She slammed her car door shut. It was nine at night, and the Floridian hot, humid air caused beads of sweat to form on her forehead. She really needed to save up her money so that she could finally get her car's AC fixed, but her kid came first. He was ten and growing like a weed. His father, which so help her God needed to man up and pay child support.

Today was her first day on her new second job. She had come across a listing on Craigslist for security guard and responded to the post. It wasn't the best pay, but thirteen bucks an hour was thirteen more dollars she didn't have. That paired with her day job working as a waitress getting somewhat decent tips was enough to make her rent and put food on the table to feed Henry, her son.

She jogged up the stairs to the grand building held up by large, stately columns. A man named Maurice greeted her at the door, "You Emma Swan?" He asked, shining his flashlight into her evergreen eyes.

"Yeah, that's me." She shrugged. "Sorry, I'm late. Car stalled out on the way here." She lied. She was actually in an argument with Neal, her ex, about her needing extra cash to take Henry to the dentist for a stubborn tooth that needed to be pulled.

"Don't let it happen again. I gots places to be lady." He said pushing the door open for her to enter. "Welcome to the Magical World of Disney," He said, not too enthusiastically. "There's three stories of Disney history here. The first floor has interactive activities for kids; the second has the history and original works of art by Mr. Walt himself. The third floor, well that's the one we monitor the most 'round here, that's where the wax figurines are. Hey, you a fast runner?" He asked with a devious smile.

"Yeah, I mean I guess." She shrugged. "I ran track when I was in high school." Emma quirked her brow in confusion. "Why?"

"Just curious. So there's me and Tamara and Greg, who run this place. We all take turns workin' the shifts. The last guy we had here didn't work out. He uh, quit unexpectedly. So you'll be the night shift. Greg will be here at six to relieve you." He pulled out of his pocket a ring of keys. "These are now yours, don't lose them. And remember to lock all the doors you go in and out of." That seemed simple enough, or so Emma thought. He held his flashlight up towards her face with a slightly toothless smile and asked, "So hows 'bout a tour?"

Emma shrugged, "Yeah, okay." She followed him around, Maurice just talked about the different exhibits and really Emma didn't care too much. She figured her kid would get a load out of the place since he loved fairytales. She sometimes just wanted to shove her head into a wall. There was only so much listening a person can do before going mad. 'Snow White this and Cinderella that. Aladdin did that, and Pinocchio's nose grew too big.' It was endless and maddening. Now that she started this job, her kind elderly neighbor watched her son overnight. Not having any help around the house, and his father being a schmuck made having Ms. Pendisky a godsend. Plus, an added bonus, she was at remotely no cost. Just as long as Emma came by once a week to clip her toenails and pluck her chin hairs. While that was disgusting, it was worth it since she couldn't exactly pay for child support.

"So, uh, ever have any break-ins?" Emma inquired. She figured she needed to know, just in case.

"This place?" He asked with a quizzical tone. "Nah. You got nothin' to worry 'bout kid. Just make sure the doors are locked when you come in. There's a TV in the security room for you to kick back and relax, for the most part, it's an easy job." He said. "I know I said I'd give you a full tour, but it's 'bout that time I be getting on my way. Got a wife and kid at home waitin' on me and I'm sure you can explore the rest on your own." He shined his flashlight down at her shoes. "Might want some of sneakers next time, good for runnin'."

"Why will I need to run?" Emma again, confused by why she needed to run or need sneakers. Maurice was already presenting to be a really strange character.

"Oh and Emma, one last thing, whatever is in the museum must stay within the museum. If, for whatever reason, it get's loose and not returned before six it will vanish and cease to have ever existed." He held his flashlight just below his chin, the light accentuating his features in the most unflattering way.

"Uh, right." It was clear, he lost one too many marbles in his youth along with his teeth. Obviously, he wasn't mentally sound.

"Have a good night." He turned and started whistling as he made his way from the second story down to the first. Emma listened to his squeaky black shoes rub against the floor and the door the museum open and close.

"Well, if that wasn't weird," Emma said to herself. She looked around the hall and walked over to the staircase to the third floor; wax figures. When her boot came in contact with the first marble step she stopped and turned back remember to lock the door. Heading down the first story, she went over and pushed the door shut, securing the bolts. It was going to be a long, boring evening and she figured she might as well turn on the TV in the security room.

So maybe she wasn't the best at her job. Emma, slung back in the old worn desk chair, was snoring loudly as the box TV, which played old re-runs of Gilligan's Island on TvLand. Her head dropped to the side, jolting her awake. Emma shook her head and wiped the dribble of drool from the side of her face.

"Ew," She said to herself. It wasn't like she expected anything less. Emma was an 'ugly sleeper' so was her kid. He was worse, though. He sounded like a dying Pterodactyl, which made it hard to get any decent sleep at night, like ever. At least, she could claim she wasn't that bad if she had any hope in her future at dating.

Emma looked over at the monitor's security footage to make sure everything seemed in place. Her wristwatch indicated it was just a few minutes before twelve. She figured checking out the third floor would be a good 'pick me up' since she was apparently sleeping on the job.

Standing and stretching she grabbed her long silver flashlight, key ring, and her phone. She jogged up the stairs, hoping for an extra energy boost, and when she came to the third floor, she hung a left turn and opened the exhibit doors.

What Emma thought she'd see, was not what she expected. Her silver flashlight dropped to the floor, the glass cracking. Her heart sunk to the depths of her stomach when heard something scamper next to her feet.

She reared her head back and screamed. The tiny monkey in a cute purple vest and hat screamed back. His little hands covered his face and then ran. That, however, was the least of Emma's worries. It was the deep guttural roar of a majestic lion that made Emma back away from what was now a closed door. Unable to pick up where the lion's roar came from she said to herself, "Oh shit." Which were usually a southerner's last works, next to 'hold my beer.'

She quickly assessed the situation. It suddenly all came full circle, the wax figurines had all somehow come to life, which made no sense to Emma. She quickly tried to remember all the different characters she'd encounter from the movies she'd seen growing up, but her mental assessment was interrupted when a trumpeting sound followed by what she thought was a stampede came from behind the doors. It was at that moment, she gulped back her fear and made a run through the vivacious exhibit knowing all too well she needed to get the hell out of there.

She ran past a pack of angry men debating god knows what, and right past what appeared to be talking mice? Not having a second to spare, she kept running from the herd of animals hot on her feet, which she was sure were going to bust through the doors in any second. Unfamiliar with the twists and turns of the exhibit, no thanks to Maurice, she didn't know where to go.

"Pst." She heard. She looked around trying to find to source of the sound. The sound of feet getting closer, however, caused her to feel too panicked to focus with them impending closer. "Over here!" She looked up with shaky green eyes, and there sat woman with long black hair dressed in white. "Take a left and there's a door that leads up here," She instructed. Emma had no idea who this person was or why she was here, but she had no other options except to trust her.

Running to the left, sounds of elephants, lions, and bears were growing louder. Her mother always told her never to take a job off Craigslist, and now she knew why! She jiggled the handle to the door, which was locked, and remembered her keys. She quickly pulled them out and cursed at how many there were. Her hands trembled from the adrenaline rushing through her veins, which caused the keys to fall to the floor, because, of course, that's just her luck. She leaned down and picked them up praying she wouldn't have to go through each one to get the door open. The sounds of the roaring animals indicated they were getting closer. Dancing on the tips of her toes, Emma anxiously whined, "Why is this happening to me?" By the fourth key, she opened the door. It could have been worse; it could have taken all twenty-something keys. Without hesitation, she ran up the staircase and to the woman she was going to question. It was to her hopes she could help, somehow, explain what the hell was going on. When she came up to the overlooking path of the exhibit that bridged across she saw the woman and asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm the bandit, Snow White," She said pulling out her bow with a superior tone of voice. She slipped an arrow from behind her back and arched the tether back. "And you are going to give me those keys." She tilted the bow and arrow down towards the keys clutched in Emma's sweaty hand.

"Oh for Christ sakes," Emma yelled, a little unhinged, up at the ceiling. "I must be dreaming. What the hell is this shit?"

"Give me those keys." The woman in front of her yelled more forcefully.

If that wasn't enough to catch Emma's attention, "Wait, if you're Snow White, the fairest of them all or whatever, then why do you have an arrow pointed at my face?" She argued a valid point.

"Yeah, that girl is over in exhibit one, Disney Princesses, I'm from exhibit two where Snow White the Bandit isn't so princessy." She snapped. "I'm sick and tired of being compared to that airhead. Now Keys, give them to me." She yelled.

"Why?" Emma asked. What did she need with her keys?

"I don't have to respond to the likes of you." She pulled back on her bow threatening to let go at any second.

As if from the grace of God himself, that same monkey from earlier jumped on Snow White's face, wrapping his little arms around her face screaming. It was just enough of a distraction for Snow White's aim to falter and ample time for Emma to run, again. Her feet took her around the corner and from off in the distance, where she could hear Snow White cry in defeat. Not stopping to look behind her shoulder, she trudged forward in her stiff boots, which now made her want sneakers. Perhaps, Maurice wasn't as crazy after all. She knew the moment she got herself out of this mess she'd give that man a stiff talking to. How could he just let her take this job, knowing, just knowing everything would come to life. Well, she had to admit, she'd call him crazy to his face and probably not take the job.

One the walls, Emma noticed, she wasn't in Kansas anymore, but rather, 'The Hall of Villains.'

"Oh great, this is only going to get worse." Emma groaned to herself as if she'd never catch a break.

Tip toeing, in her 'not so' quiet leather boots around the glass enclosures that housed said villains, she wished on her lucky stars to not come face to face with any of them.

She remembered when she was a kid and watched the movie Aladdin and peed herself when Jafar came on screen. She had nightmares after that. She never watched the movie again, no matter how pretty Jasmine was, she just couldn't get past his sinister ways.

Not to mention villains like Ursula and Maleficent. Emma gulped back a knot in her throat. She visibly shuddered.

"What the actual shit is happening," She complained to herself, hearing noises of wild animals and people from behind the walls, which she crept slowly behind. "Fairest of them all, my ass. Fucking psychopathic nut job. Snow White, more like Snow Wacko…" Emma drowned on to what she thought was herself.

"Snow White?" Came a voice so deep, so husky that every hair on Emma's body stood upright, sending shivers down her spine. Quickly she turned and came face to face with the most gorgeous, breathtaking even, a woman draped in a crimson, velvety gown.

"You're… You're..." Emma stuttered in shock. Her hot breath was fogging up the glass that separated them.

"The Evil Queen." The woman stated with a nod.

Um, so figured this would be a cute, short story to post short updates to here and there... Do you guys like the idea? If so, posting short chapters like this is pretty easy. Let me know.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Emma stared through the glass intently at the woman before her. She studied her soft features and while her name implied she was evil, it was hard to believe that. Jafar, Ursala, and Maleficient all looked like villains. The woman who stood behind the glass, however, seemed too beautiful for words to describe.

Her dark brown eyes were tantalizing, and all the commotion from behind the walls of wild animals running amuck was vanquished. Emma tilted her head and watched as the woman before looked down at her in curiosity.

"What are you staring at?" Regina hissed towards Emma, who just stared up with puppy dog eyes. It was a weak-at-the-knees, punch-drunk, over-the-stars, slap-happy kind of moment. Emma was captivated in a trance-like state. The Evil Queen was not only stunning, but her voice was everything Emma never knew she needed to hear.

Emma shook her head as if it weren't painfully obvious, "You. You're not what I would have imagined." She said in wonder. "What happened to The Evil Queen having that purple and black dress? The crown? You just don't look like I expected." Emma said, mesmerized. It was true she expected the cartoon figurine version or the old hag version that poisoned Snow White.

"Oh." The beautiful woman figurine said. She moved away from the glass, and Emma could tell something was off.

"Wait." Emma brought her hand to the glass as if reaching out for the other woman."I didn't mean it to be a bad thing; I like this version more." She tried to reason to the other woman. "It's different, but, look I just ran into Snow White." Emma pointed out. "And she was terrifying, I didn't exactly mean to hurt your feelings. I guess I don't know what to expect here."

"Snow White is the Villian. She ruined me." She growled, a deep low snap. Her anger was visible as she paced back and forth in what seemed to be the courtyard of her castle by an apple tree.

"Okay, I get it. Look, uh, are all your other friends in this exhibit behind a glass enclosure, or is it just you?" Because Emma had to know what to expect. She wasn't exactly sure how she'd handle seeing someone like Jafar up close and personal, but she'd be damned if she peed herself like she did when she was a kid.

"What's it to you?"

"I, look, it's my first day, and I didn't know that everything came to life. I'm just confused and... and... I don't know what to expect." Emma said into the glass.

"Unfortunately, we're all trapped behind these glass walls. The night guards have the keys." The Evil Queen pointed towards her.

Those same keys sat in Emma's hands. She looked down at her sweat covered palms and debated on letting the woman out. She looked up at the Queen and felt a surge of guilt that was written all over her face.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The mysterious man from behind her warned.

Emma turned and looked him square in the eye. "And why should I trust you?" She asked, not trusting who this person was. Clearly the first time she trusted someone she was wrong and had an arrow pointed at her face. She wasn't about to make the same mistake again.

"I'm Jefferson. You may know me as the 'Mad Hatter' from Alice in Wonderland." He tipped his top hat in a fluid, flowy motion. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He held out his hand seeking her name.

"Emma. Emma Swan." She said not taking the man's hand in return. No, she wasn't going to fall into any traps and end up killed. Again, she realized, never respond to Craigslist ads, ever again. "Why can't I let her out?" Emma asked.

"Isn't it obvious? She's dangerous. She's a negative force that deserves to be locked behind the walls. She's a villain after all."

Emma turned and looked back behind herself at the woman who sent death glares at the man known as Jefferson. "She doesn't seem to deserve this. A life behind a glass wall. You wouldn't want that." Emma had no idea why she was defending this Evil Queen who she didn't know. "You know, I just ran into Snow White, and she's who deserved to be locked up."

"Ah, but she is in a way. The Bandit Snow White is ruthless and a trained killer. She's not the same as Princess Snow White. They are two different people here in the museum. And she is locked up in a sense. She's separated from her Prince Charming and, well, that's probably worse than being stuck behind a glass enclosure."

"What has she done to deserve being there?" Emma pointed towards the woman who now leaned her shoulder up against the glass.

"Yes, Jefferson, tell her, why do I deserve to be here? Want to give this one the real story?" She pensively asked.

"Don't listen to her, she's just trying to get you to let her out. This is what she does. She's a master manipulator. You can't trust her." He said, which made Emma realize that while she maybe shouldn't trust The Evil Queen, she sure as hell didn't trust him. Talk about sketchy.

It was then that the animals in neighboring exhibits were screaming like wild banshee's that Emma knew she needed help. Perhaps the panic in her eyes was even evident. She licked her lips and asked, "So, uh, why are you..."

"Why are we real?" He asked with an arched brow.

"Yeah, that," She said skeptical still. She backed herself up away from him and more towards the glass enclosure behind her.

"We were made with magic!" He laughed, deliriously as if that made any logical sense.

"No seriously." Emma wanted an answer. Time was valuable, and she needed answers. "Tell me, or... or.., I'll let her out." Emma dangled her keys to threaten the man who was more a snake than anything else.

"I am serious. It's a curse around here. No one knows why we come alive at midnight, but we do. At six, when your shift ends, we all go back in place as if we weren't real at all. Day in and day out we watch as screaming kids run through our halls, jumping all over us, putting their slimy hands on us."

"They do smash their little bratty faces against the glass.' Regina jumped on.

"And then at night we come alive." Jefferson finished off.

"This makes no logical sense." Emma started to pace back and forth. "I...I… don't get it. I'm clearly hallucinating. What is the government putting drugs in our water?" Emma screeched. "I, how? Like no. I'm….I'm dreaming, right, this is some weird dream? I must have had too much pizza before sleep. I knew I shouldn't trust Elio's. Those things are too cheap." She said now no longer pacing. She stopped in place and closed her eyes and then yelled. "Wake up Emma. Come on!" She also slapped herself on the cheek. To her dismay, this was real, and now her face hurt like a bitch.

"Would you get a grip." Jefferson was now in her face. "You need to listen carefully to me. You need to get this place back in order. Can you do that?"

Emma shook her head. "I don't understand." Scarlet leaked into her soft cheeks in panic. "This was supposed to be a security job where I got to lounge around and sleep while watching shitty TV!"

"Well, it's not. You've got to get everyone back to their proper exhibits before six when the new guard is on shift."

"How….. how…. there's lions, elephants, and bears. Like hello, Simba is less cute in real life. I can't-"

"Yes, you can." He cut her words off. "You have to believe in yourself."

She licked her dry lips and managed to say, "Okay, but only if I get to let her out." Emma pointed towards the woman behind her.

"What's with your fixation?"

"What's with you telling me not to trust her?"

"I can say I know from experience."

"Oh, that's rich." Came a third, argumentative voice.

"Regina, she'll-"

"Regina?" Emma asked, her face scrunched up in confusion.

"That would be my real name. I take it that no Disney book or movie ever told you that, did it?"

Emma stood there, and while she knew she should be getting on with figuring out how to get everything back in order, she couldn't quite put her finger on why Regina was such a familiar name. Then it hit her. Her son, Henry's Once Upon a Time book mentioned a Queen that had always intrigued her. Regina. Must be one in the same.

"How about this, you let me out of here and I help you fix this mess in exchange for a one on one talk with Snow White?" Regina asked.

Emma shrugged, she didn't see anything wrong with that. Besides, Regina was offering her help whereas the Mad Hatter just wanted to ensure Emma knew that The Evil Queen wasn't trustworthy. He in turn, offered no help whatsoever. Instead he just painted a picture of all the problems she somehow needed to rectify before the new security guard arrived. And that seemed like an almost impossible task.

"Alright." Emma said. It wasn't like she had any other good options.

"No. You can't let her out. She won't go back in there. This is mad." He raged.

Evil cackling from behind the glass caught Emma's attention. "She offered to help; you didn't."

"You don't know who you're messing with. You're going to regret this. Not like I care, I have a tea party to attend to." The strange, vibrant man sprung to life as he dashed out of the exhibit claiming he was already late.

"Now," Emma said, "I have no idea what the lay of the land is or who goes where. Do you?"

Regina nodded, "Believe it or not, I haven't always been trapped behind this glass."

"Okay, and you agree, that you'll help me get everything back to where they belong and return to your exhibit before six?" Emma asked for clarification. She didn't want to take too many risks and somehow screw herself, because while everything coming alive wasn't what she expected, she honestly needed this job. She needed to feed her kid and had so many bills stacking up on her.

"I do agree." The queenly woman stated. "So are you going to let me out?"

Emma clutched her keys closer. It was clear they were wanted by many and to should be kept close. "Where do I let you out?"

"There's a door to the right that if you unlock it, has a back hallway. There's a hidden door that you can't see from the wallpaper of my castle."

"Alright, well." Emma pointed. "I'll see you in a few seconds." Emma turned right down the hallway and followed the tiled floor until she saw the door Regina mentioned.

She picked up her keys and slowly started to figure out which one would open the lock. She needed to get one of those keys to jump a lock. There were several times now that would have come in handy.

After several painfully slow minutes she pulled the door open the back hallway of all the glass-enclosed exhibits of villains, the first of which was Regina's.

Emma used the same key to unlock the door to Regina's exhibit, and when she pushed the door open, she realized how suffocatingly hot and bright it was.

"Oh my god, how do you wear that thing in here? It's so hot." Emma said when she looked at the other women.

"It's not pleasant, is it? It's a shame, being locked up."

"How long since you've been out of this Hell hole?"

"Well, back when the museum first opened it was a free standing exhibit like all the others. Each day, mothers and fathers brought in their kids and one too many ran screaming. Us villains were too scary. They removed some exhibits. Ursula was one of them."

"Oh thank God." Emma visibly relaxed. "How about Jafar, by any chance was his removed?"

"No," Regina stated with a hint of annoyance.

Emma picked up on that and realized perhaps Regina was friends with Ursula. She winced, "Were you friends with her?"

"No. I wasn't. But I don't think they should have removed her because she was too frightening. About two years ago, they re-designed my costume because there was a time when kids ran screaming in horror from me too."

"Regina, you don't scare me."

"Not now, but before, I scared many kids. Soon after, I heard one of the workers saying that museum director ordered for the glass enclosures to be put up so that kids didn't feel so vulnerable. Ever since that day, I've been trapped." The brunette told Emma.

"That's awful. I'm sorry. I don't want you locked up." Emma spoke too freely. "And, uh, earlier, what did you mean by the real story?"

Regina looked at Emma was a bemused glance. "Why do you care?"

"Why not?" Emma said shrugging. "It's not like any of this is real?"

Regina's face fell. Emma could tell she did her best to hide that show of emotion because it was quickly exchanged with an emotionless expression. "We have some work to be doing." She pushed past Emma towards the main exhibit. "You should do as I say if you want to stay alive and keep this place from burning down to the ground. Someone gave Mowgli and Baloo a lighter once, burned down part of the Jungle exhibit." Regina shook her head. "That security guard never came back. That was about a year ago. Have you seen Scar yet?" Regina asked.

"No. I heard a lion earlier and ran. I wasn't about to stick around long enough to become food."

"That was a wise decision. You're going to want to lock him and a few of his hyena friends up in their exhibit. Still astounds me how they are the ones that get to roam free." She shook her head in disbelief. "Anyways, it's important that you trust me. Do you think you can do that?"

Emma looked at the other woman for a few seconds. Trust wasn't exactly her thing. Trust got her in one too many situations. Like the time she trusted Neal, Henry's father. He knocked her up and framed her for a crime that led her to do jail time for a few months before her son was born. Not only that, but the jerk owed her so much money. So yeah, trust wasn't exactly her thing. And if The Bandit Snow White was someone to base these magical people off of, she trusted no one. Except while that was the case, for the most part, she felt like she could trust Regina.

"Yeah, I think I can do that."

"Alright, follow me this way. First things first, getting those wild animals locked up. Then, we should worry about the Indians and pirates."

"Indians and pirates?" Emma repeated back following the ever so regal woman whose hips swayed just enough to make her take a double take.