So. This is my re-edited version of this story. I hope you'll like it and remember comments are writing fuel. And it always makes me smile and makes my day so much better! My beta is working her ass off and I'm writing like crazy. I'm on chapter 32 now so this is gonna be a long story, full with feelings. So now I'm gonna stop babbling and instead welcome you onboard this adventure! :)

Chapter 1

Regina Mills was the envy of everyone in town. She lived in a big mansion, drove a brand new Mercedes, wore designer clothes, and had a mother who had the kind of money that some people could only dream of. Unfortunately something people didn't know was that even though Regina theoretically had it all, she felt alone. Invisible. Her mother was always away on business so Regina had practically been raised by their maid, Rosita.

"Good morning Miss Mills." Rosita smiled when Regina came down to the kitchen. "I've prepared breakfast for you, it's in the dining room."

"Thank you Rosita, and it's Regina, if you please?" Regina urged, even though she knew Rosita would never call her by her first name. "Where's mother?"

"Mrs Mills is away on business and back tomorrow Miss Mills" Rosita answered before she started to do the dishes from yesterday. Regina sighed and nodded before she walked into the dining room. She didn't remember the last time she shared a meal with her mother. She never had time for her only daughter. Regina missed her dad. He always made sure he and his daughter started the day with breakfast together. Even when he was a busy man, that was something he never forgot. His death was something she still mourned with a heavy heart.

****

"Mornin' Swan" Ruby grinned when her adoptive sister, Emma came downstairs."Granny's out but she prepared her delicious sandwiches before she left. Dig in"

"Awesome" Emma smiled and gave her sister some company. Emma was a kid with a rough past. She had grown up in the foster system since she had practically been left on the side of the road when she'd been born. Emma had bounced around most of her life, until she had shown up at Granny's diner that cold winter night, now almost 2 years ago. Ruby had been working extra that night and Emma had caught her attention at once.

"Thank god your place was open." the young blonde smiled at the red-haired waitress who looked to be around the same age as her.

"Yeah, we're open almost 24/7." the waitress chuckled. "You wouldn't believe how many people want hamburgers in the middle of the night. I'm Ruby by the way"

"Nice to meet you Ruby, I'm Emma" the blonde replied.

"So what can I get you?" Ruby asked as she reached for her notebook.

"Ehm" Emma shrugged and laid out a couple of dollars on the table. "I think I can afford a coffee maybe?" Ruby studied Emma for a while and something didn't seem right. The blonde had ripped and dirty clothes and her hair couldn't have been washed for a long while. Was she homeless? Ruby snapped back to reality and put down her notebook.

"Keep your money girl, it's my treat." Ruby grinned. "What do you say about a cheeseburger and fries with a big chocolate milkshake?"

"Yes please. That's sounds delicious!" Emma blushed and licked her lips. She wasn't used to people being nice to her, and especially not strangers.

"Be right up" Ruby said with a gentle tone and disappeared towards the kitchen where her grandmother was.

"Granny" Ruby said and her grandmother turned around and met her eyes. Ruby looked worried, almost scared.

"Ruby? Is everything alright? Is that drunken idiot Leroy in again and making a scene?" the old lady growled. "Let me call the sheriff" Ruby rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Then what's wrong? Spit it out"

"Take a quick look at the poor girl in there. I got a feeling something's not quite right with her" Granny didn't understand what her granddaughter was talking about but did as she was told. Ruby gave her a gentle smile and started to prepare Emma's food when the old woman left the kitchen.

Granny grabbed a towel and pretended to clean the counter while quietly examining the blonde. Immediately she too was struck by the feeling something was off with the poor girl. She was wearing clothes that were more suitable for the summer than for the harsh winter they had been experiencing this year. Granny felt her heart break harder when she saw the girl try to warm up her hands on the radiator. She decided to walk over to her with the blanket she had behind the counter.

"Here my dear, I can see you're freezing" Granny said calmly and laid the blanket on the blonde's shoulders. The young girl wrapped the blanket around herself and gave the old woman a big smile.

"Thank you." the girl shakily received the gesture in kind

"You're welcome dear. What's your name?"

"I'm Emma." the young girl replied.

"Welcome to my diner Emma. I'm Eugenia but everyone calls me Granny, and the waitress is my granddaughter, Ruby"

"It's nice to meet both of you. Thanks for the blanket and thank Ruby for the free food" Emma replied, noticing how the old woman was studying her. Emma bit her lip and feared she would call child protective services.

"You're not from around here, now are you?" Granny asked carefully, noticing the tension in Emma's body language.

"Ehm no I'm ehm. I" Emma almost panicked and the old woman laid her hand on Emma's shoulder. They locked eyes but Emma looked away quickly and was about to stand up but was stopped when Ruby joined them and put down the plate of food in front of Emma. She didn't remember the last time she had eaten something and her stomach growled. She felt Ruby and Granny's eyes on her, and she knew it was a matter of minutes before she would be bombarded with questions.

"I'm homeless okay?" Emma said with a low growl. "I'm underage too. I'm a fucking foster kid on the run, but please let me finish my food before you call child protective services?" Granny raised an eyebrow and was surprised of Emma's tone and teary eyes. Granny and Ruby shared a knowing look and a nod.

"Don't worry Emma" Ruby said. "You're safe here"

Emma slept at their place that night. The day after that Granny called child protective services, but not to get Emma thrown in some new foster family or group home. Instead granny shocked both Emma and her granddaughter by saying that she wanted to adopt Emma. She had lived with them ever since.

"So are you excited to have the day off?" Emma asked and gave Ruby a gentle slap on the shoulder.

"Yeah" Ruby grinned. She had planned the perfect day for her and her girlfriend Belle. "I owe you one"

"Yeah yeah, get your ass off of the sofa and go enjoy a day with your girl! I'll have to get moving so I can get my morning run in before work"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Ruby grinned and they walked over to put on their shoes. "Just don't forget it's movie night tonight Swan, and it's Granny's turn to chose so prepare yourself for some silent movie from the stone age"

"Shush you" Granny chuckled when she met her two daughters in the doorway. "Tell Belle I said hello, and Emma don't forget the time like you always do huh?"

"See you later Granny!" Ruby and Emma said simultaneously and closed the door behind them.

Regina was headed for the stables. She had too much going on in her head, and a ride always did her good. Her stable boy Daniel greeted her with a wave but she hardly acknowledged him. He was always hitting on her, and even though Regina always said she wasn't interested he didn't stop. So nowadays she just ignored him. She didn't even know why her mother insisted to keeping him around, but Regina guessed it was because he was the son of Albert, the second richest man in town and her mother probably didn't want to upset him by firing his son.

Regina groaned when Daniel ran up to her as she was brushing her horse Rocinante. Why couldn't he just take a hint? He behaved like a dumb dog that didn't understand commands.

"Hi Regina."

"Hello Daniel" Regina replied through gritted teeth.

"Nice weather for a ride huh?"

"Yes Daniel, and if you would be so kind as to continue with your chores so I can get my horse ready in peace, hm?"

"Oh! Of course Regina" He nodded. "Have a good ride"

"Thank you" she said and mounted her horse then watched Daniel disappear into the stables. She took a deep breath and decided to go for a ride in the forest.

****

Emma loved the feeling of the wind blowing through her hair. She didn't have many routines left from her childhood, except for this. Her body was her temple and the only thing she had ever been in control of. She had always loved to run and it was the time she felt the most alive. The fresh air in her lungs and the wind in her hair. Life felt almost simple for a second. She embraced that feeling, and didn't want to let go of it.

That was the reason she almost forgot the time when she was out for a run. Many times she had missed the beginning of her work shifts because of that. Emma had been terrified the first time because she had feared Granny's reaction. In other foster homes Emma had gotten all kinds of punishments if she had done something wrong, or behaved badly. She had been beaten, yelled at and even been denied food for days at a time. Granny hadn't done any of that though. She had just chuckled and told Emma to take her phone with her so Granny could call her if she got lost in her own thoughts. Emma had hardly believed her ears.

The time in Eugenia's home had been the best time of Emma's life. It had been hard in the beginning, because she was always on her guard, watching and waiting for something bad to happen. But it never did. Instead she received the love and kindness she had never gotten before. It had felt weird at first but now she couldn't imagine a life without Granny and Ruby, because they were the family Emma had always wanted. She was so happy with them. Eugenia was like Emma's mother and grandmother in one person. Ruby was the bigger sister Emma always dreamed about, and she was always there for Emma. Though Emma was happy here, she still had terrible nightmares of her life before them, and some nights she woke up from her own screams. Only this time she wasn't alone. She didn't have to face her demons alone. Ruby would always keep her company and make her smile again. Emma felt wanted for the first time in her life. And she made sure her family always knew that and how thankful she was for it.

****

Regina met Eugenia's adoptive daughter Emma, every time she went out in the forest. Maybe that was the biggest reason Regina liked this trail more than others she could choose from. They always talked. Even though they seemed like polar opposites, they were starting to form a friendship.

Ruby had been one of Regina's few friends, over the years but it had taken quite some time to get to know Emma. Ruby had told her about her sister's past, and the town had of course wondered about where Emma had come from. The town was small and gossip was hard to stop, but Granny had dealt with her own way, like she always did with problems. She had thrown the people who had some problems with Emma and her sudden appearance in town, out from her diner, and that was quite the scare so the whispering and pointing soon stopped. Overall most people seemed to welcome Emma. Except for Regina's mother of course. Cora thought Emma was nothing more than trash and almost forbade Regina to visit the diner because of it.

"Mother!" Regina spat. They were arguing about Eugenia's new family member, Emma, and they didn't share the same opinions about her. Cora saw Emma as a insect, a rat and none the less, just bad. Regina saw Emma as a lost girl who probably never had someone to care for her before she had stumbled upon Eugenia and Ruby.

"I don't understand why you insist on being friends with that girl Ruby in the first place" Cora huffed and took a sip of her cider. "her mother abandoned her on Eugenia's doorstep when she was born for God's sake, and that other girl just showed up one night and then she adopted her? If it had been me I would have thrown her out on the streets again.."

"You would not! It was in the middle of a snow storm! You cannot be that heartless! And her name is Emma!" Regina shot back and felt the anger starting to boil.

"The hell I would have! Don't question me like that Regina!"

"So you would have thrown me out too? If I had appeared like Emma?!" Regina growled and put down her fork and knife. Her appetite was gone now and this conversation made her sick to her stomach.

"That's different dear" Cora shrugged and that was the last straw for Regina. The girl stood up and gritted her teeth.

"That's enough! This... this conversation is making me sick! You cannot tell me who I should or should not talk to. You may be my mother, but I'm old enough to decide that for myself. And second, stop behaving like we are some nobles with blue blood in her veins. You had nothing before daddy! Without his money you would still.." slap.

"Not another word!" Cora warned and kept her hand raised. The sudden slap had caught Regina of guard. Even if it wasn't the first time Cora had raised her hand against her.

"I wish it had been you who died that day and not daddy!" Regina screamed and left the room.

"Mornin' Regina" Emma smiled and offered Rocinante an apple, like she did every morning. Regina just smiled and patted her horse's neck.

"Good morning, Miss Swan." Regina smiled and dismounted her horse. "How are you doing, dear?"

"I'm good. I'm in a little bit of a hurry. I'm covering Ruby's shift today" Emma shrugged and studied Regina for a while. The riding clothes she had on probably cost more than Emma's whole wardrobe did, but god did she look stunning. And she always smelled like a goddess. The scent was a hint of apple, cinnamon and chocolate. A smell that Emma couldn't get enough of. God Swan, get a grip of yourself.

"Yeah it's their anniversary today huh?" Regina chuckled and gave Emma a quick look. The blonde wasn't wearing anything special at all (just a white sports bra, black slacks and white sneakers) and maybe that was what made her so gorgeous. Emma could look sexy in a trash bag Regina thought to herself with a smile. Regina knew both Ruby and Emma weren't used to the life of luxury like she was, because Granny didn't have so much money, but her girls were always taken care of. Maybe they didn't have the newest clothes but they were happy. Something Regina hadn't been for quite some time.

"So when are you finally going to join me for a run huh?" Emma asked and interrupted Regina's thoughts.

"Well the same day as you come with me on a ride" Regina teased.

"I'm sure as hell not gonna sit on a beast that big. At least running can't crush you to death if you fall down" Emma laughed and Regina just rolled her eyes.

"But you and Rocinante seem to be so good friends nowadays Hm?" Regina smiled and remembered the first couple of times they had met like this. Emma had been absolutely terrified of the big animal.

"Well maybe we are, but if you remember, I kinda bribe him everyday to with an apple, or have you missed that?" God she's beautiful.

"So Emma Swan isn't as big and tough as she seems Hm?" Regina teased and Emma blushed. Before she could reply her phone buzzed and she signed. She knew she was late but she loved these moments with Regina. It would make her walk on clouds for the rest of the day and drive Ruby crazy because she never understood what made her sister so giggly and happy.

"Sorry I gotta go. Work's calling" Emma shrugged. "But if you get cravings for a coffee today, it's on the house"

"Well thank you dear. Have a good day, Miss Swan" Regina smiled.

"Have a good one Reg!" She shouted over her shoulder and Emma didn't know that Regina just sat there on her horse, with a big grin on her face and watched until she was out of sight. When are you gonna get the guts to ask her out Regina? With a big sigh she turned her horse around and headed back to the stables.