Hello everyone and Happy New Year! We've all made it to the other side and hope you're all ready for another year of rollercoaster ride in 2018. I do have another couple of fics that are in the planning stages and hopefully they will be uploaded soon. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy my fics. So get ready, here's the first update of 2018! Enjoy!

Lots of love,

LM xxxxx

The Two Truest Believers-Part 37:

"Careers' Day," Regina started, "is a day when you go around and shadow someone and learn more about their job and start thinking about what you want to be when you're an adult," she said, "it's never too early to start thinking about what you want to be. There are thousands of possibilities. Sherriff, Mayor or even a teacher. These are just three jobs that are out there and could be your future career path for any of you sat before me."

She was talking to Mary Margaret's class and Regina noticed that Eva and Henry were sat on opposite sides of the classroom. She also noticed that Eva wasn't really paying any attention to what was being said but she'd already spoken to the girl about what she was going to say so that came as no surprise that Eva was looking through her workbook. However, she did also see that Eva closed up when she was at school. Whereas Henry would interact with his classmates when he had to; Eva wouldn't. She'd just sit on her own and keep to herself.

Regina decided to stay around the school for the day. After all it had been a while since she'd seen the teachers at the school in action and she knew she had the day free, so she was now stood in the playground watching the children with Mary Margaret and another teacher. Her eyes fell on Eva sat quietly on her own and watched what happened and realised that Eva was indeed being bullied and had clearly been trying to hide it from everyone.

Eva had got up to go and return her book to the school library when the usual group of girls walked over to her and pulled her bag off her back and began to throw Eva's bag around and making Eva the piggy in the middle. When she almost managed to grab her bag back that was when she got pushed to the floor and just burst into tears.

Right as one of the girls had been about to empty Eva's bag into a puddle, Regina walked over to them and grabbed the bag and then actually picked a clearly upset Eva into her arms and told the girls to follow her inside as she began to walk inside with Eva. She wasn't mad at Eva at all. She just couldn't be. Whilst all this had been going on Mary Margaret grabbed her phone and called Emma.

"Woah. Slow down Mary Margaret so I can understand you," Emma said as she answered her phone and was met with words she could barely catch.

"Eva's in trouble. She's just been pushed to the floor and taken inside by Regina."

"Wait? What? There's no reason for my Eva to be have that happen. You must have got it wrong. She's not the kind of child to do that. Trust all this to happen whilst she's there. I'm on the way," Emma said before ending the call and getting in her car and driving to the school.

"Ah Miss Swan. Thank you for getting here so quickly," the Principal said as Emma walked into the office, "Mrs. Nolan called you I presume…"

"Well yes or else I wouldn't have known that something had happened," Emma replied before turning to Regina, "what are you doing here anyway?"

"I was here to talk to the children about Careers Day and decided to stick around and it's a good job I did because I witnessed your daughter being bullied and I get the feeling it's ben going on for a while," Regina replied before smirking subtly as Emma's mouth dropped open as Regina's words were finally digested.

"Eva's being bullied?" she finally questioned.

"Yes, but as the Mayor said we were aware of issues with Eva and bullying but we didn't have proof that it was happening until today," the Principal said. Emma sighed before turning to her daughter,

"I'm so so sorry Eva. I've let you down ever since we came here to Storybrooke. I've been putting all my attention and effort into getting to know Henry and taken my eye off you," she said aware that her daughter wasn't even looking at her. When she didn't get an answer from her daughter Emma turned to the Principal, "I want those girls punished for what they have done to my daughter. Now I will be taking Eva home for the rest of the day and she will be back in school tomorrow," she said before snatching Eva's bag from Regina's hands and steering Eva out of the office.

Emma and Eva arrived back at the Loft and Eva went and sat down and Emma followed with the first aid kit and began to clean her daughter's hands and knees.

"Why didn't you tell me you were being bullied Eva? I am still your mother," Emma asked.

"Because you only care about Henry. He's the reason we're here," Eva said before wincing slightly, "not because you wanted to get some stability for me. Henry. He's all you ever care about, talk about…what about me? I might as well go and live with Regina and Henry come and live here because that's what everyone wants," Emma sighed as she thought about what her daughter had just said.

"You're right Eva. I mean about Henry. I've been putting him first when I should have been putting you first. Things are going to change Eva." Eva just looked at her mother and scoffed,

"You said that the last time we had this talk and the time before that. Why does anything I say now make any difference?" she questioned unable to trust or believe her mother after everything she'd said and never done.

"Because I will lose you and I don't want that to happen. I need to spend time with you alone and that is what is going to happen. I promise you Eva this time things are going to change."

True to her word Emma was trying and managing to spend time with Eva alone and sometimes she tried to, and it didn't go to plan but Emma was finally beginning to see how much Eva had missed her mother. Steps were slowly being made and bridges rebuilt but Emma could finally see how neglected and abandoned Eva had felt. It was a start but would it last?