Emma, at the age of 24 years old was already tired of life. She'd seen more violence and abandonment in her years than anyone had a right to see and most of it was at an age when she shouldn't be seeing it.

So to see this...bail bondsman who was little more than a bounty hunter scoff at her resume, "Is there a problem?"

"What's a little thing like you want with a job like this?" he asked.

Emma knew where this was going but she didn't let him see her true nervous emotions, "I'm a bleeding heart who believes in second chances."

"You know most of the people here skip out on their bails."

"Fine. Then I hate these people and I can't wait to go bring them in."

He gave a condescending smile, "I know that look in your eyes, Ms. Swan. You're angry at the world and want to lash out and someone and you think that by showing me your credentials and your license as well as an impressive resume that I'll just open the door and let you out into the world to terrorize it. I have news for you Ms. Swan, that's how you get killed."

"Then teach me the office work until you can trust me," she snapped.

"It's not just that," he said and stood up, "We're not just bail bondsmen we're also bounty hunters, do you realize what that means? If I sent a pretty blonde haired blue eyed girl that was your size into the field like that against the men and women we go for then we'd find your corpse years after your family declared you missing."

"I don't have a family," she muttered angrily.

"That's unfortunate," He said.

She saw him hand her her resume and she started fuming. She'd been turned down for a lot of jobs in her lifetime but this was the first time that someone had said it was because she was too attractive for God's sake.

She twisted his arm behind his back and slammed him against the desk. She'd been bounced around foster homes more than she could count but out of one of them, she did have a brother that had been protective of her. He'd taught her how to defend herself.

He shoved her backwards and she rammed her back against the desk behind her.

He turned around and for a second she was worried that he was going to hit her but instead he straightened his cheap tie and crumbled up her resume, "I'm going to regret this, I know it already. You will be on a trial run for half a year. You will not leave this office to pursue bounties unless I say so and you will not do that until you learn to control that little youthful temper of yours and maintain some discipline."

She blinked, "I have the job?"

"No," he said, "I'm testing you. What part of 'trial run' don't you understand?"

She stepped back and watched him carefully, "When do I start?"

"Tomorrow at seven in the morning. Come in late and you're fired. Bring donuts, I like the twist ones."

"Will I get fired if I don't?"

"No, but it might make up for the fact that you slammed my face in the stapler."

"Will I get reimbursed?"

HE gave her a look and she knew that she was pushing it, "Right now you're very lucky I don't make you buy me a new stapler."

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One Year Later

The silence between Regina and Henry as he waited for her to get done in her office was so tense that it could be cut with a knife.

He had begun asking questions. He had confronted her with the fact that none of his classmates were in his grade. It wasn't so much an accusation as it was an observation but Regina had told him that he was imagining things and to be quiet and now they were just sitting her in silence. She'd gotten her wish.

She hadn't realized when she adopted him that he would age while everyone else stayed frozen in time. Oh, she could practically hear Rumpelstiltskin cackling with glee over the fact that she missed such a large detail in her need to fill the loneliness that crushed her chest.

She'd think of something to tell him. She always did.

Or else she would ignore it and tell him he was delusional. She didn't know how long that latter one would last but if she had to then she'd milk it for all it was worth if it meant she was going to keep her normalcy.

Her phone rang and without hesitating she picked it up, "Yes?"

The door opened and she frowned when Mr. Gold came in, "Hello Madam Mayor, I'm here for the rent."

She threw an envelope at him and gave an irritated look as she didn't hear the person on the other end, "Can you repeat that?"

"I said I think we found her."

Regina nodded, "And where is she?"

Mr. Gold opened the envelope and started counting the money.

Oh for the sake of the gods! He trusted Granny who Regina suspected of cheating him whenever she could but he didn't trust Regina?

"Gold, do you mind?" she whispered.

"Oh, apologies Madam Mayor, I wasn't aware that this was private."

She made a face at him behind his back and turned her attention back to the phone, "Can you be sure?"

"She matched the picture of the little girl that you showed us and the photo of the woman. Or at least a rather nice grown up one…"

"Hello Henry!" Mr. Gold beamed at the boy, "How are you?"

"GOLD!" Regina said angrily and Henry brightened. Whether it was because the very presence of Gold bothered Regina or because he didn't have to answer a man that scared Henry more than Regina did she didn't know, "Please leave!"

"Of course," he said and with a small smirk that she never liked, he swept out of the room.

"I suspect I paid you enough to get rid of her," Regina said.

"She'll be dead by Friday."

Regina watched as the door to her office shut. If she didn't know any better, she could've sworn that it took longer to shut than normal.