Summary: The abandoned farm on the outskirts of Storybrooke gets new residents, but the solitary couple soon catches Regina's attention. Perhaps it's just the memories of her own unhappy marriage, or Birch Hill is keeping a secret scarier than the darkest nightmare. When she tries to reach the introverted Zelena, to whom she somehow feels connected to, it's also a test her still growing relationship with her girlfriend Emma has to face.

A/N: This is my longest story ever. It's also not finished yet, but I'm very far along, so there's plenty for you to read. New chapters will be posted every weekend. It's AU without magic, though I'm trying to stay as close to Storybrooke life as possible. Some changes are still necessary. SQ is established in this story, but it's not the main issue. I would be very happy to get some feedback, of you enjoy reading!

Warning: The story is for mature audience only, because it deals with very dark themes such as domestic violence, physical, mental and sexual abuse. Anyone who feels triggered by any of this should not read it.

Disclaimer: Once belongs to ABC, as usual I'm just borrowing.

Shadows over Birch Hill

I. New people in town

At lunchtime, Regina left her office with the plan to get something to eat at Granny's this time. All too often she deliberately refrained from doing so, because the busy place reminded her that even among people she managed to stay alone. For a long time she had been indifferent to it; she had even carefully cultivated her undercooled reputation, which earned her respect by her mere appearance. Her mind still on the complaining mail about another failed traffic light, she paused in irritation when she saw someone coming out of her assistant's room. Storybrooke was so remote that strangers hardly ever strayed into the town, and if they did, they always caused trouble. Two years ago, Emma Swan had tried to take her son away from her, so suspicion was her first reaction to the couple in the hall, both of them were complete strangers to her. Her heels clacking on the brightly polished floor caused the slender woman to turn toward her, so that their eyes met for a moment. Red curls framed her slender freckled face. The much older gray-haired man at her side grabbed her by the wrist and unmistakably pulled her along with him. Regina frowned. Instead of following the couple to the exit, she entered the room they had just left. Bernice, as always wearing an impeccably fitting costume, raised her head to look at her over her narrow glasses.

"I'm going to take a break now. Would you like something from Granny's too?", Regina started a conversation.

The blonde, whose hairline was already a visibly graying, slightly nodded. "A double cappuccino would be nice."

"Got it." Regina's browns drew together. "Who did just leave your office, by the way?"

"Oh, they bought the old Birch Hill Farm and came in to get paperwork done. Freek and Zelena West. They're from a place called Eastfield, which is in Kansas. Quite a long way from there to Maine, if you ask me."

"What do you think of them?"

Bernice shrugged. "I can still smell his penetrating aftershave. According to their passports I made copies of, she's almost thirty years younger than he is. She could be his daughter. No idea why a woman at her age would be with such an old geezer. It can't be money, I guess. They don't seem to have much of it."

Memories of a time when she had been only eighteen years old and her heart was filled with big dreams flashed through Regina's mind. The life she had envisioned in the most beautiful colors back then had burst like a soap bubble in front of the altar with Leo Blanchard, the mayor of Storybrooke.

"Thank you, Bernice," she said and left the room, lost in thought.

It wasn't until she stepped out of the town hall, when loud voices brought her back to reality. She noticed a decrepit pickup truck that must have been red long ago. The unusual couple stood next to it, fiercely arguing with each other. The moment they became aware of her presence they abruptly stopped their conversation.

"I was informed that you just arrived at our town," Regina addressed them in a decidedly polite manner. "As mayor, I wish to welcome you to Storybrooke."

Suspiciously, the man took her hand, which she held out to him, only to shake it erratically. "Freek West. And this is my wife, Zelena. We bought the vacant farm, it was really very cheap. Do you know how to get there?"

Regina also greeted Zelena with a warm handshake, while the other woman's light blue eyes focused on her. "You can't miss it. Follow the main road and then the signs towards the horse stables. When you get to the meadow, keep going straight until you'll see the house on your right hand side."

"All right, thanks," the redhead, whose slender body was covered in a worn olive-green jacket, replied in her husband's place.

Panting, he dropped into the passenger seat and slammed the door behind him. "Zelena, what are you waiting for? Stop gazing around that stupid and get in the car now!" he barked at her through the open window.

Regina watched her as she hurriedly circled the vehicle in response and slid behind the wheel. The engine rumbled to life and the exhaust emitted an unhealthy cloud of dark gray dust. She didn't have to know much about cars to realize that this one urgently needed a garage. The pickup jerked along the main road, allowing her to catch a glimpse of the truck bed, which was covered with a dirty tarp. It probably contained all the possessions of the newcomers, who looked anything but wealthy, as she had to silently agree with Bernice.

Twenty minutes later Regina returned to the town hall with two large coffee mugs in her hands as well as a bag containing her lunch. She was shivering despite the golden autumn day because wind was coming up, blowing the fallen leaves across the street. Bernice looked up from her computer as she entered the office and placed one of the hot drinks on her desk. The passport copies were still there, and she noticed the small photo of a serious-looking woman who would have been pretty with her curly mane.

"Those two from Kansas don't seem to be particularly talkative," she noted.

Bernice laughed dryly. "That's a quite harmless description. They didn't respond to my attempts to start a little small talk at all. The old man just wanted to sign the purchase agreement for the farm as quickly as possible, so he put the outstanding amount in cash in an envelope in my hand. I'll take the money to the bank right after work." She sipped her cappuccino with relish. "His wife, however, was inquiring how to find out where employees are needed right now, so I referred her to the bulletin board at the supermarket."

"I think I'll handle the money myself, Bernice. The bank is on my way to the police station anyway. It feels like a good idea to me, if I ask Sheriff Swan to check on the farm on the next few days so she can get a first impression of the Wests. She's an excellent judge of character."

Bernice opened one of her desk drawers to pull out a large brown envelope, which she handed to Regina. "Fine, I won't have to make an extra way then."

Taking the envelope, Regina went to her own office, where she first ate her Caesar salad. After that, she had some routine work to do. Even when she turned off her laptop a few hours later to finish her working day, she couldn't get the encounter with the couple out of her mind. It had only been a moment when she had looked into Zelena's eyes, but she had noticed the empty expression in them, which did not fit a woman in the best years of her life.

Emma was intently sitting at her desk when Regina entered the sheriff's office, after having taken the envelope with the money to the bank. Since the police car was not in the parking lot, she expected Deputy Nolan to be on patrol and her girlfriend to be alone. According to the bored look on her face, she was working through the tedious paperwork. Grinning, Regina placed the small bag in front of her, which contained a cinnamon doughnut she'd bought at Granny's during lunchbreak.

"Maybe this will lift your spirits a little." On her heels she circled the desk to lean against the edge next to Emma.

The blonde just pulled a few more sheets of paper from under her butt and tossed them into the already overflowing tray. "Depends on what's in it."

"Take a look and find out."

She didn't need to be told twice. At the sight of the grease-dripping pastry, her eyes took on an expression of childlike delight. She chomped into it and an appreciative sound escaped her as she chewed the tasty goody.

Regina laughed softly. "You really are the only person, who gets a climax from a doughnut." The next moment she felt Emma's lips on hers and tasted the sweetness of the cinnamon-mixed caster sugar.

"Do you want one too?" she replied with her most innocent smile.

Playfully, Regina rolled her eyes. "I'll have to think about getting a snack for you next time. Possibly, if you do me a favor."

"May I remind you that blackmailing is a criminal offense, Madam Mayor?" Emma teased.

She just reacted with a throwaway gesture. "Someone finally moved in on Birch Hill, you know, the old farm on the edge of town. I met the couple outside city hall at noon. Maybe you could stop by there and introduce yourself."

"Any particular occasion for that?"

"No, not really," she replied with a shrug. She was probably overthinking the encounter. "In my opinion our new citizens just should get to know the local sheriff."

Emma slightly nodded. "Okay, I surely can do that. Afterwards I'm supposed to report my evaluation back to you, I guess."

"You're right." Teasingly, Regina stroked her cheek and breathed a kiss on her lips. "I owe you one, Miss Swan. For now, I have a date with Silver Queen."

"Hey, are you trying to make me jealous of your horse?"

Regina gave her a lascivious smile before walking out of the room, aware of Emma's gaze lingering on her butt.

A little later, as she led her mare out of the stable, she left the encounter in front of the town hall far behind. On horseback, she felt like she was the young girl with her great dreams again; at least for a short time. Silver Queen had always trusted her over the years, even when no one else did. Not even her own son. Sometimes, when everything got too much for her, she would retreat to the horse's stall for a while, and Henry and Emma were aware of not to disturb her there. After harnessing the mare, she got into the saddle and enjoyed the wind blowing through her hair. This was the feeling of freedom.