Note: I know that Once Upon A Time went down the drain YEARS ago, but I REALLY want to write this AU out.

Tarrlok's Storybrooke name: David

Korra's Storybrooke name: Nikki

Hope

It was a usual damp day in the town of Storybrooke.

Mayor David looked around town centre after he had his usual daily cup of coffee. A place for everything, and everything in its place. That's how he ran his town. He was proud to say because of him, Storybrooke was a perfectly normal town. There were no frequent crimes, and no one came through town to stir up trouble.

The people of Storybrooke minded their own business, despite being a small town. Families took care of their children, the children went to school, and the grown ups work to keep the town functioning.

Despite the ordinary demeanour, there were cracks in the community. A husband being unfaithful to his wife. A child who only had a mother and who's father's watching them from a distance. A wife to a former millionaire who's in jail for embezzlement and who brought their daughter with her.

David wasn't an angel himself, since he had his own set of skeletons in the closet.

Without his connections, Storybrooke wouldn't be the town that it was today.

His frame collided into something. Turning, he realized it was Nikki, the girl who loved to rock climb and wrestle. He thought it was unusual for a girl like her to be in something like wrestling, but times were more liberal nowadays. Women could do anything.

Books and papers were scattered on the ground.

"Nikki, I'm so sorry, I should have been more careful…" he bent down to pick up the books and paper. Hopefully, they didn't get too wet from the rain.

"You should have been," Nikki wasn't short of smart answers.

"How's training going?" he smiled. "Heard you're going to sectionals."

"There's an entrance fee if I want to go," began Nikki. "And it's not cheap, so yeah… I may not be going."

There was a long pause.

"If I could sponsor you…" began the Mayor. "I'd be more than happy to do it."

Nikki showed a lot of promise. It would be a shame if it never got any further.

She scoffed. "Like I'd want anything to do with you, Chief Mayor."

Nikki began to walk away.

Out of all the people in town, Nikki had to be the most cynical. Why was she the one who was the most against him?

"Nikki, I just wanted to help…!" David began. "Why do you always do this to people, think the worst of them and leave them behind with blaring insults?"

Nikki turned around. "Do you know what goes on in this town? No, you don't, and you're the mayor. Things happen in this town, and nobody does a thing to help make it better."

She shook her head. "Open your eyes, David… You're the only person who can change this town. Wake up."

As Nikki's figure began to walk away, David couldn't feel himself breathe. Nobody had ever stood up to him like that before. For a girl who was so passive and let things happen right in front of her, her voice finally came out today.