Chapter 1 "Mission, begun"
"This is your Captain speaking. United Flight 5463 will shortly be descending into Portland, Maine. On behalf of United, we hope you enjoyed your time with us and we wish you all a very Merry Christmas."
Emma peered out of the small airplane window. It was around 10pm when they began to descend. The sky was pitch black but the ground lit up. She could see the ground was covered with a thick layer of snow. Snow, she liked. Christmas, not so much.
The plane hit the ground a mere ten minutes later and the passengers began to applaud. Soon after, the families began to pour out of the plane, children running into the snow with sheer excitement lighting up their faces. Emma admired how playful they were, skipping and rolling around on the ground while their parents shooed them, rushing them towards the airport. "Tim, get over here! Santa is watching you!" She heard one irritated mother call out to a small boy, now known as Tim who was throwing snowballs at the other passengers. Emma decided she liked Tim.
The airport was surprisingly quiet, the blonde dragged her bags behind her all the while, searching for any familiar faces.
"Emma!" a voice called out, behind her.
The blonde spun around, just in time to catch the older woman who was now practically clinging to her, arms wrapped around her neck and her head settled on the blonde's shoulder.
"Mom, come on." She huffed, her mother not budging in the slightest. A male figured appeared, learning against the doors to the exit. "Mom, I missed you but you're crushing every bone in my body right now."
"She won't budge you know." Emma's head snapped up and a smile etching across her face. She slipped from her mother's grip and ran towards the exit, throwing her arms around her father's neck. "How was university? In fact, don't tell me." He leaned back, taking in the sight of his daughter's face, "I don't wanna hear about you getting drunk and getting into all sorts of trouble. Your mom will deal with that."
Emma shook her head, laughing "Oh, come on! It's university, it's like a tradition or something over there!" She argued just as Mary Margaret stepped up behind her, grabbing her shoulders.
"I'd yell at you for being so irresponsible but I missed you too much." The brunette hugged her daughter tight from behind, "Come on, I suppose we have to go home at some point."
She clung to her daughter's hand as the three made their way out and into the truck. As soon as they settled, David looked over his shoulder at Emma and they shared a knowing smile, "We're just so happy that you're finally home. Even if it's just for three months."
Emma smile half-heartedly and nodded, agreeing that she too was glad she would soon be back in Storybrooke and ultimately, she would be home.
"I have the perfect song for our trip home." Mary Margaret snickered, taking a CD from the glove compartment and sliding it into the disk player. As soon as the song began, both Emma and David burst into fits of laughter, remembering each memory the song brought back.
"Mom, you actually went out and bought a Robert Palmer CD?" she chuckled, patting her mother's shoulder. "Addicted to Love?! Dad and I are so proud." David nodded in agreement and soon the three were belting out their best palmer impressions.
Storybrooke hadn't changed in the slightest. There was a layer of snow on the ground and Christmas decorations filled the shop windows but really, it was all the same. Emma reminded herself that it had only been six months and that she shouldn't have expected anything different. She felt at ease as the sight of her childhood home came into view. Well, childhood apartment. She scanned the streets surrounding it.
Archie came into view, pongo walking aside him. Emma perked up, waving her hand frantically, he nodded in acknowledgement and walked on. Sometimes she forgot she was twenty-two years old and not six years old.
They parked up outside the apartment building, Mary Margaret and David were talking amongst themselves as they loaded Emma's bags out of the truck. The blonde leaned against the truck and took in the cold, icy air. She was staring towards Granny's diner when something caught her eye. Toward her right, she could see Mifflin Street. It was known as the "Rich Bitches" street because almost everyone who lived there, was loaded. Of course the residents of Storybrooke hadn't given the street that name. Emma did.
Her eyes narrowed, staring at the largest house on the street. 108 Mifflin Street.
"Hey, Mom?" Emma started, shifting to have a better look at the mansion, "Is someone living in the Mayor's house?"
Mary Margaret stopped in her tracks, passing a bag off toward David. She turned towards her daughter.
"Yeah, Regina lives there." She stood beside the blonde, her eyes set upon the Mayor's house. "She's our new Mayor. Has been for two months now." Mary Margaret tilted her head towards Emma. "You'd know that if you actually read my letters!" She nudged Emma's shoulder, causing the blonde to snap out of her little trance.
"Yeah," She stuffed her hands into her pocket.
"You'll like her," Mary Margaret grabbed Emma's last bag, "She seems closed-off and snobby at first but," A smile tugged at her lips, "You know, I think she just reminds me of you."
Emma's brows furrowed as she pretended to be offended. "You know if you're gonna call me a snob," she picked up her handbag and walked towards the entrance to the apartment building, "That also makes you a snob."
Morning came around faster than Emma had hoped. She had promised that she'd help her Mother deliver this year's Christmas cards from the Charmings. Each year, Mary Margaret had her daughter and her husband sit by their fire while some measly photographer took their photograph for the Christmas card. This year however, due to the school term, Emma couldn't make it in time for the photographs to be taken. "How unfortunate" She thought, smirking to herself while she stared down at the photo of her very grumpy-looking father and all-too-eager looking mother. Cringe.
Once dressed, she made her way downstairs. The smell of waffles and syrup had made getting up at 8am, a lot easier.
"Morning." Emma yelled, starling David and Mary Margaret who were setting the tabled. "I thought that would wake you guys up, anyway," She jumped onto the sofa, "When are we gonna get started? If I remember correctly, there are at least 86 cards to be delivered on foot and It's gonna take like, I don't know, ten hours?" Mary Margaret rolled her eyes at Emma's slight exaggeration.
"It'll take two hours at least and we are not leaving until we've had breakfast." Emma sat down at the table and pouted. "Don't pout, you'll look like a trout. And we still haven't heard anything about school?" Mary Margaret pried the plate of waffles from Emma's hands and shimmied into the chair beside David.
"Yeah, Em." David looked up at his daughter, a slight look of concern etched on his face, "We've been waiting months to hear about school and you haven't mentioned it once."
Emma licked her lips because she had a serious case of dry mouth and anxiety to top it off. "I just—I don't wanna talk about school." She became very tense and both David and Mary Margaret could feel the atmosphere change in the room. They both shared a look and decided not to pry any further.
The family ate in silence, David occasionally asking Emma about London.
Emma had been studying in London for two years now. She had been ecstatic when she had finally received a letter of acceptance way back in 2013. For over a year she had applied to ever art school in Europe, deciding that she'd prefer to go overseas to study.
Once accepted, she had over two months to prepare herself for her big move. She had been ready, more than ready.
London was spectacular in every sense. Emma fell in love with the city the same way she had fallen in love with her hometown. It became her second home which made it harder for her to want to go back to her first home.
Four months into her stay and her schooling, things began to change. University had been fun at first. She spent most nights with friends, getting drunk and staying up to watch the sunrise. There had been parties, upon parties, upon parties but it all came to a grinding halt.
Christmas, 2013
It was like any other night for her. Her group of friends, which included; Herself, Ruby, Belle and Elsa. They had gone out to a local bar and decided that they'd only spend a couple of hours there before returning to their flat to spend the night watching Christmas movies together.
Emma remembered each movie they had discussed and decided they would watch. She remembered what each of her friends were wearing that night and how happy they had been. Until they left the bar.
"Em, get a picture of me with the Tardis!" A thick Australian accent, is what Belle was known for. That and how caring and wonderful she was. The other three girls stood opposite Belle and the Tardis, laughing as the red-headed beauty started kissing the blue walls that made it up. "Em, come get in this with me!" Emma smirked, making her way over to the Australian beauty and the Tardis, of course.
"You know; my dad is super obsessed with Doctor Who. I wish I could take this home to him." Emma, drunk, pondered the idea and decided that she just couldn't carry it home to Maine.
"If this were real and you could go anywhere in the world," Belle started, tucking a loose piece of hair behind her ear, "Where would you go?"
Emma took a moment to think before she looked down at the ground. "Nowhere. I wanna be here. I'm happy here." She looked back up at Belle, who was beaming.
"Me too."
The two girls headed back towards the Ruby and Elsa who were comparing selfies, taken earlier. Music played throughout the streets. "O Holy Night" was being sung by a busker a block away but loud enough for them to hear each word being sung, beautifully.
Belle lagged behind, searching through her bag for the keys to the flat which they were approaching quickly. "Hey, guys" She started, looking up as all three of her friends turned to face her. "I think I've lost the keys."
The three friends rolled their eyes simultaneously and continued walking.
"No, seriously guys, I think I left them at the Tardis."
Emma burst out laughing and spun around to face her friend. "Only you, would do something as dumb as that. Go get them!"
Ruby and Elsa shook their heads and began talking between themselves while Emma checked her phone. Ruby had crossed the road and made it back to the Tardis, where she saw her keys lying on the ground next to the steps. "Found them!" She laughed and snatched them up before running back towards her friends.
The three girls were discussing art techniques and infrastructure. Emma burst into fits of laughter when Elsa pointed out that one of the buildings beside them looked like a huge boob and soon the other two joined in, filling the street with their laughter.
Until the screeching of tyres came from behind them, followed by a loud thud.
All three girls froze. Ruby was the first to turn around. There was a scream, followed by hysterical crying. Emma could see it in Elsa's face as the other blonde caught sight of her friend on the road, lifeless and bloodied.
Emma couldn't turn around.
She was frozen.
"Emma!" Mary Margaret barked as Emma continued to stare off into space. "EMMA!"
The blonde jumped slightly, shaken from her flashback. She looked up to find both her mother and father staring at her, looks of concern and worry strewn across their faces. Emma shook herself from her little trance and stood. "Let's go." She took a deep breath and grabbed her coat.
David turned to Mary Margaret. "What was that all about? Was she just day-dreaming?"
"I have no idea." Mary Margaret followed her daughter out of the door, "But it wasn't a good kind of day-dreaming."
Emma had decided to split up from her parents. She needed some alone time, especially now that the incident had decided to come back and haunt her. She had never really spoken to her parents about the accident. There was some talk but they had allowed her to share whenever she felt comfortable so as not to traumatize her.
She had chosen to come home for a month after the accident. Ruby had left the University while Elsa had taken a long, long vacation, prescribed by her parents. Emma just wanted to get on with things and try to put it behind her. She had gone back to University after the month was up and moved out of her old apartment.
That was when everything became so dark. The streets were never the same, the lights never shone as brightly and Christmas didn't appeal to her anymore. She didn't make any new friends. Art had become her only source of happiness and even then, she noticed most of her art had a recurring theme.
Sadness.
As she made her way up Mifflin Street, Emma decided that she should talk to her parents about the incident. Sooner or later, they'd wanna know.
She was stood outside 108, shuffling Christmas cards. She held a card for Mayor Mills in her hand while she made her way up the path, toward the Mayor's door. Emma peered in through the small glass windows to her left, before she slid the card under the Mayor's front door.
The blonde took a deep breath and spun, grabbing her phone from her pocket as she left the Mayor's home.
"Excuse me!"
Emma stopped in her tracks and then turned over her shoulder, searching for the person that the voice belonged to.
"Hello?" The brunette waved at the blonde, trying to get her attention. She was standing by the Mayor's front door, wearing a long dark coat and what Emma could only describe as "Fuck-me-heels" Which she knew was vulgar but, also true. "Don't you talk, dear?"
"I do." Emma spoke up, turning fully to face the stunning brunette before her. She allowed herself to breathe because it felt like the air had escaped her lungs the moment she set eyes on the gorgeous brunette, she composed herself "sorry, I didn't see you or I would have just given the card to you."
"I just got out of my car." The brunette replied, pointing in the direction of her driveway, "That's why you wouldn't have seen me."
Emma nodded and acknowledged the car. "Anyway," She thought of something to add to the awkward encounter. "Merry Christmas! I'll see you around!" The blonde turned to walk away.
"Wait!" Emma stopped, again. "You're Mrs. Charming's daughter, aren't you?" The brunette moved closer, her heels chipping the stone below her. "Your mother told me you'd be coming home soon and that I'd finally get to meet you." She stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets, "She's spoken so highly of you"
The blonde perked up. Had her mother been talking her up to the Mayor? Emma made a mental note to thank her mother, "Yeah, that's me." Who needs a wing-man when you have a wing-mother? She thought. "I'm Emma, by the way."
The brunette extended her arm, "I know. I'm Regina Mills."
They shook hands and almost instantly, Emma felt a warmth from the woman. A feeling that she hadn't really felt from anyone for a very long time. She didn't want to let go of her hand and for some strange reason, Regina wasn't letting go of hers either.
The pair stood for a moment, taking each other in.
"Would you like to come over for dinner?" Regina blurted out, "Just-if you're available sometime." She finally let go of the blonde's hand, both hands returning by their owner's sides. "and maybe you could show me around town, you know, just from the perspective of someone my own age.."
"Sure." Emma replied, a little too enthusiastically, "that would be fun"
"Great. I make a wonderful lasagne by the way" The brunette flashed Emma a sweet smile which instantly melted Emma's heart.
"Anything's better than the food my Mom makes." Emma joked, except she was deadly serious.
They shared a laugh. Regina flashed Emma her wonderful smile once more and took a step back. "I should be going then," She bit her bottom lip, nervously, "I'll see you soon, hopefully."
"Yeah, I hope I do." Her eyes never left Regina's as she spoke, "Goodbye, Mayor Mills."
Regina snickered, shaking her head, "Goodbye, Emma"
The blonde watched as Regina waved and disappeared behind her front door. She made her way out of the rough iron gates and stopped just outside to get herself together. "Oh shit" she thought just as a light blush crept up on her fair skin.
Behind the huge, white oak door, Regina rested her back against it. She took a deep breath and composed herself. She made her way into her office just as the phone began to ring.
She picked it up and put it to her ear, a voice spoke "We have three months. Protect Emma Swan at all costs."
Regina put the phone down and made her way upstairs.
Mission, begun.