against her.

At least that's the generalized acceptance of this term.

Her brow scrunched up as the tone of her paper quickly took on a different turn.

To me, a bitch is someone that doesn't let the world beat her down, she's tough, intelligent and fiercely independent. She has to be a bitch not because she wants to but because she has to. People are cruel, teenagers especially, and that's why she's a bitch. This word doesn't define a person, unless they let it.

She didn't know what to think of her paper, but she was oddly touched by it. Miss Swan had managed to turn the derogatory term into a sort of compliment. She was grateful for that but also very conflicted now. She obviously hadn't meant it that way when she wrote it on her bag, was this a trick? Did she truly think this or was she just trying to evade punishment? She had no idea and the stress it was causing her gave her a migraine. So she packed up early and went home, her defiled bag turned inward away from any prying eyes.

"Mom look what Grandma and I made today." Henry showed Emma his macaroni art and a smile broke out on her face. Even though she had a shitty day at school her son always made her feel better. He reminded her why she chose to go back to school, to become a better person, and get a career so she could support him without the help of her mom.

"That's great Henry. What else did you do today?"

She took him into her lap.

"We watched teenage mutant ninja turtles and fed the birds in the park!"

"Yeah?" She looked up at her mom who was smiling. "And did you see Dodo today?"

"Yeah he ate all the bread crumbs!"

"We'll have to bring some more next time then so than other birds can get some. You and me kid sound good?"

"Yeah! Tomorrow?"

"Sorry Henry you know I have school but I promise this weekend okay?"

"OK you promise!" She nodded and he placed a kiss to her cheek.

"Emma do you want me to give Henry his bath?"

"No thank you mom. I can. Thank you so much for all this. I appreciate it. The least I can do is put him to bed." Mary Margaret nodded and Emma picked up her four year old to get him ready for bed. Once he was asleep she started on her homework and went off to bed herself.

"Miss Swan." Miss Mills glared at her as soon as she walked in but the strength behind it was noticeably weaker. Perhaps her short paper worked?

"I'm sure you're capable of sitting still for twenty minutes?" Of all things she expected that hadn't been it.

"Yes ma'am."

"Good." She tilted her head to the desk directly in front of her own, and it was so fucking close to her own they she might as well have asked to hold hands.

Feeling an unusual amount of nervousness wash over her she made the walk to the front of the room. Miss Mills watched her like a hawk seeking its prey up until she sat down.

"Not a word." That's all the teacher said before pulling out some work of hers. This was a whole new level of uncomfortable. The room's dead silence was nagging at her to fill it but Miss Mills told her not to speak. She didn't know what to do with herself so she started fiddling with her hands.

"Stop." The woman growled out after a minute or so. This snapped her out of her musings and drew her attention to the brunette. She wore an almost pained expression and she wondered it she had a headache or if her presence truly pained her. She bowed her head and opted to stare at the desks surface. This was so fucking weird.

Miss Mills stared at her for a few lingering seconds before returning to her work. Emma glanced at the clock every so often and her gaze settled on Miss Mills in between looks. The woman was beautiful, anyone with eyes could see that, but there was something deeper than looks that attracted Emma towards her. Like a moth to a flame she was compelled to stare at her. Now was as good as any other time she thought. Maybe.

There was a small scar above her lip that peaked her interest, one that she couldn't hide with all that make up she wore. So many of her peers shared made up stories on how she got it but she wanted to know the real one.

"If I'm a bitch." The lips she had been staring at suddenly moved. "Then what would you call Miss Blue?"

What?

"I don't know who that is..."

"All of the students in this class transferred from her class last year to my class. So you must know who she is."

"I didn't go to school last year..." Miss Mills' perfectly sculpted eyebrow rose slightly.

"And why not?" She didn't have to answer that, she didn't want to. She would probably use it against her if she did.

"Personal reasons." She mumbled. Miss Mills' lips pressed together but she didn't ask anymore questions, however she was regarding her funny now. Another minute of silence went by.

"Did you move here?" She was trying to have a conversation during her so called punishment? What was this?

"No...I just got held back by some things. I had to push the pause button."

Even narrower eyes regarded her now. It looked like Miss Mills was calling b.s.

"Just how old are you dear?" She shifted uncomfortably in the metal chair.

"24." Eyes dramatically widened.

"Why are you here? " The woman practically yelled at her. "Get your GED and go to college. Don't waste your time in this hell hole."

"I...just wanted to transition...its been a while and I thought baby steps you know?" The woman let out a breath.

"And that includes petty vandalism?"

"Look... I know you probably won't believe me but I didn't do that. "

"Then why did you say you did."

"These kids don't know what they're doing... And I was hungry."

"Even if that's the case Miss Swan. You have to own up to your actions. You are still carrying out the punishment."

She nodded and Miss Mills lowered her gaze to the paper once more. Another minute passed.

"Even though I disagree with you perception of what qualifies someone as a bitch." She started up again . "I found your paper to be well written and perhaps even a little inspiring."

Now she was thoroughly confused but the words lifted the heavy weight of guilt she still carried on her shoulders.

"Thank you. And I meant every word of it." They locked gazes and she pleaded for her to believe her. When Miss Mills tore her gaze away she knew her message had been relayed.

"Class starts in a couple of minutes." She cleared her throat and stood up."From now on you are to help me set up for the day. Start by placing a paper on each desk."

She handed over a stack of photocopies and did as she asked. Students began to enter and she took her usual seat but Miss Mills stopped her.

"Miss Swan. You won't be sitting there today." Her stomach dropped. What was going on. "Stand here." She gestured for her to stand directly in front of the class and right away she knew she was in for the biggest humiliation of her life. Once the bell rang Miss Mills got right to it.

"Class in front of you are copies of a short essay written by none other than Miss Swan herself." A sea of apologetic eyes looked back at her. "I'll have her read it to you and I want you to tell me if you agree with her point of view or if you think its just a bunch of...crap." The bite was back in Miss Mills demeanor and voice. She preferred the inquisitive version.

"You may proceed." She folded her arms across her chest. A minute later the class silently considered her short description of what a bitch was. Some looked contemplative while others just wore a grin that said kiss ass.

"Anyone care to share their thoughts?" Not a hand. "Well then I suppose I'll have to pick someone... Mr. Cassidy?" His eyes widened like two saucers.

"Uhh I disagree..." He mumbled.

Emma wanted to slap him. Was he really that dumb?

"Please elaborate will you? You are in your senior year I believe that qualifies more of an explanation than that."

Neal she's baiting you don't say anything worse than what you've already said.

"Well...I've encountered my fair share of lewd woman. They are bitchy because they enjoy it. They get some sick prevision out of it and like seeing other people suffer. They don't have to be a bitch they just are."

"So would you say Miss Swan is wrong?"

"Yes."

"Anyone else?" Slowly a domino effect occurred. Where they all really this dumb? Obviously she wrote this about Miss Mills. Only a couple hands stayed down.

"Those who didn't raise their hands join Miss Swan." The five remaining joined her, albeit regrettably. Emma cast them a weak smile but they all seemed pretty sure they just earned themselves a weeks worth of detentions. Miss mills addressed them. "Now you six are relieved of this weekends assignment. "

Huge grins spread across their faces and Emma's jaw nearly fell off.

"Also I feel that your levels of cognition deserve a couple bonus points tacked onto your previous tests. Miss Swan if you would take down their names. I'll be sure to award them for their unwavering opinions."

Her heart was fluttering in her chest, the smile Miss Mills cast her way was so genuine and heartwarming that she thought her feet had lifted off the ground. The five students around her quickly rushed over to her to get their name taken down. Once it was done with, Miss Mills quickly got to their real class agenda.

Her after school detention with Miss Mills was far different than her morning one. In tone and nature. Several other unfortunate students were scattered around the room, whipped and defeated at empty desks.

She was relieved it wasn't just her but slightly upset, why she didn't know.

"No talking and no phone use." She barked. She bit the inside of her cheek and sat down. This time farther away from her desk.

Neal was there and she felt the need to cast him a sneer. He rolled his eyes but grinned at her cheekily. The little bastard.

A/N: This is something that has been rolling around in my head and I finally wanted to get it down. First AU. Reviews are lovely.