AN: Thanks to you guys that followed and favorited! I am really excited about starting this story for you, I think it's going to be really fun to write. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I like writing it!
Chapter Two: What Lay Waiting
Regina Mills pulled up to the house that she would be staying in for the next six months, she stepped out of her black mercedes and slammed the door shut, before leaning up against it. Damn that sleazy realtor! She should have known he was lying, nothing could be that cheap and still look decent. She had been promised a luxury victorian aged house that was secluded enough to clear her mind, but close enough to civilization that she could continue to work.
The house that was before her though was not luxury, not at all. It was painted white and she could see the wooden siding through the places where the paint was chipping away. She groaned and tilted her head back to look up at the sky; it was blue, possibly the brightest blue that she had ever seen, and the sun shone down hot upon her face. There was a soft breeze hitting her face, coming from the coast she assumed, or maybe from the lake that was positioned directly behind her house. She took in her surroundings, the garden that had been promised to her was actually just couple of overgrown rose bushes, there was a house directly across the street and she figured that had to be the Knight's. She could faintly hear a retro country song filtering it's way to her and she grimaced at the thought of having noisy neighbors.
Well, she supposed it was better to just get it over with and check out what shape the inside of the house was in. Considering what the outside looked like, she wasn't hoping for much. She adjusted her prada bag on her shoulder and her favorite pair of heels crunched against the gravel walkway as she made her way towards the front door. There was a thick layer of dirt covering the front porch and she snarled her nose at the sight of it. Had the sheriff said that no one had lived in the house for over a decade? That ass of a realtor had told her it had been only a couple of years, but of course he had lied about that too.
She prepared herself as she took the first step and held her breath as the wood creaked beneath her foot. To her relief the porch didn't cave under her, and actually seemed to be quite sturdy. She stood before the door, looking at it as if it may grow a face a speak to her. She wasn't ready to go in, it wasn't often that she found herself afraid, but in that moment she felt fear creep up on her. No one knew where she was; apart from the two officers she had met that morning and the ass of a realtor, but she knew none of them would come looking for her if whatever lay waiting inside that door attacked.
"Okay Regina, you can do this." She tried to pep talk herself into some bravery.
The key stuck a bit in the lock when she tried to turn it, with a jiggle of her wrist though the door flew open. She didn't know what she was waiting for, but she was hesitant as she stepped over the threshold. A sigh of relief left her lungs as she looked around and convinced herself nothing was going to jump out at her.
She found a light switch and lit up the entrance way, it was nice enough even though the wallpaper was outdated and there was almost as much dust inside as there was dirt outside. It could easily be cleaned, she decided as she turned right and made her way towards the kitchen. She noticed right away that it was a lot of yellow, the counters, the cabinets, even the flooring. It hurt Regina's eyes to look at it and she turned the light off and turned towards the living room.
The living room made her feel as if she had walked into a hunting camp and she cringed at the many sets of eyes that were on her. Mounted animals covered the walls and she wondered what had ever possessed someone to decorated with dead bodies. The furniture looked welcoming though and she knew that she would test out the old leather couch before her six months were up.
The stairs taunted her when she flipped the light switch and nothing happened. Either the bulb was burnt out or the fixture itself was broken, she prayed it was the bulb. Although, she mused, maybe if it was broken she could get that blonde sheriff to come fix it for her. It had been too long since she had been with anyone, and even longer since she had felt the caress of a woman. The sheriff stirred something deep inside of her, but she couldn't afford to address that. She had come to Storybrooke to work, and if she didn't get something productive out of being in this boring old town her career was going to be over.
She stood for a moment looking up into the darkness. Her heart pounded in her ears, she tried to swallow the lump that was forming in her throat and forced herself to walk up the stairs. She reached the top landing and sunlight shone into the hallway from the bedrooms. It smelled of dust and mothballs and she wondered how long it would take to air out. As she turned into the first bedroom, her heart stopped; she had come face to face with a beast and she was frozen in terror. The creature stared into her eyes, it's own beady eyes bore into hers and her blood ran cold as it stood on its back haunches.
When she eventually came to her senses and ran as fast as her short legs would carry her. Dropping anything that would slow her down on her way out.
"Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod!" She exclaimed as she burst through the front door and out into the yard, not stopping until she was safely pressed against her car.
Her vision was blurry, and her pulse was rapid below her skin and she had to put her head between her legs to keep from passing out. She tried to control her breathing, knowing her body was on the losing end of this terror, and dying in the middle of nowhere Maine was not the way she wanted to go. Besides, she had to live, so that she could drive to Portland and kill that realtor.
It was while she was panting and planning out the homicide of the insipid man who conned her into leasing this hell hole that she heard it, laughter.
Regina lifted her head from between her legs and looked in the direction of the sound. There were two young boys, both shirtless, and both doubled over from laughter. They were wearing swimming trunks with toy swords in their hands. They were seemingly enjoying her fear, and she didn't even care. She was too afraid to be embarrassed.
"You-you-you," The brown haired boy pointed at her before falling to the ground in his hysterics.
"Did you boys she a squirrel run out after me?" She asked breathily.
The boy who was still standing shook his head.
"Are you sure?" She seemed out reassurance before finally rising up from her bent position.
"I only saw you run out ma'am." The boy on the ground laughed.
She moved to pull her sunglasses out of her purse and realized it was no longer on her shoulder. She must have dropped it in her attempt to get out of the squirrels way.
"Would you boys like to earn some money?" She asked.
At the mention of getting paid, the boy on the ground jumped up and tried to keep from laughing. "How much?" He inquired like a regular business man.
"Five bucks each." She stated, narrowing her eyes, waiting for them to raise the price.
Their eyes widened comically before they nodded at a breakneck pace. Regina chuckled, apparently five dollars was still a lot to a child in a small town. "Okay then, I need you to go in there and get my purse." She explained.
They instantly started shaking their heads. "No way." They said at the same time.
"Why not?" The woman questioned, almost afraid of what they would tell her.
The smaller boy, the blonde with big brown eyes moved closer to her, "Your house is haunted," he whispered as if the house itself had ears.
She bit back a smile, "I promise that while I was in there I didn't see any ghosts or goblins, only squirrels." She told him earnestly.
The boys looked at each other, seemingly having a silent conversation on whether or not they could trust the crazy lady they had just witnessed run screaming from the house.
"You really promise?" The brown haired boy asked, and there was something in his green eyes that seemed very familiar to Regina.
"On my life," She whispered with a smile.
"I would really like five dollars." One boy said to the other, who agreed quickly.
"Okay ma'am we'll go get your purse." The blonde boy answered with a mega watt smile.
She nodded and watched as they ran into her house, toy swords drawn to protect themselves from any unseen danger.
It was nearly thirty seconds later they came barreling back out of the house, slamming the door behind them, holding her purse between the two of them. When they stopped in front of her she reached in her purse and pulled out her wallet.
"Now we decided on one dollar a piece right?" She teased them.
"Five!" They exclaimed at the same time once again.
"Oh of course," She smiled, "Five dollars apiece for the bravest men I have ever met." She hands over the money, and the boys blushed and turned away.
They thanked her and ran off towards the house across the street, holding their five dollar bills above their head like trophies.
Now all she had to do was figure out how to get that damn squirrel out of her house.
AN: Thanks again for the follows and favorites. The reviews mean a lot to me! I love you guys! Also I am going to try to get another chapter up tomorrow because there is a big winter storm headed for me and it will probably knock out my power for a few days. So I want to be as nice as I can before I go AWOL for a few. BTW for those of you who are wondering, this will be a slow burn SQ fic, so don't expect hot steamy sex anytime soon between our ladies.
