"I woke up early the next morning, ready to take you on. I remember storming into your office looking for you.

"I'm here to see the Mayor." I demanded of some poor woman who looked like she'd been beaten down for years. Her desk tag said, 'SECRETARY AURORA CAMPBELL'. I looked right at her and knew why she looked so worn down. I imagined working for you was the worst job she could have ended up with.

"Do you have an appointment?" She asked me as if she already knew the answer, and I hadn't liked that.

"I do now." I said, walking around her to the door labeled Mayor.

"You can't go in there!"

I grabbed the door, throwing it open. Aurora rushed in behind me, "I'm sorry Mayor Mills, I couldn't stop her!"

You didn't look up from your desk, where you were writing on some papers. "No, I expect you couldn't. I'll deal with you later Aurora." Aurora's shoulders sagged, and she left the room. I almost felt bad, but then you said, "How can I help you Miss Swan? It seems you've learned absolutely no manners in the time since I've seen you."

I looked at you in shock. You still didn't look up, and your name tag stared at me, almost accusing. 'MAYOR REGINA MILLS.' "How did you know my name?"

You finally set your pen down then, bestowing me with a look that clearly said you thought you were better than me. "I take interest in rude strangers that come crashing into my town. Your ugly yellow bug was parked in plain sight, so tracing you from there was simple. You're a bounty hunter, which is odd, seeing as you were once a criminal. Your bug has a suspicious past itself, you've had seven residences in just as many years, you're unattached, no husband, no children. Why is that?"

You clearly enjoyed blindsiding me. "If anyone is a rude stranger, it's you. You ran right into me, burning me with your coffee. Even common courtesy dictates an apology."

"Oh, does it? I'm waiting."

I sputtered, sure that you were kidding. "You expect me to apologize? Really? Not gonna happen."

"Well then I'm not sure why you're wasting my time. I'm very busy. So if you would be so kind as to get out."

I walked closer to your desk, putting my hands flat on it, on top of some of your papers. "You don't look busy, with all the time you have to research strangers that you steamroll in diners. You seem to have all the time in the world to be as rude as possible."

You stood up, looking at my hands on your papers. You walked around your desk, putting your face close to mine. "I don't know who you think you are-"

"I'm Emma Swan remember, or have you already forgotten?"

You breathed out angrily, reminding me of a bull preparing to charge. "You have no right to be here. You are in my town. You are on my turf. If you think you can come into my office and cause trouble over something that was your fault, you are sorely mistaken."

I turned sideways, closing the gap between us until there was an inch or so between our faces. "You might be the Mayor, but this isn't your town." I moved my hand a bit, knocking over your coffee so that it spilled across the desk. "Oops."

Do you remember how you seethed? I don't think I've ever in my life angered someone so quickly. I was thrilled and terrified when you said, "Miss Swan, you have no idea what I'm capable of."

"Frankly, I don't care." I said, turning around and walking out. At the doorway I said, "Have a nice day, Madame Mayor," as sarcastically as possible. I passed Aurora's desk, murmuring, "She's gonna be really angry today," just as you shouted, "Aurora get in here now!" I shrugged, walking smugly out of the town hall. Who could have known the path we had started on then? I didn't know, and I doubt you did either.

Sometimes I wish that I had just left town when I woke up that morning. And most times, like now, I'm really glad I didn't. I love you, even considering the way we started this tumultuous path. Now that I'm really putting time into thinking about this, I wonder what you did that day after I left. I have a vague idea, but I don't actually know. I left your office with that smirk on my face, and when I stepped out onto the street the whole town looked brighter. There was something about feeling like I'd bested the biggest, baddest, bitch in town that made me feel accomplished. I promise I don't think you're a bitch now, but then that would have been the first word I'd have used to describe you. You were so standoffish, I had to put you in your place. Well, I thought I'd put you in your place. I wasn't even close to right. I knew this could easily turn into fight, so I went back to Granny's Diner.

"Hey Granny."

"Miss Swan good morning, did you sleep ok?"

"I slept great. Listen, I'd like to stay another few days. Would that be alright?"

"Alright, that would be great? If you stay for a week I'll give you a discount."

I looked out the window where I could see a Sheriff's car drive by. "That sounds great."

She clapped an excited clap. "I'm ecstatic. When the diner closes either Ruby or I will be back to the Inn to set it all up."

"Sounds great." I looked at the menu. "So what's good here?"

A woman slid into a chair next to me at the counter. "Everything."

I turned to look at her. She had short hair and was wearing layers of clothing. She had a sweater on with a turtleneck underneath, and a long almost floor length skirt. To be honest, she looked like a grade school teacher. "Oh? Everything, really?"

"Granny makes the best of everything. That's why we all keep coming back. Well, that and the fact that there's really nowhere else to go to grab a quick bite to eat." Granny snorted at the woman, tapping the counter good naturedly and walking away. The woman smiled at Granny's back. "I'm Mary Margaret."

"Nice to meet you Mary Margaret." I offered her a hand, which she shook.

"What brings you here?"

"Is everyone in town this curious?"

"Well, we never get strangers. And when it's rumored that a particular stranger practically ran over the Mayor on her way into town, everyone gets curious."

"Wow." I shook my head. "I don't think I like the flow of information in small towns." A tow truck rolled slowly by Granny's large window. I watched it absentmindedly.

"It can be very…taxing, to say the least. So how did Regina react to you running into her?"

"Much like I imagine she reacts to everything else that displeases her."

"Oh, some days you're the bug and some day you're the windshield."

"Right."

"And if Mayor Mills is involved, you're the tragic car accident on the side of the road."

I snorted. "Exactly." Now Regina, you might be reading this and getting angry, but don't this was weeks ago, and you've mellowed out. So has everyone's attitude towards you. "Today I went into her office and 'accidentally' spilled her coffee across her desk. She was less than pleased."

Mary Margaret sipped her tea. "You might regret that. Mayor Mills is a very powerful woman."

"You sound like you know from experience."

"I teach her son, Henry." I remember laughing when she said that. I knew she had to be a teacher. "Once I didn't let Henry leave for lunch because he needed to finish a project. I received the full wrath of the Mayor that day, including a threat on my job. It happens."

"Yeah well, I'm not afraid of her." Granny set a plate of grilled cheese, fries, and a pickle in front of me.

"It's on the house."

"Thank you." I smiled. I already liked this town, minus one aspect of it. I turned back to Mary Margaret. "There's nothing she can do to me anyways. I don't even live here." I started to eat the grilled cheese.

"Don't be so sure. Isn't that your car?"

I looked back out the window, and sure enough, my bug was attached to the back of the tow truck, which was pulling away. "Shit!" I ran out to the street, but I was already too late. I watched my car disappear around the corner, while at the same time cursing your name.

"What were you saying about her not being able to do anything to you?"

I looked at Mary Margaret. "Oh, it's on."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna finish lunch, then I'm gonna go give the Mayor a piece of my mind."

"Well, I have to get back to school before my students finish lunch. Let me know how it goes! Don't get arrested!" She hurried off, and I ate the rest of my lunch seething.

When I walked into the Mayor's office again Aurora stood up to ward me off, but you spoke first. "Don't worry Aurora, I've been expecting her." I walked into your office, where you sat completely composed. In my fury I was almost oblivious to your beauty. Almost.

"You had my car towed?"

"You seem to have been illegally parked."

"I was parked between two other cars. Mine was the only one parked illegally?"

"We only have one tow truck Miss Swan. Only one car can be towed at a time."

I growled. "Where do I go to get it back?"

"Well typically, you would go to the impound."

"Typically?"

The smirk on your face grew. "I say typically because it's Friday. On Fridays the impound closes at noon. It appears to be twelve thirty." I swore. "Don't worry Miss Swan, the impound will be open again on Monday."

"What is your problem?"

You laughed. "I don't have a problem, Miss Swan. Do you?"

"Not at all." I looked at your ring finger, taking a wild stab into the dark. "You aren't married, are you?"

"No, I'm not."

"I'm not surprised." I watched the smirk fall from your face, and I felt like I'd won a small battle in the beginning of the war. Now that I know why you never married I wish I'd never made that comment. I'm sorry about that, by the way. It was a low blow, even at the time. . I hope you remember the fighting we did that first day. It seems so childish to me now. I left your office, not knowing what would happen that weekend."