Alright...I know what you're thinking...You thought this would be an update to one of my EC stories and you're probably cursing me right now for not only posting a new story but a SwanQueen one at that. Y'all know EC is my jam but I have been toying with the idea of writing SQ for literal years now and I got carried away dreaming up this storyline. I think it has potential. It's fun for me as a writer to explore a new dynamic and I think that SwanQueen has killer chemistry. I've also wanted to do more AU writing and this one gives me the perfect opportunity. If you don't ship SQ please do not feel the need to review with your disappointment as I will continue to write EC too. If you do ship SQ, well I hope you find my take on them enjoyable/acceptable! And if you're on the fence about them just GIVE IN and enjoy the ride. :)
This will be entirely AU and without the magic, but still set in the small coastal town of Storybrooke, Maine. After an incident during her teen years, Regina Mills left Storybrooke for college and created a life for herself as an attorney in New York City. Due to unforeseen circumstances she is forced to return to town over a decade later and crosses paths with Sheriff Swan who relocated from Boston to put down roots for she and her son.
I don't know if this story will get any readers, but lemme know if you'd like to see more!
Regina Mills ignored the speedometer of her vintage BMW as she gripped the wheel and pushed the pedal down closer to the floor. She'd reached the monotonous stretch of land leading to the secluded town she grew up in and intended to take advantage of the lawless territory in order to shed a few minutes off of her trip. Driving through the night from New York City had zapped her energy and her patience grew dangerously thin the closer she came to the place she had avoided since leaving for college.
That departure had been over a decade ago now and she could count on two hands the visits she'd made to her hometown since. There was only one person there that she cared to keep in touch with and she'd coaxed him to the city over the years with promises of museums and Broadway shows that this rustic town lacked. Her gut twisted with doubt that her father's visits would continue and she had a sinking feeling she'd be spending more time in Maine than she had ever intended to again.
Anxiety soured her stomach as she glanced at the clock on the dash and pressed the gas pedal harder, looking back to the road that led her towards her own personal hell. There hadn't been any flights the night before that would've been faster than driving and she hadn't wanted to waste time. In addition to the lack of airfare, it was still to be determined how long of a trip this would be and she hadn't known how much to pack. The end result was her entire wardrobe stuffed into designer luggage that now weighed down her tiny sports car.
An audible sigh escaped her as she approached the Welcome to Storybrooke sign on the outskirts of town. The thought of returning and facing everyone from her past had an icy dread filling her chest, but she forced herself to ignore the chill and continued full speed ahead. No one here mattered but her father and no amount of unpleasant memories could keep her from being here for him at a time like this.
She cursed out loud when she realized she hadn't given any notice to her boss that she wouldn't be showing up for work. Luckily Mal was a close friend and would undoubtedly accommodate her absence, but she still owed her a heads up and felt like an idiot that something so important had slipped her mind. She reached her right hand into her purse on the passenger seat and pulled her phone from the pocket she placed it in for easy access in case the hospital called.
"Goddamnit," She growled when it fell from her hand into the passenger floorboard and she bent forward, keeping a left hand on the wheel as her right one grasped to retrieve it. "Got you, you little bastard-" She muttered in satisfaction as she sat back up and glanced down to type in her pass-code during the straight stretch so that she could make the call to Mal.
The sound of a siren startled her from her task and she looked up to see red and blue lights approaching her rear-view mirror, thwarting her mission to multitask, "You've got to be kidding me-"
Her temper flared as the sheriff's cruiser gained on her, realizing she would have to stop and waste time talking herself out of a ticket from some balding cop with nothing better to do. Mal's taunting about her ancient car not having hands-free calling came to mind and she grit her teeth, punching the brakes harder than she should've to make a spitefully abrupt stop on the roadside.
"Oh please, take your time," She muttered sarcastically and tapped her fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for the cruiser door to open and allow whatever portly old sheriff that was in there to roll himself out. Her patience failed her after a few moments of watching her driver mirror and she reached for her wallet to get out her driver's license and car registration instead.
"Can I see your license and registration, ma'am?"
"What do you think I'm doing-" Regina huffed as she procured the two items from her wallet, too side-tracked to process the voice requesting it was far from one of a gruff old man. "Here," She added impatiently and turned herself back towards her open driver-side window.
Her brows lifted in surprise when she looked up to see the complete opposite of who she had anticipated dealing with. Regina's gaze traveled up civilian clothing covering a lean feminine build to long blonde hair and pleasing facial features. They sure had renovated the sheriff's department since her last visit.
"Thank you," The blonde raised an eyebrow at the attitude she'd received as she took the cards and glanced over them briefly before her green eyes met Regina's once more. "They don't have speed limits in New York?"
Regina's jaw clenched and the small bit of patience she'd mustered while taking in the other woman's appearance dissolved at the remark, "Are you going to give me a ticket or not?"
The blonde's lips parted briefly at the bold question and Regina merely gave her a fake smile in response. "You were going 82 in a 55 zone and swerving. You do know I could take you to jail, right?"
"The last time I checked Storybrooke had exactly two jail cells and one is usually always occupied by the town drunk," Regina sighed and leaned back in her driver's seat as if she were bored by the conversation. "Are you sure you really want to waste your free cell on a speeding violation?"
"Listen, I'm not from a small town either and if someone talked to a cop like that back in Boston they would've been on the hood of the car already," The blonde's eyes narrowed and Regina knew she'd gotten under the woman's skin. "Don't think you're above the law because it's a small town."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but police brutality is still police brutality even if it's inflicted by a small town officer on a power trip," Regina gave another false smile when she glanced back up at her. "Your threat of violence is wasted on me," She squinted slightly to read her name tag before adding, "-Officer Swan."
"Well then, Ms. Mills-" The officer returned the same sarcastic name drop and pulled her citation pad out of her back pocket, "Since you're so clearly highly educated and above the law, I'm sure you have more than enough money to pay the fine for breaking it."
"I assure you I'm prepared to pay whatever it takes for this delightful encounter to be over," Regina nodded in agreement. She knew she was testing her limits but she couldn't find it in herself to care. Her anxiety and exhaustion had obliterated the minimal shred of patience she had for authority figures and she was in no mood to bow down to the woman just because she wore a badge.
"Great to hear," The blonde replied evenly as she took her time marking up the citation. "By the way your insurance card is expired so I'm going to need you to bring proof of insurance to the station within the next seven days. You can drop off your payment for the ticket then, too-" She added dryly and tore the page from the notepad, handing it through the window back to her.
Regina glared at her as she jerked them from her grip and made a show of crumpling the citation before throwing it in her passenger side floorboard, "I'll get right on that."
"I'll be looking forward to it," The officer seemed unfazed by her theatrics and patted a hand on the top of Regina's car in an annoyingly smug manner. "I'd hate to have to turn this over to the courts if you didn't. Oh and just so you know, it's Sheriff Swan."
"Are we done here?" Regina grit out, thoroughly annoyed with the cocky half-smirk on the blonde's face.
"You drive safe now," Sheriff Swan responded with a nod and turned on her heels to make her way back to the cruiser. Regina glared into her rear view mirror as she watched the well built woman saunter away.
This fucking town.
"Daddy-" Regina's heart caught in her throat when she appeared in the doorway of his hospital room and saw an unnerving amount of monitors surrounding his bed. She'd fought with the incompetent nurse at the front desk for a good ten minutes before getting his room number, but her anger disintegrated at the sight before her.
"My Regina," He murmured the endearment, eyes still sparkling with love despite the weakness of his voice. He held up a hand and motioned her to him, "Come here, my girl. It's not as scary as it looks."
Her throat nearly closed off with emotion at the way his soft demeanor towards her never faltered. He had a way of speaking to her that turned her into a small girl all over again and she couldn't fight the tears that sprang to her eyes as she crossed the room. "I got here as quickly as I could," She smiled weakly and reached down to kiss his head.
"You didn't need to rush yourself. I'm perfectly fine," He reassured and reached for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, "The doctor said it was just a little blockage and that I should be back to normal in no time."
"Daddy, it was a heart attack," Regina's brows furrowed, her tone firm but still gentle. He was the one person she had all of the patience in the world for, but she didn't like the casual way he passed off his impromptu heart surgery. "How long did the surgery take? When is your doctor making his next round? I want to speak to him-"
"I think I got here sometime yesterday evening and they had me in surgery by nightfall," Henry nodded with a tired smile up at her. "I'm sorry you were so worried, sweetheart, but Dr. Whale seems to think I'll be fine."
"Yes, well I'll be here to see to that," Regina raised an eyebrow at him, resting her left hand on his shoulder. Seeing him in this condition was quite possibly her greatest fear and she couldn't help but touch him to reassure herself he was still alive and breathing.
"But what about your work? You just became a partner at your firm, Regina. I won't have you throwing away your hard work to look after me-" He insisted, concern creasing his brow.
"I'll speak with Mal. I'm sure most of my work I can do remotely for a while," Regina nodded with an expression that gave no room for argument. "I'm not leaving you right now and there's no amount of persuading that will get me to leave. Plus, you need someone to run your practice while you recover."
Henry let out a breath as he studied her expression and she saw him giving in to her, "You always were hard headed," He muttered with a tender smile to let her know he was teasing, "But I'll be better in no time and you can get back to your life in the city. I know how happy you are there."
"I'm only happy if I know you're all right," She replied truthfully, avoiding addressing his comment about her life in the city. Her career had been her only life thus far and while it was fulfilling, she didn't want her father to know how sorely she lacked in other areas. As far as he knew she was living her dream of becoming a big city attorney and believed that independence was all she had ever wanted. Her pride would never allow her to admit that law school and working to make partner had only temporarily distracted her from the emotional baggage she carried instead of absolving it like she'd hoped it would.
"Oh, I'm sorry-" Widow Lucas stopped abruptly in the doorway, holding a duffel-bag Regina recognized as her father's when she glanced up to see who had entered the room. "I didn't know you had arrived, Regina."
"It's all right," Regina smiled warily at Granny and then glanced at her father, noting the soft smile he gave the other woman before she looked back at her politely. "How are you, Mrs. Lucas?"
"Oh, I'm fine sweetheart," Granny replied warmly and took a few steps into the room, sitting Henry's bag down in one of the chairs, "How are you?"
"I'm...okay," Regina replied slowly, still confused as to why the other woman would be there. She remembered them frequenting Granny's diner for takeout on her weekends with her father, but the two of them being friends seemed to be a new development.
"I was just bringing your father some things from home and a change of clothes for when he gets discharged," Granny explained kindly and gave a glance toward the patient. "Have you been resting like I told you to, Henry?" She asked in a playfully firm tone that had Regina raising an eyebrow.
"Of course," He gave a grin then and Regina's mouth almost dropped at the hint of flirtation before she noticed him look her way to explain. "Eugenia was the one who insisted on bringing me to the hospital yesterday."
"He was at my diner having supper and I noticed he wasn't feeling well," Granny raised an eyebrow at Regina as she elaborated on the story, "Kept rubbing his shoulder and acting strange and it just got worse."
"How often have you been eating diner food?" Regina squinted at Henry who raised his brows innocently and shrugged. "Daddy, we talked about this. You can't eat like you're in your twenties anymore. It's no wonder you ended up having a heart attack."
"Oh don't fret honey, I've expanded the menu with healthier options," Granny spoke up for him with a smile and Regina couldn't help but give her a testy look at the interference. To her relief the woman appeared to take a hint and hastily began her goodbye, "Anyway, I should get going. Ruby is managing the diner today and I need to pick her boy up from school."
"Thank you, Eugenia," Henry nodded with a gracious smile as she gave them both a friendly wave before making her way out.
"You're on a first name basis with Widow Lucas?" Regina raised an eyebrow suspiciously at her father once the older woman had disappeared into the hall.
"What?" Henry's lips parted playfully as if he found himself being interrogated, "Can't an old man have friends?"
"How was school today, kid?" Emma smiled and reached out to rough up her son's hair when he met her at the school's entrance, backpack bouncing against him as he made his abrupt stop. He was growing taller and skinnier every day since turning ten years old and it made her nostalgic for the chubby toddler that used to cling to her legs.
"It was good," He nodded adamantly, pulling at his backpack straps when they slid down his shoulders. "Miss Blanchard announced today that we're doing a new history project."
Emma smirked to herself at the excitement in his eyes and wondered once more how she'd managed to give birth to a kid that got excited about school work, "Sounds cool. What's it on?"
"We have to pick an important figure from history," He nodded as they started down the sidewalk towards Granny's diner per their usual Wednesday night routine. "Like a leader who made a difference or someone who fought for civil rights or made laws to help people."
"Do you know who you're picking yet?"
"Are you kidding?" Henry's eyes widened incredulously as he glanced up at her. "I just found out about this. It's going to take me some time to narrow down my choices."
Emma stifled a laugh at his reaction and pulled him against her side as they walked, "I'm sure you'll think of the perfect person."
"But there are so many options," He sighed as they approached the diner. "I think I'll need a milkshake to de-stress."
"Oh you think so?" She smirked and caught a glimpse of herself in the mini con-artist that reassured her he wasn't switched at birth after all. "Man, 5th grade must be tough."
"You have no idea," Henry smirked at her before bouncing up the path to Granny's with her following closely behind.
She smiled as she watched him jet through the door ahead and run straight for the booth where Ruby's son sat unpacking his homework. Jack was two years older than Henry but they had made fast friends despite the age difference. Emma frequented the diner more often than they probably should due to her lack of cooking skills and Jack was always there after school while Ruby worked. Similar to her and Henry's dynamic, Jack was the complete opposite of Ruby which left Emma reassured that Jack being a few years older wouldn't expose her son to anything above his age level.
"Looks like I lost him already," Emma smirked as she approached the counter where Ruby stood and hoisted herself onto one of the stools.
"Yeah, you shouldn't hear a peep out of him for a while," Ruby grinned and raised a dark brow as she wiped down the counter. "Jack got this new nerdy video game he's been begging for so they'll be entertained."
"Did you just call your kid a nerd?" She let out a laugh and shook her head in amusement. It was nice to know another young mother who wasn't as pretentious about child-rearing as most suburban moms and had a sense of humor about it.
"Oh come on," Ruby tilted her head back dramatically as if the subject truly stressed her, "Back in our day video games were about fun stuff like fighting people and shooting ducks and kick-ass hedgehogs. This one has math and science in it. I honestly don't know where I went wrong with him."
Emma chuckled at her friend's dry humor and nodded in agreement, "I know what you mean. Henry was pumped up about a new history assignment he got today. Can you imagine that? Being excited about homework? I swear I don't know where he got his brains from. You know me, and his dad wasn't the brightest crayon either."
"We lucked out," Ruby smirked and shook her head, shifting the conversation at the mention of Henry's dad. Emma noted that her friend had always avoided talking about Jack's biological father, but she had never pushed the subject. "I'm pretty sure every gray hair on Granny's head came from raising me. If we don't have to stress about our kids acting like we did at least we'll look young and hot for longer."
"Let's hope," Emma smirked and grabbed one of the menus from the counter. "I don't even know why I look at this thing. We've lived here for two years now and I order the same shit every week."
"Not to mention that the menu hasn't changed since the '80s," Ruby smirked and leaned on the counter. "Except the healthy options that Granny added to serve the older customers."
"You mean Mr. Mills. I swear he's here every time I come in," She laughed before giving a quick scan of the diner, "Except tonight. Uh oh, I don't see Granny here either," She let her mouth drop in playful suspicion.
Ruby chuckled before giving a quick shake of her head, "No, she dropped Jack off after picking him up from school. She had to go home early," She said as her smile turned weak, "Mr. Mills was in here yesterday and was having chest pains. She convinced him to go to the hospital and ended up staying there the whole night until his daughter could make it in from the city."
"Oh shit," Emma frowned, leaning her elbows on the counter. "Is he gonna be okay?"
"He had a heart attack, but she said they did surgery and that he seemed all right when she left," Ruby nodded and let out a long breath. "I could tell Granny was still worried, though. She probably would've gone back to the hospital if his daughter hadn't been there. She's not the easiest to get along with."
Emma raised an eyebrow at the thought of her own run in with a difficult out-of-towner earlier, "She wouldn't happen to be from New York would she?"
"Actually yeah, she lives in New York City," Ruby looked back at her in surprise. "How'd you guess that?"
"I pulled her over today on her way in," Emma groaned. "She was flying like a fucking maniac. I didn't know why and she didn't mention it."
"Don't worry about it," Ruby sighed, "Regina is a piece of work. It makes her hard to sympathize with sometimes."
"You know her?" Emma watched the brunette curiously. There was a flicker of something in her expression at the mention of Regina and she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. She hadn't grown up in a small community like Storybrooke and always seemed to forget that the people here had history with one another.
"Everyone knows Regina," Ruby laughed and shook her head, "You know Mayor Blanchard? Regina is her daughter."
"No shit," Emma's mouth dropped, thinking of her encounters with Cora Blanchard and comparing it to her brief interaction with Regina. "Well, I can't say I don't see the family resemblance."
"You mean the fact that they look so much alike or that they're both scary?" Ruby snorted.
"I mean, both?" Emma shrugged with a grin. "Wait so Henry Mills and Cora Blanchard had a kid? This town is like a fucking soap opera."
"You aren't wrong," Ruby laughed and leaned further onto the counter. "Henry and Cora were married and had Regina. They split up when she was around middle school, I think, and Cora remarried Leo Blanchard."
"No way. Mary Margaret's dad?" Emma's mouth dropped slightly. "Mary Margaret has never mentioned she had a step-sister."
"Yeah well, they don't exactly speak. Regina isn't close to her mom or Mary Margaret," Ruby shrugged her shoulders. "She left for college and only really ever came back to visit her dad."
"Huh," Emma processed it as she pieced the family tree together. "Cora and Mary Margaret seem tight though. I guess Regina is like the black sheep?"
"Basically," Ruby shrugged and averted her gaze in a way that told Emma she knew more than she was willing to confess. "Regina had a bad relationship with her mom in high school and I think it drove her away."
"Interesting," Emma nodded and let out a sigh, deciding to stifle her interest in the complicated family dynamic. "I guess that's the one good thing about growing up in foster care. You don't have to put up with asshole relatives," She smirked and gave a shrug as she slid the menu back towards Ruby, "We'll have our usual orders plus a milkshake for the kid."