Welcome to my first ever Wicked Swan story. This is completely AU, but I'm excited for it. There will be some going back and forth in present time and past, but the past will be in italics. I know I could have made it SQ, and would probably have more readers if I did, but I've been wanting to do a WS story for so long. I think they make a great pairing! Anyway, as I said, this is AU. I hope you enjoy

Chapter 1

Zelena sighed as she looked at the murky waters from the side of the ferry that was currently taking her to Misthaven Island off the shores of Massachusetts. To some, Misthaven was a place like a fairy tale. Home of the prestigious Misthaven School for Girls – an all-girls private boarding high school that produced amazing young women, the world-famous Granny's Diner and Bed and Breakfast, and the world acclaimed Mills-Gold Law Firm. Zelena was technically Misthaven royalty as her mother was the headmistress of Misthaven School for Girls and her father had run the Mills-gold Law Firm until he passed away and Mr. Gold took over as Regina made her way to fill her father's shoes. However, Zelena had left for college ten years ago and never came back.

"Zee, you've got mail." Zelena's doorman called out as she came into the lobby of her Boston apartment. Zelena was a successful publisher and had her own company, so she sighed when she had to shift everything in her arms to get the mail.

"Who sends letters anymore?" She asked as she got on the elevator. She almost dropped everything in her arms when she saw who it was from. Once in her apartment, she put her files and paperwork in her office, poured a glass of wine, and opened the letter.

~Dear Zelena,

I am sorry to tell you this news in this way, but no one has been able to get ahold of you via calls or emails. It is with my deepest sympathy to inform you that your mother has passed away. While I know there is some unfortunate history, she did – on many occasions – express to me that when her time came, she wanted me to make sure you will come to the reading of her will. In this case, the showing of her will as she has recorded her last wishes. This will be held on Saturday the fifth of May at eleven a.m. in our offices. Please let us know if you will or will not make it.

Sincerely yours,

Robert Gold. ~

Zelena didn't know how to feel other than…numb. She sat and thought about her mother and everything that lead up to her separation before she called Regina and told her she would be there.

"Good. Oh Zelena, I've missed you so. I can't wait to see you again."

"I've missed you as well, Regina." Zelena said with a soft smile.

"Zelena, what hap…"

"Regina, please don't ask that. It's not easy and I think it's best we discuss that in person."

"Of course. Will you be staying?"

"At least the weekend. I'll come in Friday and leave Sunday."

"You can stay longer. Your room is the same as you left it."

Zelena sighed. "Then maybe I'll get a room at the B&B. I don't want to see my past life."

"But Zelena, you were so happy."

Zelena was quiet, tears in her eyes. "Until I wasn't."

Regina's voice got quiet. "W…was it Emma? You know we haven't heard from her either since you left. Did she do something?"

Zelena blinked her tears. Emma. Sweet, kind, beautiful Emma. She sniffed. "No." She croaked and cleared her throat. "I…it wasn't her. Not directly. Regina, I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"Okay sis. Please don't stay a stranger. Graham and I can't wait to see you again."

"I won't, I promise."

Zelena wiped her eyes as she came back to the present, the wind whipping her curly red hair. She was excited to see her sister as it had been a couple years since her wedding. Luckily, her mother stayed away from her then and she didn't have to deal with her. Although, if she were honest with herself, she did think her mother looked a bit sad. Anger filled Zelena just then, knowing her mother had no heart.

"Zelena, I mean it. Emma is no good for you and I've let this carry on far too long."

"Mom, what are you talking about? You love Emma! You've been like a mother to her ever since she and I started dating in high school. How can you now try to forbid me from seeing her?"

"I have my reasons! She's never been good enough for you and I thought you'd see that by now." Cora said, shaking her head as she paced her daughter's dorm room. "She's pathetic, Zelena. She never went to college and is wasting her time being a waitress. She's also flirting with everyone that comes in that place. Zelena, she doesn't love you and I refuse to see my daughter look a fool."

"That's not true!" Zelena cried, her heart breaking. "We talk every night, mother, she loves me. None of the colleges accepted her because of her being a foster kid."

"Oh give me a break! I'm tired of that excuse! Zelena, the bottom line is you are forbidden to see her ever again. If you even try to reach out to her, you will be cut off from the family."

"Fine! Cut me off. I love her and I will be with her!"

Cora glared at her daughter. "You will never be with her." She spat before leaving.

Zelena jumped as the ferry made it's presents known to the port at the island. She couldn't believe she was back here as she had vowed never to return. She could see the towers of the school and couldn't help but smile. She did have fun there and that was something her mother could never take away.

WSWSWSWSWSWSWSWS

"What the hell am I doing, Mal? Why am I back here?" Emma asked as she paced back and forth on the upper level of the ferry. "I never should have let you talk me into this."

"Hey, we both needed a vacation, Swan, and this was a good excuse." Mal said, a bit entertained at her usually cool work partner. "Besides, maybe the bitch left you money."

Emma snorted. "Right. She probably wants to humiliate me one last time." She ran her fingers through her messy curls. "What am I going to do if…when I see her?"

Mal sighed at this. Emma had told her pretty much everything from her past life and she knew this was a touchy subject. "Your heart will tell you what to do."

"Great answer." Emma mumbled and rolled her eyes before leaning on the railing. She stared out into the water before closing her eyes.

"Cora, I don't understand. I love Zelena and I'm doing my best to…"

"Your best? You call working at the Diner your best?"

"It's all I can do right now. Even with my amazing grades, I wasn't accepted into any school I applied for." Emma hated the tears in her eyes. "I've applied for so many jobs, but no one answers me."

Cora smirked and looked up from her desk. "And until you leave this town and my daughter, no one ever will."

Emma felt like her heart was being crushed. "What?"

Cora didn't break eye contact. "Look, I supported her and you in high school, but I thought this silliness would end when she graduated. I was kind to you for her sake, but it's gone on long enough. I will not see my daughter end up with trash like you. You may have gotten a scholarship to go to the same school as my daughters, but you will never be on their level. Leave this town, Em-ma. You will never get a different job here and you're lucky dear old Granny hired you to begin with. She defied me and will pay, but believe you me, you will never succeed here."

Emma felt her tears falling, not understanding why the woman who she looked to as a mother was turning on her. "I don't understand."

"Because you're stupid! You didn't get into any schools because I made sure of it. Get out of this town and never, ever try to contact either of my girls. If I hear you've tried to contact them, your life will remain hell."

"Emma!" Mal called again, snapping Emma out of her trance. "Is that where you went to school?"

Emma blinked a few times and looked up at the towers. She smiled softly. "Yeah. That tower on the right is where I first met her."

"Here is Freshman tower." The tall brunette said to a terrified looking Emma. "You're in room A at the very top. Looks like you'll be with Kathryn Midas, Ruby Lucas, and Regina Mills. Welcome to MSFG!"

"Thanks." Emma said, shrugging her bag higher on her shoulder. She made her way around the winding stair case all the way to the top and knocked on the door.

The door opened and another brunette with a streak of red answered. "Hey, are you Emma?"

"Yes." Emma answered.

"We've been waiting for you. Come in. I'm Ruby."

Emma stepped in and saw the four large beds and two other girls. "Hi."

"Hi. I'm Kathryn and that's Regina. Grew up in this town and know everyone, so it's nice to have someone new."

"We picked out our beds, but if you don't like that one, we can switch." Regina said with a smile.

Emma looked at the bed and shook her head. "No, this is fine, thank you. Sorry I'm a little late, the Ferry was so slow."

"It usually is, but it's okay. Nothing to be sorry for." Ruby said with a kind smile.

"Hey Freshmen! It's almost dinner time. Don't be late." A redhead said, coming in.

Emma knew she was attracted to girls, but this one was a true beauty. She had the softest curls and the brightest smile. She had no idea that in her sophomore year, she'd be dating this girl. Zelena was a year older than her sister and was looking forward to having her in the school with her this year. She had recently come out to her family and was completely accepted, though she hadn't told any of her friends at school. She smiled at the new blonde and realized how adorable she was. Emma blushed as she put her bag down on the bed. "I'm Emma." She said, glancing at the girl.

"I'm Zelena. Regina is my sister so if she gives you a hard time, just find me." She said with a wink.

Regina chuckled. "Right, like I'd give anyone a hard time. Mom would kick me out."

"Is Headmistress Mills your mother?" Emma asked as she put her few belongings away.

"Yes. Her bark is worse than her bite." Zelena stated, coming closer to the girl. "We don't get any special treatment."

"If anything, we get harsher rules." Regina said and stretched. "Let's go eat."

Regina, Kathryn, and Ruby headed down and Emma and Zelena followed, but stayed a bit behind them. "So, where are you from?"

"Boston mostly."

"Mostly?"

"I'm…well I'm a foster kid. I was born in Maine and have lived there, Boston, even did a stint in Minnesota after I ran away, but they sent me back."

"Wow. How did you end up here?"

"My social worker saw 'potential' in me and had me do an essay. I ended up winning the scholarship."

Zelena took Emma's hand. "That's amazing, Ems. I remember my mom talking about your essay. She said the girl who wrote it got the school governors board unanimous votes. She said never before had the whole board voted for the same submission."

"Really? All I did was write about my life."

"Well, it must have been good."

Emma smiled and was sad they were almost to the cafeteria. "Do you live in town?"

"Yep. Born and raised here in Misthaven. Some people think it's a fairy tale while I sometimes think it's a horror movie." She laughed. "Not that there's any killers or anything, just that it's so damn small."

"I think it's cute." Emma said and saw her roommates sitting at a table and motioning for her to join.

"That's the freshmen table. I'll see you later, Ems. Oh…and I think you're cute." Zelena said with a wink and went to her own table.

Emma could tell she was burning red as she sat down. Ruby looked concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, just a little warm."

All during the dinner speech, Emma couldn't stop glancing at Zelena and saw her doing the same. Finally, it was time to eat, and dishes were brought out. Emma focused on the food and ate her fill while talking to the other girls in her grade.

"It was kinda like Harry Potter, only we had people bring food to the tables, and there was no magic. But to me, it felt magical."

Mal smiled at the girl she had taken under her wing. She had seen Emma when the girl was at her lowest and decided to help her out. She had gotten a call from the woman who tormented the blonde, but she had told her to fuck off. In the end, she was glad she did because she and Emma made an amazing team as bails bonds women and she had fun with her. When they'd celebrate, Emma would tend to get pretty drunk and let out all her past demons. When Emma got the letter requesting, she come to the reading of Cora Mills' will, Mal had to practically force her to come. She understood why Emma didn't want to, but deep down, Mal hoped this trip would at the very least give Emma closure, and at the most, bring Emma and Zelena back together.

"Did you tell anyone that you're coming?" Mal asked gently.

"I called Robert Gold. He seemed to be glad that I'd be here. Gods it will be so uncomfortable seeing Regina and Zelena again. I hope they don't just kick me out."

"Emma, you were asked to come. I don't think they can just kick you out."

"Regina is firm partner. I'm pretty sure she could kick me out." She said, sitting by Mal. "You'll come with me, right?"

"Yes." Mal took Emma's hand. "I'm here for you every step of the way. Once the meeting is over tomorrow, we can get back on this ferry and go enjoy the rest of our two weeks off."

"You can go spend time with Jake, Mal. I know he'd like time with you without having you be called away."

"And leave you by yourself? Never."

WSWSWSWSWSWSWS

Once at the port, Zelena got in her jeep and when it was her turn, she drove away to the direction of the Mills' mansion. Regina insisted she stay at home and Zelena knew there were other rooms if hers was too hard to stay in. Though she figured the house would be left to her sister, she knew her sister would never not let her come back if she wanted to. Twenty minutes later, she pulled in and smiled when she saw her sister waiting for her. She parked her car and got out and hugged her sister tight.

"I'm so glad you made it, Zelena." Regina said, hugging her sister. "I've missed you so much."

"I'm glad to see you. I'm…Regina I'm sorry about mom. I know you and she were close."

"Not really. I just didn't escape like you did. Though, towards the end, she did get a little soft. I wanted to call you, but she said she didn't deserve to see you."

Zelena sighed. "I wish you would have. I don't know if I'd have come, but I'd have had a choice. I understand why you didn't and I'm not angry with you. There's…there's just some things I'd have wanted to ask her."

Regina could always see the hurt in her sister when they talked about their mother. She had visited Zelena many times and each time, she tried to get it out of her what happened, but Zelena would never tell her. "I don't know if she'd have answered you." She said, honestly.

"I know. So, I guess this way was better. Do you need any help with the funeral? I heard it's on Sunday."

"No, it's all taken care of. She had it all planned out so we wouldn't have to do anything. So, you're coming to the funeral?"

"It'll depend on this will thing and what she has to say. I don't want anything monetary from her, so I'm sure I won't get anything I want anyway. I'll just see how I feel."

Zelena brought her things upstairs and looked at her old room. She put her bag down and went to her vanity table, smiling at the pictures. Most were of her and Emma and while that made her heart hurt, she was also glad her mother hadn't thrown them away. She traced over cards Emma had gotten her that she saved and picked up a picture of her and the blonde. They were so young and so happy, and it made Zelena want to cry. She had defied her mother and tried to contact Emma but found no way to.

"Ruby please, I need to talk to Emma." Zelena begged over the phone.

"Zelena, I'm telling you the truth. She just up and left yesterday. She has no phone, so I have no way to connect you two. I thought maybe she was coming to see you."

Zelena blinked the tears from her eyes. "No, she's not. If you see her, or hear from her, please tell her to call me."

"I will, Zelena." Ruby hesitated. "She…she had a meeting with your mom yesterday before she left. She came back very upset, and I tried to stop her, but she said she had to leave."

This confirmed what Zelena had been thinking. "Ruby, she…she didn't flirt with everyone, did she?"

"Emma? Hell no. Zelena, she loves you and everyone here knows it. She's never had eyes for anyone else. I wish I could tell you more."

"You've told me enough. Thank you, Ruby." Zelena hung up the phone and rubbed at her forehead. "Oh Emma. What has my mother done?"

WSWSWSWSWSWSWSWS

Emma and Mal departed the ferry and got into a waiting taxi. "We're pretty lucky. They only have three cabs on this island." Emma said, buckling her seat belt. "Granny's B&B please."

"Emma, I know why we're here, but this island is so cute. Can we please take a tour of it sometime this weekend?"

The cab driver chuckled. "You are now, ma'am. That was the port, there's the post office, over there is the public school." He took a turn. "This is downtown. You have the grocery store, the General store, and Granny's. Up the hill is the private girls' school and that's about it."

Mal clicked her teeth. "You'd make a terrible tour guide."

He chuckled. "Nah, I suppose there's more. Call me up if you want an actual tour." He parked the car. "Welcome to Misthaven."

"Thank you." Mal said, handing him the fair money and a tip as Emma got out and got her bags.

They entered the diner and before Emma could even get a good look around, she was being hugged by a woman with long brown and red hair. "Emma! Oh, my gods it's actually you!"

Emma chuckled and hugged her back. "Hey Ruby."

"I couldn't believe it when I saw a reservation for Emma Swan. I thought it was too good to be true! I thought maybe someone else had the same name, but I hoped and hoped it was you!"

"Ruby! Stop being so silly and let me get a good look at her." Came a gruff voice and Emma smiled more.

"Granny. Oh, it's so good to see you."

Granny hugged Emma. "It's good to see you as well. You're far too thin, girl. You're just in time for my Friday Fish fry. It's all you can eat, and you better eat a lot."

"Emma, who's your friend?" Ruby asked and Emma pulled away from the hug.

"This is Mal. Mal, this is Ruby and Granny. I went to school with Ruby and Granny hired me after I graduated and needed a job."

"Gave her a place to stay as well. I've missed the mite."

Mal smiled warmly. "It's so nice to meet you both. Emma has told me a lot about you while we've been out on stings."

"Stings?" Ruby asked, her eyes wide.

"We catch bail jumpers." Emma said. "Sometimes that means hours in the car just waiting."

"I love her stories of Ruby and her Granny." She smirked at Ruby. "You were a bit of a feisty one back then, weren't you?"

Ruby grinned. "Maybe just a bit."

"She was terrible." Granny said, but with all the love in the world. "Those girls, the four of them were something." She waived at a customer. "I have to go, Ruby will get you up to your rooms, but the fish fry starts in half an hour. It's award winning."

"Thanks, Granny." Emma said and followed Ruby into the office.

"So, I've got you two in a two-queen suite with your own bathroom. We do have open rooms if you wanted separate rooms."

"We'll be fine. If we decide to stay longer, that may change." Mal said with a wink.

Emma gave her a nudge and smiled at Ruby. "Ocean view?" She smirked.

"All rooms are ocean view." Ruby smirked back. She handed Emma a key. "Room 4. Will you be okay to find it so I can make sure Granny isn't working too hard?"

"Of course." Emma said, taking the key. "Ruby? You didn't tell anyone I was coming, did you? Like Regina or Zelena?"

"First, I told no one. Second, I haven't seen Zelena since Regina's wedding and before that, not since she left for college. I don't know if she's coming back this weekend. I…well I'm surprised you came back in all honesty."

"Yeah, so am I." Emma picked her bag up. "See you later, Rubes."

"See ya." Mal said with a wink.

Once they were up the stairs, Emma turned on Mal. "What the hell, Mal. Flirting with my best friend? What would Jake say?"

Mal chuckled. "Good think Jake is a bird and is currently happy with our neighbor." She then shrugged. "She's cute."

"I thought I was too young." Emma said, unlocking the door.

"You yes. Her? No." She smirked. "Emma, I don't mix work with pleasure."

"I know. I don't want to date you, but I remember one drunken night when I got flirty, you said I was too young."

"Yes well, you'd become attached. I don't think dear old Rubes would. Just let me have a little fun while we're here."

After the two unpacked, they came back down and found seats in the diner. They both ordered fish dinners and were enjoying both the view and the conversation when the bell over the door rang. Emma looked up and locked eyes with cool blue ones. Her heart stopped for a moment; the world stopped for a moment before catching back up. "Zelena."

a/n- I know there are probably questions here, and you can ask them, but I ask you to also trust me when I say things will be revealed as the story continues.