A/N: This chapter is mostly Emma, there will be a lot more Regina in the following chapters- fear not. Thank you for reading/reviewing!
Emma awoke to the sound of soft tapping against her car window. Her eyes peeled open and she momentarily forgot where she was until her muscles began to spasm as she shifted in the small backseat of her car. She looked up to the source of the tapping, but her windows were completely fogged. Rubbing her eyes and sitting up with a quick snap, crackle, and pop from her bones- she reached to the front seat to unroll her window expecting to see Henry's giddy face on the other side.
Instead she was greeted with the clothed torso of an adult, and as her eyes focused- she noticed the sheriff's badge donning his chest.
"Aaaah… maaaan…" she groaned as she sat up.
"Excuse me, ma'am- could you step out of the car please?" came the young Sheriff's voice. He didn't sound like your typical middle-aged ticket-friendly cop, so she figured she might get out of this one with a little smooth talking. Pulling her sweatshirt over her head, she stepped out of the car- finding herself eyelevel with the rather attractive, young, bearded Sheriff.
"Good morning," he said with a pleasant voice.
"Morning," groaned the blonde running a hand through her hair.
"I'm Sheriff Graham and I'm placing you under arrest for trespassing," he said with the same pleasant tone, though his face seemed like he was a bit agitated and reluctant to carry out his duty.
"Oh come on, seriously? Can't a girl just sleep in her car when she has no where else to go?"
"She may, but not in front of the mayor's house," replied the Sheriff ushering her to turn around.
Mayor? Thought Emma. She looked up at the white mansion to see Regina peeking out of one of the top floor windows. She gave a half smile before shaking her head and placing her hands behind her back, slightly wincing at the feeling of the handcuffs tightening around her wrists.
The sheriff escorted her into the backseat of his cruiser and shut the door carefully. This guy clearly doesn't have any experience arresting people, she thought to herself as she watched him slowly walk around to the driver's side of the cruiser.
She stole one last glance up at the mansion to find the window Regina was looking out of unoccupied. She sighed and rested her forehead against the window.
The ride through town was quiet. No words were exchanged, and the sheriff didn't seem to be a big fan of music, plus the radio was completely silent- but Emma didn't know what she expected in a small town at six in the morning.
She looked out the window, slowly investigating all of the little beach town shops, convenience stores, salons, diners, and knick-knack shops. The town seemed like a normal small-time Maine beach residence, but it somehow seemed different. She was never one for small towns, they were always much too personal- she always preferred the anonymity awarded by living in a large city; however, something felt strangely charming about this particular place. Maybe it was because she knew Regina was in charge of it.
They reached the sheriff's station where she was casually placed in the one and only cell without being questioned, photographed, or even processed. She found it all rather bizarre, but wasn't about to push her luck by reminding the sheriff of duties that would involve staining her permanent civil record even more than it already was.
She sat down on the cot with a huff, stretching out her limbs- trying to forget how naturally being in a cell came to her. She was fourteen the first time she found herself in a jail cell. She had broken into a records facility to see if she could find anything on the whereabouts of Regina Mills, only to be caught red handed and placed in custody before being handed over to her two, short tempered foster parents.
The next two years she was in and out of various juvenile detention centers. After her first stint in jail, her foster parents decided she was more trouble than the check that came with her, so they packed her up and sent her back to the orphanage. She was placed with another couple who were decent, but their house was overcrowded with hungry-eyed children who, like Emma, had also been given up by their parents.
The house stank in the summer and froze in the winter, forcing Emma out of the house where she'd wander the streets and various buildings- always looking for one person: Regina. Everywhere she turned she saw Regina, in her beautiful blue dress- her dark hair falling in soft folds over her shoulders, brushing gently across her cheek.
In parks, swimming pools, amusement parks, libraries, museums, and restaurants- she'd search for Regina. Pressing her nose against the crystalline glass of Boston's finest restaurants, peering through the fences of well-known private schools… she looked. Always for Regina.
By the time she was sixteen, Emma ran away from a foster home- for the last time. She vowed that she would never be put back into care and launched out into the world to make something of herself despite her shortcomings. Her search for Regina dissipated from seeing her everywhere, to quickly double glancing at every other brunette that passed her by until eventually- her memory of that day on the beach slowly faded into the back of her mind, waiting to resurface.
Now that she lay in jail with her only her thoughts, memories she hadn't thought of for twenty years began to reappear:
"I like your hair," said Regina with a coy smile and a short blush. Emma looked up from her pile of seashells, her eyes like two large, green saucers.
"Th-thanks. It's okay, I guess," she stuttered rubbing a piece between her index finger and thumb. She wasn't used to being noticed let alone complimented. Her cheeks flushed with color and she all of a sudden felt extremely nervous around the brunette.
Regina smiled again, causing Emma's stomach to plunge into her throat.
Emma smiled nostalgically recollecting how incredibly flattered and monumental that one simple compliment had been. She was jolted from her thoughts by the sound of the jail doors opening.
"Okay, Emma Swan," said Graham with a smile on his face, "time's up."
"Oh, um… okay," said the blonde as she clamored off the bunk and onto her feet, "So, just like that?"
"Just like that," smiled Graham. Emma found herself completely confused, yet baffled by the cavalier nature in which she had been apprehended and "processed," but she wasn't about to complain. Brushing off her jeans and shirt, she swung her jacket on and exited the small cell with a shy smile, stepping out into the cool, fresh Maine air.
She remembered seeing a diner on her way to the station and began heading that direction.
…
The bell on the door clanged as she entered- she suddenly realized all eyes were on her. Cautiously, she meandered up to the bar and took a seat where she was greeted by a tall, brunette woman in bright red.
"Don't mind them," she said gesturing towards the other occupants, "it's a small town and they're not used to outsiders," Emma nodded her head, "let alone outsiders who allegedly camp in their car outside the mayor's house," the brunette finished with a small smirk.
"Right, well… has news traveled about what I'd like to drink?"
"Coffee, black with a couple sugars," said the brunette without hesitation. Emma's jaw dropped.
"Seriously?"
"No, I've just been a waitress all my life, so I can tell these things,"
"Well, coffee it is," the brunette smiled and began walking away.
"Two sugars?" she said over her shoulder.
"Yuuup," sighed Emma. She looked around at the curious faces in the diner with a brief, nervous smile before turning back to the counter.
"Hey, you stayed!" came a bright young voice beside her. She looked to her right to see Henry clamoring up to sit on the stool next to her.
"Hey, kid- shouldn't you be in school or something?"
"On Fridays I come to Granny's after school to do my homework and wait for my mom to finish work," he said as he waved at Ruby. The brunette smiled and with a wink started to work on his hot chocolate.
They got their drinks and Henry launched into a giant monologue catching Emma up on the past ten years of his life. She sipped in silence with a small smile, secretly delighted in the situation. Looking over at the boy next to her, she couldn't help but allow her smile to spread to her eyes as they watched the baby she had given up for adoption jump up and down on his stool and swing his arms animatedly- attempting to recreate every event in his short life he'd deem "major."
As happy as she was in that moment, she couldn't help but feel a little sad and confused. This little boy was obviously a happy kid, so that means that even though Regina seems miserable and rigid- she's still a good mother. He's healthy, intelligent, funny, and happy… everything she wished for the baby she let go. So, what was it that made Regina this way? As these thoughts crossed her mind, Henry started settling down and she snapped back to attention.
"… and that's basically everything that's happened in my life, how about you?" he said with a large smile
"Well, I mean…" she drifted off in silence before deciding to quickly switch the subject, "Hey kid," Henry looked up with bright eyes that mirrored her own, "does your mom have, you know, a husband or wife or something?" she buried her face in her mug as her cheeks blushed, but her eyes remained plastered on Henry's face.
His excited eyes slightly dimmed and looked downwards, "No," he mumbled, "my mom had a husband, but he died before she adopted me," his head remained facing downwards before suddenly his whole demeaner seemed to switch in an instant. His head tilted upwards, one eyebrow arched, a small smirk played across his face as he asked, "Why?"
"No reason," said Emma without hesitation, slapping money on the counter for their drinks, "How about I walk you home, hmmm?" Henry nodded vigorously and jumped from his stool, waving goodbye to Ruby and Granny.
…
They walked happily down the street discovering everything that they had in common- including video games, burgers, and an extremely boisterous laugh complete with a short snort when they laugh particularly hard. As they approached the mansion, neither of them noticed Regina who stood in the upstairs window watching them. She had just gotten home when she heard the riotous laughter of her son and someone else with an equally loud laugh echo up the street.
Keeping herself half-hidden behind the drapes in the upstairs window, she watched her son and Emma talk excitedly about god-knows-what. They jumped around the lawn, shooting fake guns, dodging imaginary bullets, and laughing hysterically. Instead of embracing the warmth that slowly started to fill her body from her heart, Regina pushed it away and grew livid. Emma was manipulating her son just as she had done to her decades ago. She fumed and marched down the stairs.
"Henry," came her loud, authoritative voice. The young boy's head swung up and he snickered as he climbed off Emma who was laying on her stomach on the grass. Seeing Regina in the doorway, she quickly jumped up and brushed her clothes off.
Without a word, Regina motioned to Henry to get inside with a flick of her head- but she kept her eyes fixed on Emma. A sort of alpha-female-protective-mother glare that sent daggers into Emma's heart. Henry turned to face Emma, he tugged her jacket, making her drop down towards his face as he whispered in her ear.
"She wants you around, you know," he whispered, "she just doesn't want to admit it,"
"Hey, wait, kid- how do you know?" she whispered back, but he was already a few feet away. He swiveled around and shrugged her shoulders, giving her a sly grin that looked all-too-much like the grin she used when rejecting guys at a bar. Before she could say another word to Henry or Regina, the brunette slammed the door once her son was inside.
The blonde ran her hand through her hair with a sigh and turned around to find her car still parked where she left it. Opening the door, she plopped herself in the back seat and picked up a novel she had crunched under the passenger's seat and began to read. Regina can try to arrest her all she wants, she's not leaving.
….
Emma's eyes snapped open as she heard a familiar tapping noise on the window of her car. With a groan she rolls down the window expecting to see the Sheriff.
"I brought you dinner!" came Henry's friendly voice from outside the car. Emma sat up quickly and opened the door. There Henry stood with a plate of pasta, salad, and a roll. She smiled and took the plate began to eat.
"Oooohwoow," she groaned. Henry's smile simply grew larger.
"I know, my mom's an amazing cook," he smirked. He looked back at the house nervously, "leave the plate behind the potted plant to the right of the door and I'll grab it in the morning, I have to go before my mom finds me," and without another word he was off.
"Thankth, kid," stuttered Emma with a mouthful of some of the most amazing pasta she's ever eaten.
Regina watched Henry give Emma a plate of food and couldn't help but be touched by his generosity. She proud of him, yes, but she was also angry with him. She couldn't understand why he would go through such lengths to find her. Weren't they happy? She had made sure he had everything he could ever want, but he still had to go find her. She knew that the question of his birth parents would come up eventually, but why… why did it have to be her?
She watched Henry start to make his way back to the house. Turning to finish cleaning in the kitchen, she wiped away the sting of abandonment and prepared to act oblivious to her son's actions as he snuck into the house and casually walked into the kitchen to help her clean up.
Outside, Emma watched the domestic scene through the window from her car. She knew it was creepy, but she felt a strange bond between herself and the two people just out of reach. She found herself longing to transport herself to the other side of the glass.
"One day," she whispered to herself as she watched Henry splash his mother with sink water and she laughed throwing a towel over his face, "one day…" she sighed as she sat back in her seat and felt sleep overwhelm her.
….
Tap, tap, tap, tap…
Emma groggily sat up in the backseat of her car.
"Kid, I left the plate where you said," she groaned as she wiped her eyes.
"Emma?" came the Sheriff's voice. Shit.
She rolled the window down and saw Sheriff Graham's familiar melancholic smile looking at her.
"Good Morning," he said.
"Is it?" she said with a sigh. He gave a short laugh.
"Could you step out of the car please?"
Pulling her jacket over her shoulders and slipping on her shoes, she experienced déjà vu as she stepped out of her car and faced the sheriff.
"So," she sighed, "what's the bullshit charge this time?"
"Stalking," he said with a smirk. She rolled her eyes and looked over at the mansion where Regina was ushering Henry into the car.
"Stalking?" she moaned towards Regina, "Really?" the brunette merely glanced at her before entering her car and driving away.
Graham slips the cuffs on her wrists and puts her in the back of the police cruiser for another awkwardly silent ride to the police station where she was, again, placed in the cell without processing or questions.
The phone was ringing off the hook and she barely saw Graham as he ran in and out of the office looking flustered. A couple hours later, he came back to the station and handed her a coffee. Pulling up a chair next to the cell he slumped down and began chugging his coffee.
"So," he said casually, "I'm sorry you have to keep waking up like this, but Mayor Mills calls in- I have to answer,"
"Look, I know this seems like a really, really weird situation- but I want you to know that I'm really not a threat,"
Graham nodded slightly before sitting up and looking Emma square in the eyes.
"The mayor and I have been friends our entire lives, we grew up together. I want you to know that as a friend I would do anything for her, and as Sheriff I would do everything legally possible to protect her. For these reasons I ask you, why are you here?"
Emma inhaled deeply and exhaled loudly. She spun her long and complicated tale as Graham sat listening closely. She talked about the beach- though not in detail, and about how Henry found her before trying to explain her impressions of Regina's current state.
"Regina aside, Henry wants me in his life- and now that I've gotten to know him a bit, I can't just leave, especially after seeing Regina after all these years. This is all so complicated to try to explain, but all I know is that I have a feeling that I need to be here," she concluded looking Graham in the eyes.
He sat back in silence and finished his coffee. Crushing the cup with his hand, he tossed it across the room into the trashcan and stood from the chair. Unlocking the cell, he stepped aside so Emma could exit.
"I trust you," he says grimly, "I do- but I can't allow you to stay in front of the mayor's house,"
"But I…" he cut her off with his hand.
"The mayor has a rough history, and it seems like your time with her has been the only light in her life aside from Henry and…" he cut off briefly as a look of sadness passed across his face, "… I trust you. I don't want anyone getting hurt, that is my main concern. Believe it or not, I was aware of you two meeting at the beach- though I didn't know it was you until just now, but your stories match up,"
"You knew about the beach?" Emma asked curiously.
"Yes," Graham nodded sadly, "we all did… but that's a story for another time," he said hastily as his phone started to ring, "I have to go," he stated as he picked up his keys and holster, "Go to this address and ask for Mary Margaret," he said as he handed her a slip of paper.
"Mary Margaret? Are you sending me to a nunnery or something?"
"No," he smiled with a brief laugh, "she's a school teacher,"
Close enough, thought Emma.
"She's looking for a roommate, space is hard to come by in this town," he said as his phone continued to ring, "I better not have to do another wake up call tomorrow morning, Swan" said the sheriff as he slipped out of the station leaving her alone.
…..
A few minutes later, Emma found herself in front of the door of a loft apartment on main street. Before her second knock fell on the wood, the door swung open and a small brunette figure engulfed her in a crushing hug.
"OH, my goodness, you must be Emma Swan, Graham told me all about you, I am so excited for us to be roommates, we'll have so much fun!" sputtered the brunette as she pulled Emma into another rib-cracking hug.
She patted the young woman's back, politely asking to be released from her death grip. Oh Christ what have I gotten myself into…. Murmured the blonde in her head