"Ah, Madam Mayor! How can I help you?" Sheriff Graham was sitting at his desk, messy with papers, pens and various folders. He stood when he saw her.
"Just giving Emma a personal tour of the town and thought we'd stop by here first," she smiled.
Emma was following the mayor intently, watching her every move. How she walked with so much determination, how her hair flowed against the air, how her fingers gripped the purse's straps so gently, she was absolutely stunning. When she heard Regina say her name she looked at the sheriff and smiled, "Hey," was all she could manage.
"I see. Well, are you looking for a job? We could really use some help around here. Too many drunken escapades by this one," Graham pointed at the man in the holding cell.
"Hey, blondie." The man was leaning his arms through the bars. He was short, scruffy, with a beard and a larger nose. He was smiling a devillish smile, maybe still drunk.
"That's Leroy. He's in here quite often."
"Might as well pay rent," Leroy joked.
"That'll be enough, thank you. Don't want to scare her away," Regina took back the room, "If you do decide to stay, Emma, I guess this job is open." She glared at Graham.
"I'll definitely think on it." Emma is, well, was a bail-bonds person so she wasn't shy of a few criminals. This would be a nice change of scenery.
Regina was surprised by her answer, interesting choice. "Well, we better be going. I have another place to show her before Henry gets home from school. Thank you, Sheriff," Regina turned and walked past Emma, brushing her hand on her forearm, "C'mon dear."
Emma was finally starting to control her body's reaction towards this beautiful woman. Her breath barely hitched, but her face still turned a little pink. Before anyone could notice, Emma smiled awkwardly and followed Regina out of the building. She heard Leroy say, "She seems peachy," with Graham responding with a long sigh.
"Now to the man who owns this town," Regina rolled her eyes.
"Is that not you?" Emma got in the car after Regina.
"Yes, but he literally owns the town, well most of it. He is the landlord for many of the buildings here."
They drove through the town, while the mayor pointed out things of less importance. Hopper's office, her favorite suit store, the bar where everyone goes on the weekends, "but I would never go there, it's quite unkempt."
They finally arrived at Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop. As they walked in, there was a bell above the door that rang as the door swung and an older man with dusty brown hair, a nice suit and a cane came from the back of the store. "Nice to see you again, Regina. What can I do for you?"
"Nothing today, Gold, just showing her around," Regina gestured to the shy blonde behind her.
"Ah, and you are?" His head shook with curiosity.
"Emma."
"Em-ma..." Mr. Gold stared at the the blonde looking her up and down. "What a beautiful name."
"Thanks." Emma was curious and a little bit nervous about him. What does that mean?
Regina cocked her head and squinted at the man, "Mr. Gold runs this pawn shop. Anything and everything you could need is here."
Regina watches the blonde ponytail look through the glass cases and items hung throughout the store. She noticed the way her fingers glided across the glass top, stopping at different items, the way her eyes widened at something unusual, how her ponytail gracefully fell around her face framing the perfect jawline.
"If you find something you like, I'll give you the mayor's discount," the man said smirking at Regina but she shrugged him off.
"Oh, no, thank you. Just... looking," Emma continued her browsing.
"Regina, can I speak with you?" The air in the room became thicker, "Only for a moment." He gestured to the back room that was only separated by a gaudy curtain hung in the door frame.
Regina shot him a look.
"Please," Mr. Gold insisted.
"We'll be just a minute," Regina looked back to Emma. Emma nodded not looking at the mayor though, but picking up and old book and reading some of it's contents. Regina slowly followed him back.
As soon as Regina crossed the threshold, "what could you possibly need?"
He spoke in a quieter tone, "Do you know who she is? Where she came from?"
"Henry found her." She paused. "Look... all I know is that she is his birth mother and I'd like to not scare her away, if that's alright with you?" Sarcasm ended her question.
"Up to you, dearie. But I suggest a background check, not everyone is who they say they are," he cracked an evil smile.
Regina's eyes widened as she whispered back, "you know," she looked back through the curtain at Emma, she was looking at a glass mobile of unicorns. "How do you know?" Regina asked again, more intense this time.
"And what would I know?"
"What's your name?"
Mr. Gold smiled, refusing to answer.
The red lips drew closer to his face and her hand ready to choke him if needed, "What. is. your. name?"
His mouth had turned into a toothy grin, chuckling, but there was an evil undertone, "Rumplestiltskin."
Regina finally backed away, huffing and left the back room, putting on a front that nothing happened. "Emma, we need to go if we want to beat Henry home," she walked towards the front door.
Mr. Gold emerged from the back room, "Come back soon."
Once again, Emma follows Regina out of the store, "interesting place," Emma said. She knew something happened back there, but she was too afraid to ask. Better to leave it alone, for both our sake.
"Quite," Regina responds dryly.
They drive past a few more places as Regina points them out. The air in the car was different, tense. Regina was more short with her explanations of the places as Emma nodded along only saying "oh," or "gotcha," every now and then. She didn't want to make the mayor more upset even though Regina's poker face was pretty good. They finally reached the town hall again and Regina dropped Emma off at her parked Bug. "I'll see you back at my house?" Regina asked.
Emma nods, reaching for her keys in her pocket, "sure thing."
"I do hope you'll make your decision by then, dear, don't want to keep me waiting." The red lips turned into a smirk. She was trying to push away what happened at Gold's store by flirting, but she couldn't get it out of her mind that somehow Emma was all a part of this.
"I will," Emma unlocked her car and starts to get in, "see you there." Emma finally gets in her car and starts it, watching Regina drive behind her. What happened back there? She shrugged it off as much as she could. I will definitely be staying...for Henry. She leaves following the black cadillac the way there.
Regina smiled as she drove off. The smile was quickly gone though as she picked up her phone and called Sidney, the reporter for Storybrooke's local newspaper, and also, her 'do as I say or else' guy. "Sidney, I need you to do something for me... I need you to find everything you can about this, Emma Swan... Anything you can find... Yes... Call me when you have it all."
