Chapter One
Regina was nearing the end of her rope. For the past few months, her quaint little town had been overrun by a very pressing problem. A serial killer was apparently ripping through her citizens, abducting them and never giving them back. It was like an alien abduction; they would be in their beds, as cozy as could be, and the next morning, all that was left of them was an unmade bed. Everyone was begging her-"please, Mayor Mills, please,"-to fix it, to find the culprit, but not even her best detectives could. They'd searched crime scenes up and down, left and right, and they always came up empty handed. It was distressing, and Regina cringed whenever her phone rang, wondering if it was going to deliver news of another murder.
Of course, it wasn't just her town that was weighing heavily on her mind. Regina had a son, a thirteen-year-old boy who was discovering girls (and himself, considering how many tissues boxes he'd been going through) and needed attention and advice and guidance. All the things that Regina wondered if she was providing enough of. It was taxing, and she desperately needed some time to herself. Bubble baths and books read by the fire were more often than not interrupted by her son's antics or his friends' parents calling and asking her to come "pick up the little troublemaker."
Regina wondered if she needed to date. Her last boyfriend went south the second his wife was back in the picture, and that was enough to turn her off from dating altogether.
She often wondered if something was wrong with her, and she voiced such concerns to her secretary, Maleficent, who would scoff and roll her eyes, patting Regina's shoulder like a patronizing mother.
"You just haven't found the one yet," she'd always say, and it was comforting for a while, until another blind date failed, or just failed to show up.
Regina stopped browsing online for romance during her lunches, and instead went to Granny's Diner for poorly made salads. She sat at her usual spot, a booth by the window, staring out it with her chin propped up on the back of her hand. She must have looked terribly morose, despondent and unapproachable, and that was just how she liked it. She heard enough complaints from her citizens while in the office, she didn't need to interact with them during her break. Regina ran her fingertips along the rim of her glass of iced tea, lost in her thoughts, until someone she didn't know walked past the window and into the diner.
Usually, Regina recognized everyone in town, even gepetto. but this woman didn't ring any familiarity bells at all. Instead, she made Regina's heart skip several beats. The kind of palpitations that were either from nerves, or excitement. Regina couldn't discern them, and they only got worse when she walked past Regina's table.
She ordered coffee-black, she was very specific, and she drank it without any embellishments (except for the drops of alcohol she tipped into it from the flask she kept in her coat pocket). Regina watched her, hoped that she was being inconspicuous, and wondering why this woman was wearing a thick fur coat in the middle of spring.
She sipped her coffee slowly, closing her eyes with each swallow, as if savoring the bitterness and the burn as it slithered down her throat. Her hands were encased in red leather gloves, her black boots shined and tapped rhythmically on the bottom edge of her chair. She was an enigma, and one Regina was excessively interested in. She thought of all the dating profiles she'd sorted through over the years, the countless men and women she swore she had a connection with, who only seemed to disappoint. This woman was far more interesting looking than them all, but really, maybe it was just her black and white hair.
Regina slid out of her booth, abandoning her iced tea and kale salad. She took a deep breath, willing her pulse to regulate as she cleared her throat and sat down beside the mysterious stranger.
"Is this seat taken?"
Miss Fur Coat looked up from her coffee, quirking an eyebrow,
"Does it look like it?"
Her sarcasm was evident, but Regina sat down anyway, determined to salvage whatever she could from this encounter.
"I haven't seen you around before. Are you new in town?"
Miss Fur Coat shook her head, sipping her coffee again, her demeanor of displeasure shifting to a more flirtatious one the more she looked Regina up and down. That was certainly a confidence booster.
"I've lived here a while. I own a mansion on the edge of town. Hell Hall, I'm sure you've heard of it."
The name rang a bell, a property that belonged to the de Vil heiress-then it clicked. she was talking to Cruella de Vil.
"O-oh-oh! You're Cruella de Vil!"
Cruella nodded, smiling smugly, like Regina had just regaled Pulitzer worthy accomplishments all in her name.
"I am. And you're Mayor Mills. I've heard you've had your hands full lately."
Regina sighed, nodding with a roll of her eyes.
"The kidnappings, the murders-it's every day. My phone rings constantly, people begging me to find whoever's doing this. It's just not that simple. I have my best detectives on the case, but…"
She trailed off, shrugging in defeat. Cruella seemed sympathetic, almost doting as she turned towards Regina on her barstool,
"You're doing all you can, darling. There must be so much weight on your shoulders. You need a break."
Regina smiled at the concern, brushing hair out of her face self-consciously.
"That's easier said than done. I have a son, too. He's thirteen, and my god, he can be a troublemaker."
"Most kids are," Cruella quipped, finishing her coffee and turning back to Regina, "but you still need a break. Come to think of it, dinner sounds like a nice break…"
Regina blinked, wondering if Cruella was serious or not.
"Are you asking me out? We just met…" But the offer was enticing anyway, and Regina wasn't about to refuse it.
"How can I pass up giving the Mayor a day off? Meet me tonight at the little French place downtown. You know the one, don't you?"
Regina did, she'd had countless failed first dates there. But Cruella seemed promising-she was different, she was enigmatic, and she was the one making the move.
"It's a date," Regina smiled, watching Cruella grin back at her and stand to leave.
She was just as good going as she was coming.