Okay, I just wanted to clarify something. This is NOT Vampire Diaries. I don't watch the show. Sorry if there's similar circumstance or what not, but I'm writing this completely from my own imagination. Thanks, and enjoy the chapter.

Regina climbed out of the bath and towel-dried her hair as quick as possible, wincing at her furious scrubbing as she pulled out a few hairs. She knew better than to trust Zelena. The moment she saw how Emma affected them both she should have sent Emma out of Storybrooke, or at least kept closer tabs on Zelena. It was just too much, the strain of it all.

Regina was alone in her own battle against her natural instincts, all while remaining as professional as she could and keeping the residents of Storybrooke safe and out of trouble. Of course, Zelena always caused trouble wherever she went. Their father had called her a 'free spirit'. Their mother was assured that Regina would take care of her. Regina thought she deserved a good fasting and a slap upside the head, but her opinion didn't matter. She was to be the designated babysitter.

Regina hurriedly dressed and headed downstairs to confront Zelena. She knew that Zelena was most certainly going out, and she wanted to catch her before she left. Luckily, Zelena was seated at the kitchen table with a glass of cider in hand, a dazed expression on her face. It was clear her mind was a million miles away.

Regina stepped forward and removed the glass from her sister's hand. "Zelena," she prodded, shaking her shoulder once.

The red-head didn't move. Regina sighed, worry tickling her mind. She had never seen her sister like this. Had she fed off a high mortal again? Was she under a miscast spell?

"Zelena!" Regina tried again, this time shaking both shoulders roughly.

The red-head blinked and her eyes attempted to focus on Regina's. Regina sighed and crouched in front of her. "What the hell did you do to yourself this time?"

"Emma…" Zelena answered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Regina stiffened and stood, crossing her arms over her chest. "I know what you were doing with her, Zelena. This better not be some trick of yours to get me to forgive you." Zelena was extremely good at manipulation even without her magic, and Regina never failed to fall into her trap.

Zelena shook her head and looked around with wide eyes. "I don't know what happened. One minute we were frisking around in the bedroom and the next thing I knew I could hardly move." The woman blinked down at Regina, a vulnerability in her eyes that Regina had never seen before. "I didn't kill her, did I?"

Regina thought back to before Emma left, how she had looked. There were bruises and bite marks all over her body. Had Zelena's instincts taken over and caused her to black out? Or was there something sinister about the new arrival that they hadn't picked up on?

Still annoyed, Regina stood and pulled Zelena up. "You better be telling the truth, Zelena. Or I'm going to get Mother involved. You can go back and live with them if you can't follow the rules here."

Zelena's baby blue eyes watered, her lower lip trembled. "Gina I didn't mean for this to happen, I swear. She did something to me. Hypnotized me, maybe. I don't know."

Regina's heart softened at her little sister's words. Zelena hadn't called her by her nickname since they were kids. "Look, you've had a rough couple of days. Let's just get you to bed and call it a night."

Zelena stubbornly pulled away as they reached the stairs. "If I sleep now I won't be able to in the morning. I'm supposed to be going out tonight."

Regina shook her head defiantly. "You are headed straight to bed. You need to sleep this…whatever this is, off. Besides, you need to get used to this sleep schedule. You're going to be working days from now on."

Zelena stomped her foot onto the floor with a pout. "It's not fair! You are always deciding what's best for me!"

Regina ignored her sister's tantrum and hauled her up the stairs to her own bedroom. Zelena was too weak to fight her off and for that Regina was thankful. A magical fight was not what she needed right now.

Zelena fell onto the bed and moved under the covers, finally giving up. Regina tucked her in and sat beside her, stroking her soft curls. "I'm thirsty," Zelena whined, fangs protruding from her mouth.

Regina ruefully shook her head. "That only works on Father, Zelena. You're not 100 years old anymore. Besides, you fed enough from Miss Swan to last you quite a while."

"Just one juice box?" Zelena pleaded hopefully.

Regina recognized her sister's magic trying to invade her mind and she threw up a mental guard to protect herself. Zelena may easily overpower a human, but they both knew it was Regina who was more skilled in magic.

"Sleep," Regina ordered in a gentle tone, feeling her own magic pulse from her fingers into Zelena's body.

Zelena's eyes drooped and she whined in protest. "I know what you're doing, Regina. I don't need a sleeping spell!"

"And I don't need you sneaking out and causing havoc in this town," Regina answered calmly.

"It's called having fun," Zelena mumbled before the spell rendered her unconscious.

Regina sighed and covered her sister with another blanket before moving to her closet to change into a neon blue dress that accentuated her curves and blended well with what the night crowd wore. It seems she wasn't going to get any sleep tonight.

XXXX

Emma arrived back at Granny's just as the diner was starting to close. The last two diners were finishing up their food and Granny was clearing dishes off the tables while Ruby followed along behind her to wipe them down. The atmosphere was calm and quiet, which helped Emma to calm down and collect her thoughts.

Ruby noticed right away that something was amiss, judging by the smirk on her face. "Whoa," the brunette commented with raised eyebrows as she took in Emma's appearance. "I knew you've been flirting with the mayor, but I didn't realize you were that close."

Emma rubbed her forehead, feeling a migraine coming on. Everything had gone to shit. Up was down, wrong was right, people were disappointed. It seemed every decision she made was destined to lead her down a path of failure, and she had no one to blame except herself.

Ruby leaned against a booth, arms crossed and high-heeled shoe tapping impatiently on the black and white checkered floor. "Care to explain?"

"No thanks, Mom," Emma said, seating herself at the front counter. "I just need to forget."

"It looked like you had a good time with the mayor—er, whoever you shacked up with," Ruby teased relentlessly as she slipped behind the counter and poured them both a shot.

"Ruby you know the rules," Granny chastised as she strode by on her way to the kitchen.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Alright, Gran."

Emma watched as the young woman sauntered toward the table with the last 2 occupants of the bar. Ruby nodded flirtatiously and gave a bright smile as she chatted with them, informing them of the diner closing and asking if they needed anything more. She appeared sexy yet aloof, a natural confidence hidden behind her face of makeup. Is that how Emma looked to other people, or did she just come off as awkward and desperate?

The 2 men seemed to be eating the attention up, as the slightly younger one flashed Ruby a cocky grin and threw a $20 bill onto the table. Ruby grinned and playfully kissed both men on the cheeks as they stood to go, quickly slipping the money into her pocket.

Once the diner was empty and the last table cleared, Ruby joined Emma again. "Sorry, Gran gets real strict when it comes to alcohol. We're only allowed to serve wine and beer so anything stronger can get us shut down." The brunette handed Emma a shot and clinked their glasses together. "To new friends and sexy lovers!"

Emma gave the young woman a half-hearted smile before tipping her head back and taking the shot. The alcohol warmed her belly and sent a rush of adrenaline to her head, allowing her worry to wash away.

"So if it wasn't the mayor you were fooling around with, who was it?" Ruby questioned.

"Can we just enjoy our alcohol in peace?" Emma snapped, then instantly regretted it as she saw the hurt look on Ruby's face. "I'm sorry. I just…being here has brought up a bunch of shit from my past that I thought I had moved on from."

Ruby nodded sympathetically. "I get it—I talk entirely too much about personal things. I haven't realized yet that the majority of people are not comfortable with talking about their sex lives and whatever like I am. Granny says my brain can't keep up with my mouth."

"Ain't that the truth," Granny commented as she breezed past.

Emma smiled softly but shook her head, attempting not to comment out of fear that she wouldn't be able to lie to Ruby and the truth would rear its ugly head for the whole town to see. She couldn't risk being thrown out of Storybrooke when this was the only place that she felt grounded.

"Hey Em, why don't you go out with me tonight? I'm off tomorrow. We can hit up The White Rabbit and bug Will until he cuts us off," Ruby suggested with a sly smile as she poured them both another shot.

Emma shook her head and downed the shot, this one going down easier than the last. She'd already caused enough trouble in this town. It was best she lay low for a while.

"No thanks. I'm gonna stay in tonight and catch up on some TV."

Granny collected dirty rags from the counter, giving her granddaughter a side-eyed glance. "It'd do you some good to take notes from Emma, Ruby. She doesn't need to party to have fun."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Not yet." The young woman winked at the blonde. "I'm still working on it."

Granny mumbled something under her breath as she walked away. Emma slid her shot glass across the counter and stretched with a yawn. "Have fun, Rubes. Stay safe."

Soon, Emma was dressed in her favorite sweatpants and a hoodie, snacking on popcorn while she re-watched her favorite episode of Bob's Burgers. She was trying her best to forget about her encounter with Zelena and the even more awkward one with the mayor. The only thing it proved was that she wasn't strong enough to resist the addictive feeling. She never would be.

The glow of headlights shining through the floral curtains caught her attention, sending her back to a mere month before.

The streets of the city were deserted, dimly lit by the glow of flickering streetlights. Emma was running, her heart racing and converse pounding against the wet sidewalk, frantically searching for a place to hide. Her shoulder ached from the large duffel bag on her shoulder and her side ached from lack of exercise.

Footsteps sounded behind her, shouts of confusion and anger drifting into her ears. The blonde turned into a narrow alley, crouching behind a dumpster. She closed her eyes and prayed, pleading for a miracle that deep down she know she didn't deserve.

"Emma!" A familiar voice called, nearer than the footsteps that were at the opposite end of the alley. "Please don't run! We can talk about this—I can help you!" The voice grew louder as it came closer. Emma could hear the ragged breathing of the person she had entrusted herself to. "You know I love you, Em. But I had to tell. They would have killed me."

Emma slowly reached into the duffel bag, pushing aside small bags of white powder and greens before wrapping her hand around smooth metal. She pulled out the gun and stood, stepping out into view. Shocked brown eyes met hers, hands lifting in surrender.

"Emma, you don't have to do this. Please."

Tears filled Emma's eyes and she cocked the gun, the sound echoing in the dark. "I loved you, Neal. You got me into this in the first place. And now you betrayed me!"

Her lover hung his head in shame, arms falling limply by his sides. "I know. I'm so sorry."

Emma shook her head, seeing through the man's fake apology. "It's too late for that." Headlights blinded her as she pointed the gun at his chest.

Emma blinked herself out of her memory at the sound of a knock on the door. She muted the TV and went to answer, shocked to see Regina standing on the other side. She awkwardly rubbed her neck as guilt resurfaced from the day's earlier events.

"What can I do for you, Madame Mayor?" Emma finally found her voice to speak.

"May I come in?" Regina asked.

Emma stepped back, allowing the woman in. "Sorry about the mess." The blonde blushed at the clothes strewn about. "I wasn't expecting anyone to stop by."

Regina smiled tightly and sat at the small desk across from the bed. Emma nervously sat on the edge of the bed, picking at her cuticles. The tension in the room hung heavy in the air, and Emma found herself suddenly wishing that she had accepted Ruby's invitation.

"I'm going to ask you something, Miss Swan," Regina finally spoke, shifting in her seat. "And I need you to be honest with me. I'll know if you aren't."

Emma forced herself to meet Regina's eyes, her heart pounding inside her chest. Was Regina able to read her mind? Did she know of the terrible things she did?

"You told my sister that you accidentally entered Storybrooke. Is that true?"

"Yes. I honestly have no idea how. I heard strangers aren't able to cross the town line?" Emma answered.

Regina nodded in affirmation. "There's actually been an issue with the council leaders—my bosses, essentially. As vampire leaders, we are to protect our humans. That means no one leaves and no one comes into Storybrooke. You are that exception."

Emma held her breath as the woman stood and made her way over to her. She loomed over Emma in a way that caused warmth to tingle between her legs. The blonde swallowed a whimper as she was reminded of the rush of adrenaline that came with a vampire bite.

"I notice you possess magic. That may be a reason why you were able to enter Storybrooke."

Emma's eyes widened in shock. "Magic? But I'm mortal."

Regina leaned down and captured her chin beneath her fingers, gaze hungry. Emma noticed a small scar on her lip and suddenly had the urge to touch it. It was captivating, knowing that a centuries old vampire had imperfections, same as humans.

"When you were messing around with my sister earlier, you somehow hypnotized her. Do you know how?" Regina questioned.

Emma swallowed hard. "She was all over me. Kissing me, pricking me with her fangs. I couldn't even think straight."

Regina tilted her head to the side as she realized the blonde was telling the truth. This was dangerous. Emma had no idea of the power she possessed, and that alone would be a red flag if the council somehow found out. Emma would be executed. And Regina wouldn't let that happen.

"I'm really sorry for what I did, Regina." Emma stared down at her lap, tears filling her eyes. "I didn't mean to. I—I have a problem with these certain… urges that I have." The blonde shook her head, afraid of saying anything more.

Regina felt a twinge of sympathy for the young woman. She knew for some, vampire bites were similar to the buzz of alcohol, or strong narcotic. It was dangerously easy to become addicted to, and it was obvious that Emma was aware of that.

"Don't worry, Emma." Regina smiled gently as the young woman looked up in surprise at the use of her first name. "I'm going to help you. We'll get this all straightened out."

For the first time in a long time, Emma felt completely safe. "Okay, Regina."