Hey guys. This is the first time that I have ever written a fanfiction, so I would really appreciate any feedback! I do not have a beta, so I hope that there are not too many mistakes for you guys. So… I guess here goes nothing!

She sat there frustrated and tired. Today was supposed to be a nice relaxing Friday afternoon. She was going to organize her desk before going home to spend some much needed quality time with her son.

Nothing seemed to be working out for her the past few weeks. She had been covered in piles and piles of lesson plans and paperwork. Once she accomplished something, she felt that five things were added onto her to-do list. Guilt had started to show its ugly face. Guilt and shame… What kind of mother does not spend time with their child for weeks on end? She knew it wasn't completely her fault, but a small voice in the back of her mind keeps telling her that she is turning into her mother. That small voice is what kept pushing her the past few weeks. Now, she had accomplished her goal! All paperwork has been filed and tests graded.

Regina was feeling great this morning; she arrived at work at 7am to prepare for the day. She did not have a single disruptive student the whole morning. Things did not take a turn for the worse until about 11 am when the principal decided to call a mandatory faculty meeting right after school.

So here she sat at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon, when she was supposed to be spending the evening and weekend with her son. It's amazing how something so small could turn her whole mood around. Her bright smile this morning had turned into a scowl and she was starting to feel a dull, pounding pain in her head. Just great, could this weekend get any worse? Why did her principal have to call an emergency faculty meeting anyway? Was that really a thing?

Really? What could be so important that the whole faculty and staff have to be brought together on a Friday afternoon...?

All she could think about was the lasagna she was going to cook, using her own special recipe that Henry says is to die for. It's his favorite and she only cooks it on special occasions, but who was she to deny her son's pleads. A smile started to creep onto her lips thinking back to the other night of Henry's desperate, "Please mom! I will stop complaining about my chores for the entire month." And oh how those puppy dog eyes got her every time. Regina had chuckled and replied with a smile, "You have yourself a deal."

Regina suddenly snaps back to this stupid meeting when Principal Leopold Blanchard walked in the room. The grin on her face immediately disappearing and returned to a scowl. Principal Blanchard was a stubborn old man who may possible be the worst principal to ever walk these halls. He never smiled at the children, he was inconsiderate, and every time she had a meeting in his office, Regina felt violated. He never did anything to physical harass her, but his eyes made her uncomfortable as they always roamed her body. A small shutter ran through her body just at the thought.

...

Regina did not even pay attention during the faculty meeting. Mary Margaret, a fellow kindergarten teacher, had to keep nudging her with her elbow so that she would pay attention. Of course from what Regina had gathered, Leopold did not discuss anything new. Budget cuts... blah blah blah... printer copies... blah blah blah. Regina could really not care less she just wanted to get out of Cedar Wood Primary as quickly as possible.

As soon as the meeting was over, Regina gave a brief goodbye to Mary Margaret and practically ran for the door. Maybe she could still save part of this evening. She nearly made it out of the meeting in the library before she heard his voice call her name. Upon hearing his old, crackly voice, Regina let out a low groans and stopped in the doorway. What now?

She slowly turned and gave the principal one of her best fake smiles. "Yes sir?"

Leopold said with a sly grin, "Could you come to my office for five minutes before you leave for the weekend?"

Regina was beyond irritated, but she would not let him see her true feelings, "Of course! Let me drop by my room to grab a few things and I will be right there." Leopold nodded and Regina headed straight for her classroom.

...

The first thing that Regina did upon arriving in her room was apologize to Henry. He was sitting on the carpet doodling when she came in. That was his usual thing. He would walk to her room from his third grade classroom every day after school and draw in his sketchbook while he waited for his mom to finish her paperwork before going home.

Of course Henry understood, but Regina could see the disappointment in his eyes when she told him that it would be about fifteen more minutes before they could leave.

"I understand mom. It's okay. Maybe we can make lasagna another night."

The sadness in the boy's voice made Regina's heart drop, but there was no way she could make it home in time to make homemade lasagna; it was already pushing 6 pm.

"Absolutely, I promise. How about tomorrow night! We will have plenty of time then!"

"Sounds great mom! I can't wait.", Henry replied with what appeared to be a forced smile.

Now that she semil-solved that problem, she gathered everything up and headed for Leopold's office.

...

"Have a seat Regina." Came Leopold's voice from behind his desk.

Crap. That sounds like trouble. The whole way here she had been racking her brain trying to figure out what she did wrong. Did he notice that she was not paying attention during the faculty meeting? Who could blame her though, Mary Margaret was probably the only one paying attention anyway... that goody two shoes...

As Regina sits down Leopold continues. "We have a new student coming next week and we will be adding him to your classroom."

"But sir..."

He cut her off, a smirk growing on his lips. "No buts. I believe that your classroom will be a great fit for our new student."

Regina sat there shocked and quite frankly pissed. She already had twenty-five kindergarteners in her classroom and Mary only had eighteen students. This was bull crap.

Regina could tell that her voice was starting to get sharp and short.

"Why can we not enroll him in Mary Margaret's classroom? How is this fair to me or the students? We need smaller class sizes to give the student the best opportunity to learn." She could feel her heart beat increasing and the vein in her forehead start to pulse. She was sick and tired of Mary Margaret always getting her way. She had the principal wrapped around her little finger and it annoyed the crap out of Regina. It was like Mary Margaret was a stupid little princess that always got her way and Regina was sick of it.

Leopold got up from his desk and move around to the front where he stood right next to Regina in her chair, invading her personal space. As he moved closer, Regina stiffened and locked eyes with him. Something about this man just made her feel so uneasy. Was it the way his eyes has a weird twinkle to them every time that they were alone or the creepy smile he always gave her. He was about to place a hand on her shoulder until she stood up and took a step back.

"Okay." Regina finally caved (like she had a choice) and Leopold gave her the file for the new student.

Regina could not get out of his presence fast enough. As soon as she was out into the hallway, she let out a large exhale she did not realize she was holding. As she was heading to go pick up Henry from her room, she opened the file folder. There was a picture of a cute little boy with curly, dark brown hair and a pair of the biggest dimples she had ever seen. Under the picture was his name: Roland Locksley.

Thanks for reading. Please let me know any thoughts and/or suggestions.

-J