If there was something that Regina Mills had come to understand over her years working as a high school teacher, it was that using her resting bitch face was a necessity. It was actually one of her most useful skills, and she really didn't think there had been a day when she had walked through the huge double doors of Storybrooke High School without the expression permeated on her face: mouth curling slightly at the corner, features stern and severe, and her eyes hard and unforgiving.

It was a mask, as she didn't go around wearing that face in her everyday life. However, when she was at her workplace, that was the way she liked to carry herself, especially when she was face to face with the principal and he was making no sense whatsoever...

"I'm sorry-" She began to say, her hands passively resting on her lap as she sat opposite to her boss. Somehow, she got lost in translation, and when he told her he was sending her and half her class on an overnight trip to another State, her mind short-circuited. "I'm not sure I understand."

Licking his lips in that disturbing and slightly repulsive way he would do everytime she was in his presence, Leopold Blanchard leaned forward, his hands slithering across the wooden surface of his desk. His eyes never left hers, and the closer he got, the more intense the stare became.

Regina didn't blink… she didn't even move. She simply kept her posture, eyes focused and her spine so rigid it could break. It was how she always portrayed herself while in the man's presence: stoic, serious and undisturbed, because she'd be damned if she ever let him know how uncomfortable he made her feel.

"It's rather easy, Regina. Your advanced chemistry class won the science fair in our district, so I want you all at the exhibition they will hold in New York. In case you didn't know, the American Museum of Natural History is going to showcase the winners this weekend."

"Of course I knew." Arching an eyebrow, Regina lifted her chin. There was an edge to her voice that made Leo slide back in his chair, but he never let his gaze drop.

"I figured. Well, I think it is a must that you and the kids get to be there when the fruit of your arduous work receives the praise it deserves."

Leopold stopped there, giving her a moment. That was when Regina understood why he was doing this. The man's daughter was in her class, so could this be him wanting the spotlight on the girl?

"Plus, we need the representation. I'm sure that with the right eyes taking in this great achievement, we can get more funding. We can even register for bigger events, the kind that give prizes in cash… and who better than you to make our school get noticed?"

Fighting the urge to groan out loud when she realized this wasn't about his daughter but about money, Regina's fingers curled. They dragged down to her knees and then back up, her nails scratching over the fabric of her skirt. "I can understand that part. What I don't get is how am I supposed to take sixteen students to New York for an exhibition that takes place in three days?"

Yes, the opportunity was perfect, not only for the school but also for her and even the kids, but the reality of the situation was that they didn't have the resources to go. With more time, Regina could have found sponsors and maybe even organized some activities to get the necessary funding, but with only three days left, they didn't have enough time to prepare.

"Well-" Leopold smiled, apparently very pleased with himself. "It took me some convincing to do, but the Board gave me the nod to make a place in the budget for this. It is an honor to have our school being represented and our students shining in such a competitive field, so they agreed that all expenses should be covered by the school. Plane tickets, the museum passes, and obviously, a one night stay in the city. There is even some left for food and yes, to cover your salary."

Her face didn't give an inch, but that last part made Regina's interest peak even more. Yes, in the long run this could be quite beneficial for her career, but in a shorter term, the extra money was not going to hurt. She needed it, and this was basically like working overtime for two days straight!

There was a lot to fix in her house as it was, and being a single mother on a teacher's salary was making it a bit difficult. But this… this could help, even if it wasn't that much.

So yes, there was that, but also, if she ever aspired to climb the ladder at that school, she needed to start making a name for herself with the board. She was aiming for Leopold's seat, and with the man retiring the following year, she needed to stand out. Winning the regional science fair was a great step, but representing the school in an event that was going to host some of the best school programs on the East Coast was maybe the boost she needed.

Yes, there was Henry to think about, but she could ask Zelena to keep her ten-year-old son for the weekend. She was sure her sister wasn't going to say no and that Henry was going to love spending two days being spoiled rotten by his aunt.

It was just perfect!

But as her mind kept swirling and rolling about the whole thing, there were some little details that started to come to the surface.

"Will I take the students by myself? By the Board's own protocol, we need more than one teacher to supervise our kids on regular trips, so what will they say if we only have one teacher on a trip that goes overnight?"

"What better supervision than Regina Mills? You are our best when it comes to discipline. Quite honestly, I wouldn't trust anyone other than you for this, especially with Mary Margaret going."

Humming, Regina tried to smile. It didn't work, and she was sure the gesture came out as a grimace instead. "Yes, well... this is more than discipline. There's sleeping arrangements to settle, coordinating meals, safety protocols...and come on, it's New York. These kids are fifteen and sixteen years old, so another pair of eyes would definitely come in handy."

Hell, she would even ask for two more teachers or maybe some parents who offered to be chaperones, but she already knew that would be pushing too hard. One was a reasonable request… or so she thought.

Lifting a hand in the air as if he just got an idea, Blanchard snorted. "I can always go."

Yeah… not a chance. The way she looked at him probably demonstrated that last thought out loud, because soon after the principal quickly backtracked. "I mean, if you find another one of the kids' teachers who's willing to go with you on such short notice, be my guest."

Regina almost cringed, her jaw tensing and her fingers closing into fists over her knees. It was no secret that all the teachers in that school either hated her or didn't like her, so she was already anticipating them all telling her no right off the bat, and that was going to be a problem.

The bastard probably knew it, and that was why he put his name out there first, so that when everyone said no, she would have no choice but to take him up on the offer.

She had no plans of that ever happening though, so clearing her throat and trying to keep her expression blank, she nodded. "Alright, I'll find someone. Now if you'll excuse me." With that said, the science teacher got off the chair and without sparing Leopold another glance, she made it to the door.

Once outside, she blew out a breath and closed her eyes for a second. She needed a moment to think, and obviously, to curse under her breath because shit, shit, shit! It couldn't be that she was going to have such an opportunity be tainted by Leopold Blanchard's presence.

But no… she wasn't letting that happen. With that thought in mind, she curled her lips, opened her eyes, and as if by magic, she was back in control.

She walked down the corridor with her face showing nothing but confidence and determination. Her posture was rigid and impeccable, as always, and without knowing it, she was moving around like she owned the entire place, her chin an inch too high as the clicking sound of her heels preceded her.

That was how she would normally move around the school, and probably why her reputation was basically set in stone. On first impression, the general consensus among both students and teachers was the same: Stay away from Ms. Mills.

Regina didn't mind. She had come to understand that in her field of work, fear was quite an effective tool. She was dealing with a bunch of adolescents after all, and no matter how under control you thought you could keep them, making them stay on their best behavior was never an easy task. She couldn't come off as weak, and if maintaining some sort of order in her class meant having half the students afraid of her, fine.

She knew what she brought to the table, because people could say whatever they wanted to say about her, but the fact remained that she was good at what she did. Probably even the best the school had.

Yes, the kids who ended up in her class always entered the first day feeling terrified, but most of them would finish the course agreeing on something: Ms. Mills might be too strict, and her class was hard as hell, but nobody could say that she wasn't fair. If you struggled, she would make sure to help you, and if you happened to like science, she was the best teacher you could ever wish for. They respected her for it, and that was enough for Regina.

Now, her relationship with other teachers was a different tale. It was less complicated than the one with her students, because the truth was that most of them simply disliked her. She knew this and didn't care. She came to work, not to make friends, so she never bothered to mind how some of her coworkers would stay clear of her path every time she happened to run into one of them. They acted like she was the bubonic plague itself, and sometimes, that was good too.

She was cordial when she needed to be, and she treated everyone with the same respect she expected in return, but the reality was that she didn't mingle.

She liked it that way, she was used to it. But there were times when this was an inconvenience, and right now was one of those moments. She needed a fellow teacher for this trip, and she doubted any of them would drop their plans for the weekend so they could go and play chaperone to more than a dozen adolescents in New York with her.

She could try to appeal to them with the salary that the Board was going to pay, but still, her hopes were not too high.

Unless…

Sucking in a breath as she suddenly remembered there was someone she could ask who maybe wouldn't be as indisposed as the others to do this, Regina swirled on her heels and started to walk back, passing past the principal's door and heading straight up the corridor.

She didn't want to get her hopes too high, but the person who came to mind might be the one she needed. He had been there for a little less than three months and well… new teachers were prone to say yes to everything: fundraisers, hall duty, chaperoning…

Locksley . She remembered the name clearly, as it was the first thing he had told her in the only direct conversation they'd had since he started working there. Just like most new teachers, he had come to her, a huge smile on his face and stretching a hand in her direction. It had been something quick that she responded with her mandatory, ' Mills, chemistry ,' but she remembered the introduction perfectly.

First, because her reply to his words had felt too dry even for her, and second, because there was no way she could have ignored the strange tingle she felt in the pit of her stomach as soon as their hands connected. It had disconcerted her, because yes, he was good looking, but not enough to make her react like that.

Later on, she brushed her reaction off as simple curiosity. Judging by the thick accent that had accompanied his words, she could tell the man was English, and for some reason, the fact that he was teaching American History had struck her as interesting. She left it there, and tried to just erase that strange episode in her life...

But she couldn't. Unfortunately for her, she heard plenty about him ever since, because her kids wouldn't shut up about how great he was. She had never seen them so enthusiastic about a teacher, so her curiosity had kind of picked up. She never made the approach though, because she would never… but she had seen him walking around quite a few times and she had paid attention. Dimpled smile set in place, blue eyes bright and lively, and a nice aura that could be perceived even from the opposite side of the hallway.

They had never started a conversation that went beyond a ' good morning,' but he had never given her the evil eye or even tried his best to evade her if they happened to cross paths. Quite the contrary. In fact, during their few encounters, he had always flashed a genuine smile her way, accompanied by a polite nod.

So yes, brushing away whatever pull he had on her, she had to admit that maybe he was her only chance.

Breathing deeply in because as smooth as things could turn out to be, she was still going to hate asking, Regina made it to his classroom. Upon approach, she noticed that his door was closed, so meaning to check if he was in class, she took a peek through the crystal panel on his door.

He was indeed in the middle of a class, standing in front of his desk and talking animatedly. He was gesturing a lot, and the kids were totally entranced, eyes wide and (go figure), in complete silence. It took her a moment to realize that he was… singing? No, he was rapping something about seventeen eighty-nine, united colonies and founding fathers...

Pursing her lips, Regina frowned, but as soon as she was going to move along to let him do his thing, whatever that was, Locksley turned his head towards the door. Their eyes met through the panel and that was it, he saw her.

"Well shit." She mumbled under her breath, because the man was now pointing a finger toward his students while he walked to the door. She had been caught basically stalking his door and in her book, that was terrible.

She considered simply walking away and pretending this never happened, but taking into consideration what was at stake, she decided to calm her sudden nerves by rubbing the palms of her hands against her hips. With that done, she waited, her posture on point.

When the door finally opened, she was the image of composure and professionalism. "Locksley." She said, as politely and detached as she could.

"Mills," He replied in a much more amicable tone, closing the door and resting his back against it. He was smiling, as always, and for some reason, she found that disconcerting.

There she was, for some reason feeling nervous as hell, and he was just smiling.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Trying not to get carried away by the smoothness of his voice, Regina cleared her throat, taking a moment before going straight to the root of her problem… or at least kind of... "I have something to ask you, a favor. But you're in class, maybe I can come back later?" Proud of how professional she sounded, her back straightened a bit more.

Arching an eyebrow as the only sign of surprise her words provoked in him, Locksley looked at his watch. Then his eyes were back at her, the blue of those orbs so deep she was momentarily lost in them. "I'm almost done, and I have next period off. If you don't mind waiting a few minutes-"

"Perfect." Regina didn't have the next period off or any minutes to spare but yeah, this time the moment called for her to maybe miss a few minutes of her own class. "I'll be back when your class is over."

"Alright. I'll be waiting," With his dimples on full display, Locksley opened the door and went back to his class.

Not wanting to come off as stalkerish, Regina moved away from his door, walking down the corridor as a way to pass the time. She didn't go back to her classroom though, as she knew she would want to wait for her students to get there, and then there was no way she was going to leave. So, hoping her kids would know better than making a ruckus while she was gone, she waited close by.

When the bell rang and the kids finally left for their next class, she walked back to the history classroom. Locksley was waiting for her by the door.

"Well, hi again."

Not exactly feeling in her element, Regina just nodded. She didn't know this man, but from what she had seen, he seemed nice enough, the kind that Blue and Lucas would love to pit against her. It wouldn't be the first time they would do this, and maybe that was why she would forever remain the most hated teacher among her peers, because those two had a way to poison everyone with tales about her. If that already happened with Locksley, he would probably just say no to her.

There was no way to know though, unless she asked, so chewing the inside of her cheek, Regina put her legs in motion and walked in, her heels against the floor echoing around the room.

Once she was in, Locksley closed the door, providing the privacy that she needed to discuss what she came to talk about. Still, she waited, taking her time as she took a quick look around, her eyes taking in the eyeglasses on his desk, the green marker he used to scribble notes on the whiteboard, and the numerous books scattered around. She looked at all of that as a way to distract herself from the way she could feel his eyes curiously focused on her.

"So, what am I good for?"

Turning around as gracefully as she could, Regina set her jaw straight. She didn't have much time and zero desire to do this, so she was going to grab the bull by the horns and just blurt it out as quickly as she could. "There is a school trip this weekend. It's just sixteen students, but it's to New York and overnight, so it's kind of a hassle. It's just me for now, so an extra pair of eyes would come in handy. The school will pay you, so... are you in?"

" Okay… " The man said ever so slowly, sitting on his desk. He was tapping a finger to his lips, and Regina didn't think that was a good sign.

Maybe she came off too hard, too fast. Maybe, she should have tried to smooth him over first. She could do some of that now, so trying to answer some of the doubts that could be dancing in his mind, she started talking again."The schedule shouldn't be too draining. We take a flight in, attend the prize ceremony, and then we take a flight back here, first thing in the morning… more or less. Like I said, I need to go over some details but that would be basically it."

Regina held the need of blowing out a breath because damn it, she was blabling. She just hated asking people for help, and the way this was dragging was making her even sweat.

Locksley's head tilted a bit to the side. He was apparently very comfortable sitting on his desk while looking at her. "A prize ceremony? Can I ask what is that all about?"

Lifting a hand and then letting it drop as if what she was going to say was of no importance, Regina shrugged. "One of my classes won a science fair and the exhibition is this week-end."

"First place, huh?" He whistled. "That's impressive."

Regina bounced from one foot to the other impatiently. "Yes, well. The kids worked hard for it."

Locksley's eyes crinkled, an easy smile playing at the corner of his mouth. "I see."

"I know it's sudden, but the Board just approved this and I'm trying to work with what I have."

Breathing deeply in, Locksley looked momentarily away, and even though his jaw was covered by a light stubble, she could clearly see the way he was pushing the inside of his cheek with the tip of his tongue. Regina didn't think that was good… but at the same time, there was a tiny bit of hope wanting to take over by the fact that he hadn't blurted out a 'hell no'- at least, not yet.

Maybe if she pushed a little harder?

"You'll just be there for support, nothing too arduous. I'll be the one in charge of discipline and all the other tedious details."

Dragging his fingers from his lips to his jaw, Locksley scoffed. "So you are saying I get to be the cool teacher, huh?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, Regina's lips pursed. "If you want to see it that way, sure, why not?" She had never been the cool teacher anyway, so if he wanted the title in order to go, then she sure as hell was going to let him have it. "You'll be the cool one, I'll be the one in charge."

He didn't reply immediately. He did, however, narrow his eyes to focus them on hers. Regina held the stare, trying her best to keep her cool.

"New York, with sixteen kids. That's quite a task, you know that, right?"

"Yes, I know." She almost hissed, because really, she wouldn't be asking if she didn't know that. But she needed this, so she was swallowing her pride and reaching out for help.

Clearing his throat, Locksey shrugged. "I guess... I can make the arrangements."

Feeling a pressure she didn't even know she had in her chest let go, Regina nodded, trying to act as composed as she could. "Good. I'll let you know the details as soon as I have them."

"Good. I'll be eagerly waiting for them." Locksley's lips curved into another one of his smiles, and for a second, Regina wondered if he was mocking her.

Not that it mattered. Pushing aside all the little details that would probably end up throwing her off on this trip, Regina hummed. She was just going to be content with the fact that she had her second teacher.

When she walked out of his classroom, she was feeling good… so good that she even smiled. Little did she know that as soon as she told Leo she got another teacher to tag along, he was going to change his tune and make this trip get a little more complicated…

TBC?