A lovely day for photo hunting she thinks, as she parks off the road and deepens into the woods. Magnificence of wild nature, play of light and shadow, maybe even rare squirrel or something. She likes the sound of leaves whispering as the wind sways the crowns of the tall age-old trees with a single bird barely revealing its presence. She feels like a grain in a grand universe stretching far beyond the woods' borders, far beyond the bounds of one's mind…
And then she wakes up in horror to an unknown lonesome room. The last thing she remembers… god, no… tears blur her eyes. Could it be just a nightmare?
As she looks around she doesn't recognize the apartment. It's small and cosy, however quite dusty as if forsaken time ago. Nothing else, though, tells about its owner and why she is here.
The same unfamiliar appears the world behind the doors as soon she finds herself wandering the streets of this quiet unknown town. She stops passers-by, questioning what this place is. "Storybrooke", they say with sorrow, "State Maine", they specify and leave ignoring her shock... Maine!? She is caught off guard. That can't be!
Her stomach encourages her puzzle but for its own reasons. Yep, she needs to eat and think. So she returns to where she saw a diner down the street.
"Hi, I'm Ruby. Never seen you here before," too much extravagance in that girl, but, nevertheless, she seems friendly. "What would you like?"
Hopefully, the waitress doesn't go into further inquiries, but takes an order and leaves.
How could she turn up at another end of the country? Her mind is completely blank, without a single guess. She even doesn't even know how to feel about it, terrified or…
A tray crashes with an awful bang on the floor as everyone's eyes in the diner are fixed on a man at the door. "Sheriff-not-dead-alive," people murmur in daze while within seconds that girl Ruby rushes to embrace him. A happy reunion of… none-of-her-business-who-they-are.
Meantime, the waitress leads him to the table, then remembering about her duties apologizes and runs to the kitchen. Still waiting for her order she can't but look at the man, who's so confused now sitting at the front table, and they happen to stare at each other for a while. Isn't he too young for a sheriff… dead or alive? And what that means? He's too handsome and neat for the one who's just climbed out of a grave.
As she's served her order and the waitress draws all attention back to the guy, she can't but overhear their conversation. He says he needs to find Emma, while Ruby answers it's going to be a problem and starts telling him weird stories about the curse, Peter Pan and other things.
Oh my God, what is going on here? She tries then not to listen but her eyes peek at the guy until a sudden hush is restored in the diner.
"Madam Mayor," Ruby says getting up, yet hesitating, but before the waitress is off she uses a moment to ask if there's a bus-station or something so she could leave this strange town and state for one of Oregon.
"You… not… what… um," Ruby falters while exchanging gazes with the new-found sheriff and the dark mayor woman, then, damn it, retreats without answering. Less she can say – odd.
Meanwhile the woman examining her with caution, finally dares herself to sit across the man but before she can speak he raises and shoves off.
Hospitality, manners, sanity… this town lacks a lot. And it gives no answers as people keep looking at her crazily when she explains all she needs is to return back home to Oregon. "Just tell me in what direction to go!" she cries out. No train, no bus, nothing already needed but her legs and out of here.
So she gives up. There's only one thing is left to try…
There's a knock on the door and the first hasty thought – it's Emma. But then he shortly hauls up as it could be Regina, but she never before showed up at his place. What would he do standing with that woman face to face when no one is around? Would he be able to take revenge? Is it how it calls? To make her pay? Does he have a right to do that? Is it right at all?
But when he eventually opens the door, it's not what he ever expected. A girl from the diner looks astonished not less than he.
"I… must be… um, mistook… sorry," she is about to leave when he stops her.
"Wait. You need help, right? I'm a sheriff… back again, I guess. So I'm ready to serve!" too much eagerness at the end to his own surprise as she frowns at him with mistrust.
"A resurrected one sheriff," she rectifies.
"A sort of… long story," he purses his lips. "But I'm still more than capable…" archness comes to fill his spirit, "And first consultation is free… That's a joke… lawyers thing, you know… but I'm not… come in…" Whew, he's back into his mood. It even feels like déjà vu… awkward and amusing, but that's not Emma.
"You want something? However I doubt there's anything alive but a horde of roaches… I didn't say that," He's making himself a fool. That's has to be a thing with strange girls in his life. "So you want to get back home, that's in Oregon?"
"Exactly," she confirms. "And I have not a damn idea how or why I appeared to be in this town just across the whole country… by the way…" she looks around again and then continues, "I woke up right here," she points to his bed. "Your place, I believe. That's why I returned, because everyone in the streets behaved so weird and the only… maybe… You know, I don't need answers… for now… And my guess, you don't have them, too… So all I want is just to go home. Can you help me with that?"
"Of course," he though realizes that she's completely unaware what she's stuck in. There's a reason she's here, as for every person in this town… And he has to lie. No, just a little of deceiving as first he needs to find the answers. Without those he can't let her go. "You know, it's already late for a drive. Besides I had a drink. That would be a breach of law and authority abuse as there's nobody but me to arrest me and I don't want to do that," she's cool to his jokes and he doesn't know if it's a good sign or not. "I mean, you can stay… Not here… but, well, if you don't mind, then we could talk and think it over… I usually don't ask a girl to stay for a night… without a reason… I mean, at all."
God damn! He raises his arms in the air as if giving up. "I may seem to act like a moron, but I'm not," he weakly smiles and sees her lips broaden in a smirk.
"No authority abuse, sheriff, if I'm staying. Then I'm staying… And you joked about roaches, right?" she queries.
"I'm not sure," he makes a face. "About roaches," he clarifies fast. Damn, it's going to be a long awkward evening.
