Part II

Storybrooke, 1999

"Emma!"

Emma groaned and rolled over in her bed as she heard her mother yelling from the hallway. The sun was already up, streaming in through the gap in her curtains, but it was Saturday and she wasn't in the mood for dealing with her mother. She grabbed her pillow and flung it over her head as she heard her bedroom door swing open.

"Emma!"

"Mo-om! It's Saturday. Don't make me get up!" Emma whined, holding the pillow tightly over her head.

"It's nearly eleven thirty," Mary Margaret shot back, grabbing the pillow from Emma's hands.

"So?" Emma rolled onto her back and blinked up at her mother, who was in some sort of a frenzy.

"Do you know where your brother is?"

"What? No... He's not in his room?"

Mary Margaret shook her head quickly. "No. I know he went up to bed last night, but he's not there now and his bed's made up, like he didn't sleep there at all! He never makes his bed..."

"No, you're thinking of me," Emma said, shrugging as she sat up. "Seth sometimes makes his bed. I'm sure he just met up with his friends before you woke up and forgot to leave a note. He's a kid. Kids do that."

"He's never done that. What if something happened?"

"Mom, relax. It's Storybrooke . Nothing ever happens here. Did you call Dad?"

Mary Margaret nodded. "Yes, and he hasn't seen or heard from him either."

"Fine. Listen, you start calling his friends' parents, and I'll get dressed and head out on my bike, alright? If I find him, I'll call you."

"Fine. Please be careful."

Emma sighed as she hopped onto her bike. The last thing she'd wanted to do on a Saturday morning was search the town for her brother, but it was better than staying home and listening to her mother panic all morning.

She headed off in the direction of downtown, breathing the warm salty Maine air as she rode. She guessed that Granny's was as good a place as any to start looking, since her stomach was already growling anyway.

It only took a few minutes to reach the diner, and she hopped off of her bike and left it leaning against the fence. It was kind of old and crappy anyway, so she wasn't worried about it being stolen, especially since in a town this small, everyone knew whose it was anyway. Even if it did get stolen, it would give her that much extra leverage to convince her parents to let her buy that old yellow Beetle she'd had her eye on.

But today was not the day for that. Emma surveyed the diner in dismay as she stepped inside. No one was around, aside from Ruby.

"Hey, Rubes, have you seen my brother?" Emma asked as she headed up to the counter.

"Seth? No, not today. Why? You lose him?"

"Funny. No. He left this morning without leaving a note or anything and now I have to find him before my mother has an aneurysm. Can I get a bearclaw?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Your brother is missing and you're thinking about donuts?"

"He's not missing , he's just… not where he should be. And I need energy, you know, to search."

"Right." Ruby nodded. "Hang on, I'll grab you one."

Emma smiled as Ruby headed over to the other side of the diner and toward the kitchen, knowing she was about to get her the freshest one from the back, like she usually did. The bell on the front door chimed behind her and before Emma could even turn to look, she heard a familiar voice.

"Emma?"

Emma turned and smiled. "Morning, Mayor Mills," she said, narrowing her eyes slightly. The Mayor stood and stared, mouth slightly gaping and eyes wide. "You okay?"

Regina shook her head quickly and regained her composure. "Yes dear, fine. What, uh, what are you up to?"

Emma shrugged. "Looking for my brother. Have you seen him?"

"No, sorry. He's missing?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "He's not missing, alright?"

"Oh, sorry. Alright," Regina said, stepping closer and sitting down on the stool next to Emma at the counter.

"Sorry. Everyone's just making a big deal, and I'm sure he's fine."

"I'm sure he is," Regina agreed, smiling tightly.

"You sure you're okay, Madam Mayor? You look… stressed."

"Yes, um, fine," Regina stammered, shaking her head quickly to regain her composure. This time when she smiled, it looked a fair bit more genuine and less forced. "I'm fine. Work has just been a little crazy this week."

"Well, at least it's your day off now, right?" Emma offered.

"Right, yes, it's Saturday." Regina nodded.

"Yeah… um," Emma turned as Ruby headed back with her bearclaw. "That's my donut. I better hit the road again. If I don't find that kid, my mother will have a bird."

"Oh! Why don't I drive you? We could cover the area more quickly in my car than you can on your bike."

Emma hesitated for a moment, cocking her head to the side as she observed Regina. She'd known the mayor for as long as she could remember, but she'd never been in her car, or spent much time alone with her, really. It seemed like an odd offer, so out of the blue, but she'd always found something about Mayor Mills so oddly intriguing. "Uh, sure. I mean, if that's how you want to spend your morning," she said, finally.

"Helping you look might serve as good distraction after the week I've had."

"Cool. Okay. Um, is it alright if I eat my donut in your car?" Emma asked, as she headed toward the door of the diner.

"Of course, Little Swan."

Emma stopped, and turned back. "What did you say?"

"I said don't get any glaze on the upholstery," Regina replied, without missing a beat. "Come on, let's go."

Emma drummed her fingers idly on the passenger side window, watching for Seth, as Regina drove the streets slowly.

"Have you gotten your learner's permit yet?" Regina asked, her voice sounding more light and conversational than it had before.

Emma nodded, keeping her eyes peeled on the sidewalk. She'd really expected to find Seth much more quickly than this. "Yeah."

"Oh, good. I could teach you to drive," Regina offered. "I know your parents work a lot, and have their hands full with your brother."

Emma narrowed her eyes on the sidewalk she'd been staring at, and didn't respond. She liked the mayor, but she'd never known her to act so… friendly. Everything about this day was starting to feel so unusual.

"It isn't like him to take off," Emma said finally, after several minutes of driving in silence.

"I'm sure he hasn't gone far," Regina insisted, though Emma thought she sounded unsure.

Finally, Emma turned to look at Regina, studying her face in silence as she drove, watching her brown eyes scan the sidewalk the passed. Something about her felt vaguely familiar in a way she'd never experienced before, like a lost memory, or a dream that she just couldn't quite hold on to. Or maybe this was what deja vu felt like, Emma wondered.

"Thanks for helping me look Madam Mayor," Emma said, finally, as the silence in the car started to become uncomfortable.

"Regina," the mayor quickly responded.

"Oh, uh, sorry. Regina," Emma corrected. Even her mother didn't use Regina's first name when addressing her directly. "Um, maybe we should check down by the docks? He goes there sometimes."

Regina nodded and headed in that direction. When they arrived, to Emma's dismay, there was not a person in sight.

"I really thought he'd be here," Emma said, quietly. This morning, she'd thought her mother was panicking over nothing, but really, Storybrooke wasn't that big, they definitely should have found him by now.

"He could be inside at one of his friend's houses," Regina suggested.

Emma nodded, hoping that was true. "Yeah, maybe. Maybe I should just go home and wait with my mom."

Regina opened her mouth, as though she were about to say something, but seemingly reconsidered, and just nodded instead. Emma watched her face as she turned the car around and headed back in the direction that they'd come. Something was up with her, but she couldn't quite figure out what.

But, that was a question for later, she supposed, once her brother was found.

Regina paced the floor of her office, where she'd headed directly after dropping Emma back off at the diner to retrieve her bike, trying to make sense of everything that had happened today. Storybrooke was everything she'd envisioned, and everyone she'd encountered thus far had been just as she'd expected, except Emma.

It didn't make sense that she didn't remember. Regina had created this curse before she was even born, and she certainly hadn't come up with a cursed personality for her. So why wasn't she awake?

Regina scowled as she paced more fervently. This wasn't supposed to be the outcome. Emma was supposed to be awake, and she and her little swan could have finally been free to be together. Her biggest worry was supposed to be helping Emma come to terms with the idea that her parents being David and Mary Margaret instead of Charming and Snow was the only solution.

And then there was the issue of Seth. Had he up and vanished in the curse? He hadn't been accounted for either, but as far as she knew, he was the only person missing.

Regina startled at the sound of her office door being flung open. "Well, speak of the devil," she said, crossing her arms and leaning back against the large desk behind her.

For his part, Seth looked unfazed as he marched right up to her. "Good morning, your Majesty."

Regina stiffened. "You know."

"Yes." Seth crossed his arms in front of his chest, mirroring Regina's stance, and tried to stand up a little taller, though she still had at least a foot on him. If it were any other situation, Regina might have been impressed at the way the boy tried to put on a brave face before her, even though he was quite clearly terrified.

"And you're going to stay away from my sister," Seth continued, without missing a beat.

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Am I now?"

"Yes," Seth said again, with slightly less conviction than before. He drew in a breath, clearly trying to quell his nerves.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because I know who you are, and I know you don't want anyone else to do."

At that, Regina let out a low laugh. "Oh, so you're blackmailing me then? What's your plan? Run back home and tell your parents that the Mayor of their sleepy little town is the Evil Queen?"

Seth gaped at her for a second, and Regina almost felt a pang of sympathy for the boy. She let out a sigh.

"Seth," she said, with a softer tone this time, "I appreciate that you want to protect Emma, but I'm not the villain here."

"Yes, you are."

Regina shook her head. "Oh, my dear boy, there's just so much you don't understand." She took a step closer. "I'm not the villain here, but I promise you, I'm not someone you want as an enemy."

Seth stared right back, seeming to have found his nerve again. "You told me I could be your bravest knight. Well, guess what? I'm not yours, and I'm going to protect my sister."

With that, Seth turned to leave her office, and Regina made no move to stop him. She had more pressing things to worry about than the threats of a child.

Before she could do anything, she needed to figure out what had gone wrong, and there was only one person to ask. She needed to find Rumplestiltskin.