Summary: A year ago, an accident changed the course of Emma's life and has been going through the motions ever since. She had given up on the idea of finding love again. After a few chance encounters with a stranger in town, she might just chance her mind.
AN: This is my first attempt an OUAT fanfiction, I have been obsessed with the show for a while and love reading other people's work. So, I thought it was time to give it a shot, I hope you enjoy. For the sake of my story; I am moving Storybrooke to North Carolina's Outer Banks and borrowing its history from the town of Beaufort.
The story is CaptianSwan with Gremma in the past and flashbacks.
Turn My World Around
Chapter One: Facing the Past
"This whole thing is starting to feel like kidnapping." Emma stated as she tilted her head and would have been looking at the driver side of the police cruiser if her eyes weren't covered by a blindfold.
"I may get hit for this, but you are no longer a child. At this point it would be an abduction." Graham smirked as he spared the blonde a glance before he turned the attention back to the road.
"I forgot you know all the laws, sheriff."
"Don't you trust me?" He questioned.
"I do, but you ran into Elsa's shop and swooped me away. Let's also not forget the blindfold."
"I wonder who would get the call to search for you, since I am a police officer."
"I am glad that your sense of humor hasn't changed since we met."
"I got a call of about an accident and arrived at the scene with a redhead and two blondes standing next to car that was in the middle of the town's welcome sign. I was doing my job when I arrested you. It also gave us a very good story of when we first met."
"I was referring to your lame joke about it being good for tourism to have visitors, but bad for the local signage." Emma smiled as she remembered the look on her father's face, when he came into the station and found his nieces and daughter in the holding cell, "I think the real joke was once you figured out who my dad was."
"My joke made a lasting impression and that is what matters."
"The reason I even remember the joke was because you had to explain it to us. How good you looked in the uniform and your accent are what really made the impression." She admitted as she felt the car stop.
"I think that you should just admit that I was charming since the moment we met." Graham offered as he turned the car off and opened to door, "I had to do something right because here we are four years later." He added before he got out of the car and made his way to the passenger side.
"I hate to break it to you, but it wasn't your charm wasn't a deciding factor." Emma corrected as Graham open her door, "It had more to do with the bear claw that you got me every morning."
"I learned early on that the fastest way to your heart was through your stomach. It also helped that Ruby told me all your favorites." The deputy smiled as he held grabbed Emma's hand to help her out of the car.
"Can you tell me where we are now?" Emma questioned as she took a step away and reached her hands to try and untie the blindfold.
"Not yet." He answered as he grabbed Emma's hands away from the blindfold and brought them down to her side, "I know that we haven't talked about the next step in our relationship." Graham started to explain as he watched the color drain from Emma's face.
"Did you bring me to the middle of the woods, so I couldn't run away?" The blonde guessed.
"You do remember what happened when I told you that I loved you right?" He answered with a smile.
"I really did have to use the bathroom."
"It's a real shame that Storybrooke doesn't have indoor plumbing. I mean you did drive two towns away just for a restroom." He laughed as he linked his hands with Emma and pulled her towards him, "I am not proposing if that is what you are worried about. I know better then to steal Regina's thunder, I don't want to be on her bad side."
"I am not good at letting people in." Emma confessed as she wrapped her arms around Graham's waist and leaned her head against his shoulder.
"You don't say." He sighed as he placed a kiss on her forehead, "I imagine the loft is getting crowded with Elsa, Anna and now Kristoff." Graham tried to explain the reason they had driven out in the woods, "Then this place went up for sale." He added as he gently turned Emma towards the cottage that rested above the hill from where they stood.
Emma felt Graham's hand gently tug at the knot of the blindfold as she was suddenly able to see more then darkness. She blinked a few times to get used to allow her eyes to adjust to light, before she was able to take in the cottage, "I know that moving in together is a huge deal and I should have discussed it with you before I bought it."
"It's amazing." Emma interrupted as she turned to Graham with a smile, "I love it." She declared as she wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him in for a quick kiss, "I love you too."
"Does that mean that you're okay with the idea of moving in together?" He questioned hesitantly as they broke apart, "You're not just agreeing and waiting until my guard is down and I learn that you have fled town."
"You run away once, and they never let you live it down." Emma muttered, "I can't wait to move in with you and start a new chapter of our lives." She promised as she pulled him in for another hug.
"Emma." A feminine voice called as a hand came to rest on the blonde's shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze, "Sweetheart, are you okay?"
Emma shook her head to bring herself back to the present from her memories. The cottage looked exactly as it had almost a year ago, when Graham had first showed it to her. The only difference was the for-sale sign that now rested at the end of the long driveway. She let out a shaky sigh as she turned her attention to her mother who was standing next to her, "Sorry."
"You don't have anything to apologize for." Mary Margret answered as she pulled Emma into her arms, "This isn't something that has to be done today. I am sure that Jasmine can handle everything."
"I just…I haven't been back here since the funeral." Emma frowned as she broke away from her mother and began to walk up the walkway. She paused when she came to the front door and ran her hand over the welcome sign that rested next to it. The welcome sign had been a house warming gift from Kristoff, the man had thought that it was the perfect gift considering how the couple had met.
"Plus, this offer is the first offer there's been since we put it up for sale." Emma added as she toyed with the shoe lace that rested on her wrist, "Jaz mentioned that they were offering almost double what I was asking."
"Are you sure that you want to sell the cottage?"
"This place represented the life that we were going to build together and now that life doesn't exist. I can live here without constantly wonder what could have happened." Emma answered as she turned to sit on the porch swing.
Graham and Emma had barely had the chance to move in before their lives were changed forever. It was the night of the Founder's Day Festival and the whole town seemed to be out on main street in celebration. The night was winding down and everyone was headed towards the waterfront to watch the fireworks. Daniel, Regina's fiancé, had offered to drive the four the few blocks in hopes of beating the crowds. The group had barley made it out of the parking lot, when a truck that had run the red light and t-boned their car. The driver's side of the car had taken the brunt of the impact and the occupants had to be cut out of the car and rushed to the hospital. Emma and Regina were the only ones that left the hospital days later.
"Emma, Madam Mayor." A voice called out to the two as she walked up the driveway and onto the porch. The two turned to see Jasmine Sultan making her away across the lawn to the two. Jasmine along with her husband, Aladdin, owned A Whole New World reality, "The paperwork is all complete and all I need is your signature." Jasmine offered a small smile as she held out the clipboard for Emma.
"Do you know why the buyers were so determined to get everything sorted in such a short time with a place they never saw?" Mary Margret asked as she turned her attention to the realtor.
"It's a widower and his young son. He was looking for something close to the forest and wanted to make the transition as easy as he could for his son." Jasmine answered, "He knew it was the place just by the pictures. He also mentioned that he was moving here for work."
"It's done." Emma declared as she handed the paperwork back to her friend.
"I will head back to the office and finalize everything." Jasmine smiled as she grasped her friend's hand and gave it a squeeze before she headed over to her own car.
"How are you doing?" Mary Margret questioned as she wrapped an arm around Emma and brought her to her side.
"This is good." Emma answered as she leaned her head on her mother's shoulder, "This house deserves to be a home for someone. It was never going to be that for me now."
"I wish that I could take this pain away from you." The brunette whispered as she placed on the top of Emma's head, "I wish that you never had to suffer losing Graham, but he is always going to be in your heart."
"This is a step in moving forward with my life." Emma agreed as picked her head up and took one last look at the outside of the cottage. She gently pulled away from her mother and grabbed the welcome sign from where it hung and headed back to the car.