Emma entered the station the next day with a huge smile on her face carrying a box. She called out as she rounded the corridor, "Hey Graham, I may have given in to the stereotype and brought us some doughnuts. The bear claw is mine though..."
She dropped the box on her desk and turned to see Graham in his office looking rather unwell, "Graham?"
He looked up at her, his eyes bloodshot, his face pale and sweaty. "Emma?"
"Oh my god, what happened?" She rushed in and knelt at his chair.
"I...remembered something. I shouldn't be here...The queen...I need to...I need to-" He stood from his chair abruptly then collapsed onto the floor, out cold.
"Graham!" She shook him but to no avail.
She phoned for an ambulance which came promptly and carted him off to the hospital leaving her in a state of shock stood in the station doorway. The phone started ringing which shook her out of her trance and she jogged over to answer it.
"Sh-sheriffs department, h-how can I help?"
"Deputy Swan, learn to answer the phone with a modicum of professionalism please. I must speak with the sheriff now. Put him on."
"Madam Mayor, I'm afraid the sheriff has been taken to hospital. He...he collapsed."
"What?! What happened?"
"I...he didn't look well then said he remembered something. The next thing he was on the floor unconscious."
"He remembered something? What was he talking about?"
"I...I don't know." Emma decided to leave out the bit about the queen.
"Very well. This is most inconvenient." Emma heard her irritation through the quiet, "the sheriff was due at a town hall meeting this afternoon. I suppose you will have to come instead. Talk to my secretary about the details."
Emma was about to respond in the affirmative when Cora hung up. She stared at the phone for a moment before putting it back down. "Wow."
Emma rang the secretary and got all the information and headed down to the town hall for 4pm. She quickly rang the hospital for an update but all she was told was that Graham was still unconscious so they wouldn't know anything till he woke up.
"Emma? What are you doing here?" Regina touched her arm gently.
"Regina hey. I'm here on official sheriff business."
"I thought Graham would be here for this meeting?"
"No. He...he collapsed in the station. He's in the hospital now...they're running tests but so far they won't tell me anything."
Regina enveloped her in a tight hug, "oh my goodness. What happened?"
Emma pulled out of the hug reluctantly, "honestly I don't know. I walked in and he was pale and sweaty, disorientated I think. The next minute he started rambling, mentioned he remembered something about a queen? I don't know, it all happened so fast. He stood up to leave and just...fell. I'm going to go to the hospital later to check on him."
"Well if you want company you know where I am. I can't say I knew him well, my mother had more dealings with him than I but I know Graham's a strong man, he'll be okay."
"Thanks. I hope he will." She shook as though someone had just walked over her grave, "should we go in?"
"Ah yes, the meeting. Hopefully it won't go on too long. These things can go on for a couple of hours sometimes. My mother refuses to come to them unless its very important so I get the esteemed honour most of the time. They can be very tedious but it is our job to sit through them and look like we're paying attention." She smiled as Emma chuckled. "Besides, I'd like a word with you after."
"Oh?"
"Mmm, remember how you left me looking like a fish out of water yesterday?" Regina leant in to whisper, "I'd like to repay the favour." She brushed past the deputy sheriff, letting her hand lightly slide across her waist.
"Oh boy." Emma gulped as she spun to follow, her eyes riveted to the sway in the deputy mayors hips.
Emma entered the room to see Regina sit at the head of the table. She was about to head to the spare seat to Regina's right when it was taken by Mr Gold and the other seat taken by an grey haired older man she didn't recognise. He was wearing a tailored suit and had the look of someone who wanted to be anywhere but there. The room started filling up so she had to make do with sitting at the far end across from Regina. She didn't mind though as it meant she could watch her clearly.
The meeting had just passed 5pm and Emma was nearly falling asleep with how bored she was. She had tried doodling on her notepad for awhile but that soon lost its appeal. She started surreptitiously looking around the room without moving her head so she wouldn't be noticed when she caught Regina's eye and couldn't help but grin slightly. She received a small smile in return. When she realised everyone else was focused on what some guy from the pharmacy was saying about parking she mouthed "hi" to her. She saw a slight blush appear on the deputy mayors cheeks. She decided to have a little fun and, when she knew the others in the room wouldn't be bothered, pretended to stretch and arch her back. She saw how a certain pair of brown eyes dipped and couldn't help but smirk. She slowly lowered herself back down and pulled her shirt back straight and sat up which caught the attention of Mr Gold.
"Have you something to add Deputy Swan?"
"Hmm? Oh no. I agree that we should have a proper parking system in place in front of the shops. I just don't think we need to extend this system further than Main Street."
Mr Gold grumbled to himself as others agreed with Emma. She breathed a sigh of relief as she realised he was trying to catch her out. The meeting went on for another forty five minutes and Emma decided she really should start paying proper attention and so made notes instead of doodles in her pad. The deputy mayor called the meeting to a close, "Well, unless there's anything else I think we can adjourn this meeting. My secretary will get the minutes out to all of you by the end of the week." Everyone stood to leave including Emma, "Deputy Swan, a word please?"
Regina stood and ushered everyone out of the room then closed the door, turning to see Emma leaning against the table. She walked over and took the notepad out of her hands and placed it on the table.
"What can I do for you Deputy Mayor?" Emma smirked as she flicked her hair behind her shoulders, placed her hands on either side of the table leaning back a little, and crossed her legs at the ankles.
"You're playing a very dangerous game, Deputy Swan." Regina placed her feet either side of Emma's and her hands on her waist.
"Oh?" She said nonchalantly.
"Mmm, I know you stretched on purpose just to see my reaction." She tugged a little on the shirt pulling the front out of the skinny jeans.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I had backache." Emma grinned as she watched her hands fiddling with the lowest button.
"Oh really?" Regina couldn't help but chuckle as she undid the button.
Emma gripped the edge of the table tighter as she watched her undo the second then third button, "yeah it...helps to stretch."
Regina placed her fingertips on the pale skin as Emma gasped. She smirked and slid them further in till her palms were flat against her stomach. She started running circles on the skin with her thumbs, just grazing the underside of her bra. She leant in to whisper in her ear, "I'm sure I could help you stretch sometime. Get those kinks out." She let her teeth graze the deputy sheriffs earlobe, "we could have our own...girls night." She, pulled the lobe a little before releasing it from her teeth.
Emma was about to turn her head to finally capture those delicious looking lips when Regina pulled away and stepped backwards.
"Well dear, I have to get home to Henry." She smirked as she watched Emma try to control her breathing, "two can play this game deputy. I'm not as shy as you may think." She walked to the door and as she turned the handle she called over her shoulder, I'm sure i'll...see you around." She bounced the words right back at the blonde from yesterday and finally left the office.
Emma quickly did up her shirt and collected her notepad, she was about to go after Regina to finish what she had started when her phone rang. "Hello?...right, I'll be right there. Thank you."
It was the hospital saying Graham was showing signs that he was starting to wake up. She ran out of the building and nearly broke the speed limits to get to the hospital. She arrived to see Graham in a side room hooked up to various machines. She sat at his bedside and held his hand, she started to nod off. She must have been there for three hours before he started to stir, "Emma?"
"Hey. How are you feeling?"
He tried to sit up but felt weak, "you need to get out of here Emma. It...it's not safe."
She gently pushed him back to a lying position, "lie down, what are you talking about?"
"The queen, she'll come for you...she'll...find out who...you are." His machines started to beep erratically.
"Graham calm down. No-ones coming for me. You're okay."
"No...the curse..."
"Ah right. You've been talking to Henry. It's okay Graham, you're not well. Things are just a bit jumbled up. You'll be-"
"NO!...I mean...I...you're...saviour..." His eyes rolled back in his head and he started fitting.
Emma dropped his hand and called into the corridor, "Help! I need some help in here!"
She was pushed to the side as the nurses and doctors rushed in. A nurse came out after ten minutes to find her pacing up and down the corridor, "Deputy Swan, we've had to sedate him. We're still running tests to determine what's caused all this but if there's any change we'll let you know."
Emma started to walk back to the room but the nurse gently held her arm, "it's best if you just go home deputy. There's nothing more you can do."
Emma nodded and slowly walked out of the hospital and drove back to the apartment and after having a quick bite to eat she realised it was nearly 11pm so got ready for bed. She set her alarm for 5am so she could get a run in and check on Graham before starting her shift.
That night at about 1am Cora visited the hospital, there were no nurses or doctors wandering around so she was able to slip in unnoticed. She stood at Grahams bedside in the closed off room waiting for him to regain consciousness. He eventually woke up but was groggy as he took in his darkened surroundings, his eyes slowly landing on the Mayor standing at his bedside.
"Queen Cora." He gasped as he tried to sit up.
"Oh, it's such a pity you had to say that dear."
She pulled his heart out of her handbag and held it to the moonlight, squeezing it tightly.
"If only you didn't remember."
His monitors started to beep loudly and erratically so she muted them.
"Don't struggle dear, you'll just make it worse for yourself."
His face went bright red as she squeezed the last of the life out of him. She brushed the dust into the bin and switched the machines sounds back on.
"Such a pity." She said quietly as she snook out of the hospital in the dead of night.
