AN: I'm back! Currently torn between this and a new SQ fic but progress is made continously :) No more trips for a while, although I must say FT4 was AWESOME! Changed my life, basically ^^

This chapter: Emma might not really be a spy but she does work for the mayor.


Her Undercover Spy

Everybody was free Thursday evening so Ruby summoned the pack to Granny's to start planning the parade. I hadn't seen the twins since Easter and frequently had to remind myself who was the nerd and who was the punk. There was also a couple of new faces. Ruby introduced us to each other.

"This is Emma. She's the newest member of the pack and knows all about LGBT rights and stuff," she said and winked at me. "Isn't that right, Em?"

I was excited to officially be considered part of the group and no one had called me Em since high school. There were a lot of memories and emotions connected to it, but now was not the time to become emotional.

"Yeah, sure," I confirmed with a smile.

"Yes, and this is Phillip and Aurora, the busy, busy nurses who happened to both be free this evening! Yay!"

Everyone suddenly whooped and applauded. It seemed to be rather sensational, indeed.

"Okay, now that everybody knows each other, let's begin!" Ruby declared, and the group quieted as I, Phillip, and Aurora sat down among them. "What we need, is support. The townspeople's support, volunteers, money, and preferably the mayor's approval. I'm not sure in which order we should tackle it, but we need to get the word out there. Any suggestions for how to do that?"

"What about posters?" Margaret suggested. "We could put them up around town."

"That's a great idea!" Ruby said, and everyone agreed.

"We should split up in smaller groups and delegate the responsibilities," Phillip decided. "That way we can focus on several things simultaneously."

Everyone agreed again and there was a bit of discussion before we had worked out a plan everyone was okay with. Margaret, Aurora, and Mei Lan were going to make and put the posters up. Ruby and Lacey would handle social media. Belle had offered to take responsibility for the economics, Phillip for the logistics, and we would all try to find sponsors. Then there was only one important task left to delegate, and I was the only one who didn't really have one yet.

"Who's gonna try to butter up the mayor? Any volunteers? No?" Ruby asked without really waiting for an answer. "Well, I didn't think so. We'll draw straws, I guess."

I noticed Margaret's eyes on me and shifted uncomfortably in my seat. Wasn't this just great. What if she suggested that I should do it, because of my connection to the mayor?

"Actually, I think-" she began, but I hastily interrupted before she could reveal anything.

"I'll do it!" I declared, cringing at my inconveniently eager voice. "I mean, I should do something, too. It's only fair."

Of all the curious gazes, Margaret's was the most intent one. I tried a tentative smile in her direction and was regarded with a smile back before she thankfully looked away.

"Are you sure?" Ruby questioned. "I know you're fearless and all, but it's not like you can just waltz into her office and expect her to listen."

Perhaps that was exactly what I should do? Well, figuratively speaking. I didn't know how to actually waltz.

"I think we should all go," Margaret said, and I suddenly felt stupid for interrupting her before.

She obviously hadn't intended to say anything about me. But no way I would pay a visit to the mayor with my new friends tagging along, that was certainly a recipe for disaster.

"I can handle it," I assured Margaret, Ruby, and anyone else who might be doubting my persuasion skills. "If she says no I'll just keep trying until she realizes what a brilliant idea this parade is."

"That's the spirit!" Ruby said enthusiastically. "So, okay, we need to work fast if we want to have it while it's still summer. I'm thinking July or August."

"It would be a nice addition to the Fourth of Julycelebrations," someone said.

"Maybe that's too soon," someone else commented.

"I think it's better to have the parade as a separate event," a third voice stated.

Everyone had different opinions and we eventually agreed to check the townspeople's interest and see what the mayor said first, then decide a more exact date. I was flexible, so that was okay with me. At least it was until I was standing outside the mayor's office the following evening after yet another late shift.

I didn't know what it was with her and working late on Friday nights – making others do the same – but last time was two weeks ago, also a week she'd had Henry, so it probably had to do with where he was. Okay, I was pretty sure that that was the reason, which meant she would most likely be in a bad mood tonight. Perhaps not the best time to ask permission for the parade. I hadn't even spoken to her since the money argument, not beyond a courteous "Good morning, Madame Mayor" yesterday, as a reply to her equally courteous "Good morning, Miss Swan." She didn't appear to be angry with me these days, at least, but maybe I should just go home and have this conversation with her another day.

I frowned and tried to peer through the small windows to her office but the curtains were closed so I couldn't see anything. Was she even there? The office looked pretty dark, even though the lights in the corridor indicated that someone was still here.

"Looking for something, Miss Swan?"

I startled and quickly spun around. The mayor was standing only a few feet away with her eyebrows raised quizzically and for a split second I wondered where the hell she had come from. Then I realized that the bathroom was the only possible explanation, since we were at the end of the corridor and I would've heard her heels against the floor if she had come from the other direction.

"No, but someone," I replied, relaxing a little.

"I wonder who that may be," she said with mock enthusiasm and walked the few steps to her office door and opened it.

Then she just stood there. Waiting. For me to enter? She sighed loudly.

"Did you want to talk to me or not?"

"Um, okay. I mean, sure. I mean, yes," I said falteringly before shutting my mouth and simply stepping over the threshold.

My eyes were immediately drawn to the – by now familiar – picture of Henry and I had to stop myself from asking about him.

"So, what's so important that you'd rather stay here and talk about it than...go out with friends, or whatever it is you normally do on Friday nights?" the mayor asked and sat down in one of her armchairs.

I turned away from the photograph above her desk and gave her a curious look. She had never been seated anywhere but behind her desk when I had been in her office before, but there she was in her armchair, legs crossed and with her eyes guiding me toward the couch opposite of her.

"You may sit."

With attempted casual movements I crossed the room and sat down on the – probably expensive and top quality – leather couch. Just the drinks missing, I thought jokingly, careful not to let my amusement show. Thinking of drinks... I couldn't not comment on it.

"You really think someone in 'my financial situation' can afford to go out with friends every weekend?"

Her expression darkened and she pursed her lips. Great move, self. Now she just had to approve of my idea, didn't she? Ugh. Why was I always so tactless?

"I thought we had sorted that," she said collectedly.

"Sorted?" I exclaimed. "You slammed the door so hard my neighbours complained!"

Her brows furrowed, if only slightly, and there was a pregnant pause before she replied.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that ever happening again."

Somehow I got the feeling she was indicating she would never visit me again, rather than be gentler with the door.

"Is that why you're here? To complain about how I closed your door?" she said mockingly.

I sighed a little and looked away from her for a moment.

"That's not why I'm here," I said, shifting my gaze back to hers. "It's... I need to ask you something."

I had her full attention, that much was clear. What she was thinking, however, I couldn't for my life figure out. On the other hand, I rarely could.

"It could've waited until next week but... I thought I might as well get it over with."

So, maybe I should. Get it over with. Enough of awkward, unnecessary explanations, I should just ask her already. She looked at me expectantly.

"I don't have a date, yet," I began, panicking a little as I realized how it could be interpreted. "I mean, we don't have a date."

I really wasn't making things any better and didn't quite dare to meet her gaze. Images of restaurant tables and dimmed lights and candles and chocolate eyes flashed through my mind and fuck!

"For the, uh... The... Eh..."

Why had I voluntarily put myself in this position? The previous late Friday night talks had been disasters! Last time, my mouth and mind hadn't cooperated at all, and the time before that, well, I'd rather not think about it. I was undoubtedly on my way to keep the embarrassing trend going.

"Miss Swan-"

"A parade!" I practically shouted before she could finish her sentence, sure that if she did, it would be very awkward for us both. "Me and my friends want to have a Pride parade in Storybrooke this summer, but we haven't agreed on a date yet."

I swallowed nervously and licked my lips, maintaining eye contact with her purely by determination, and tried to find my inner cool. My inner cool, which somehow seemed to disappear whenever the mayor appeared in any kind of sexual context in my mind. Except that romantic dinner dates weren't really that sexual, but rather...terrifying. I hadn't been on that kind of date since with Cassidy, five years ago, and didn't have any plans to go on one anytime soon. Especially not with the mayor. God, why was I still even thinking about it?

"A Pride parade?" she repeated disbelievingly, as if she was unsure whether she had heard right or not even though I knew she had.

"Yes," I confirmed. "We want your approval. And support, preferably, but I don't think anyone is expecting that."

"Why was that so hard to ask for?"

Her question surprised me. The focus should be the parade, not how I had asked. But I guessed it was a good sign that she hadn't flatout refused.

"Yeah, well, I've been up since five, thanks to my lovely schedule, so forgive me if I'm not top notch," I muttered.

"You had a five hour lunch! I had thirty-five minutes."

She had a point. But she didn't have to get up at five, I reminded myself. Technically, I didn't drag my ass out of bed before a quarter past five, but there was no need to be that precise, now was there?

"I just prefer to work either early or late, not both," I declared, then took on a casual tone and swiftly changed the topic. "But the parade, what do you say?"

Her expression didn't reveal much of what she was thinking and I curiously awaited her answer. Time for her to prove her LGBTQ support.

"I obviously have to think about it."

Yeah, obviously. Giving me a straight answer right away would've been to non-political for her. Or too straight, I amusedly thought to myself. Well, at least she hadn't said no. That was something. However, she wasn't quite finished.

"But I can bring it up with the council on Monday," she continued, causing my eyes to widen slightly in surprise.

"That'd be great!"

She gave me a tight-lipped smile and I was reminded that she was still the mayor, and it was still almost eight in the evening. All business, as usual, and excited exclamations were hardly in place. Besides, I figured our business was over, and I should probably go. Straightening in my seat I gently smacked my hands down on the fine leather.

"Well, I guess that's it, then. I'll leave you to your work," I said and got up from the couch. "See you on Monday!"

I had meant for it to be casual, kind of a joke, but what came out sounded all too sincere and had an odd sense of familiarity to it. I blinked. She blinked. Perhaps it shouldn't have been such a big deal. It was a perfectly normal thing to say to your boss at the end of the week, right? Especially when you would receive answers from her on said Monday. But she was Mayor Mills, no one ever truly looked forward to 'see her on Monday'. Except maybe Mr Humbert. Judging by the silence I was not the only one stunned by my cheery parting words, but before I had the chance to start decipher the mayor's obscure expression, her eyes narrowed just a tad and she rid her face of emotion in her usual politician way.

"See you on Monday, Miss Swan."

Her reply didn't hold any of the light-hearted friendliness my words had, but I hadn't expected it to. Just because my subconscious was messing with me didn't mean she would start behaving differently. I had gone over that over a million times in my head already. We might be making progress but it was a slow process. With a tiny nod I headed for the door and resisted the urge to look back even though I felt her gaze on me all the way there. I had just pressed down the door handle when suddenly...

"Swan?"

I stilled and slowly turned back toward her, careful to look neutral. Inside, I was burning with curiosity. What was she going to say? What could she possibly want? There was just a brief moment of hesitation and then she rolled her eyes, seemingly at herself.

"Are you walking?"

Thousands of thoughts rushed through my mind and I nodded breathlessly, unable to keep my hope from rising. The mayor gave me another tight-lipped smile, only this time it was less strained and more sincere.

"I was actually on my way home before, so..."

She didn't need to say any more for me to understand and the smile I gave in return was anything but strained. Then, of course, I had to open my mouth and ruin the moment again.

"What happened to 'you're not getting any'?" I said teasingly, immediately regretting my words and starting to backpedal as she shot me a dark look. "I mean, technically, this would be the third time-"

She managed to cut me off, shut me up, and bring forward a sheepish expression on my face with just one warning.

"Don't push your luck."


"How are the posters coming along? Have you started yet?" Ruby wondered, standing by the short end of our table at Granny's.

I might not be much for going out with friends on Fridays but Ruby was apparently free Saturday nights and it was time for another night out with the pack. She would be waiting the tables here for another hour, then the plan was to head down to The Rabbit Hole. Margaret and Belle were here, too, and the former answered Ruby's question.

"Yes, Mei Lan and I have started sketching already."

"I've started calling possible sponsors but no one's been interested yet," Belle informed us.

"Well, that's still great," Ruby said encouragingly. "It's only been a couple of days, we're not in that much of a hurry. It's supposed to be fun, too. Have you had any luck with the witch, Emma?"

I contemplated how much I should tell the others about my not so smooth talk with the mayor. Not every detail, decidedly, but the longer I withheld the truth of where I worked, the more ridiculous it would seem when it got out.

"She said she had to think about it."

"Really? I mean, usually that would indicate a no, but that woman would never hesitate to crush someone's dreams."

"Please," I said, much more pleadingly than I had intended to, and Ruby's brows weren't the only ones furrowing. "I know you all hate her and her high-and-mighty manners, and she can be terribly mean at times, but..."

But what? My arguments suddenly seemed insufficient but I sucked in a breath and gave it a try anyway. I was tired of the open mayor hate.

"She's still a person."

A person, with feelings, and "Why does everybody hate me?" Not the villain from some fairy tale, but a real human being, and "as long as I stay the backbiting is kept at a minimum." The other girls stared incredulously at me.

"I'm not defending her actions or anything, I know what she's capable of, but as long as you fuel your own and others negative feelings toward her, nothing will change."

Margaret cast down her eyes, looking at least somewhat affected by my words, while Ruby instead narrowed her gaze.

"Change? You really think she has potential to change? Because after all these years of putting up with her foul mood and insults, I've kind of given up on that," the waitress told me, then her eyes flashed with sudden realization. "Oh my God. How did I not see this before?"

Panic arose in my chest. This was not how it was supposed to play out! I was the one who was supposed to tell them. She was not supposed to have figured it out herself. Tilting her head curiously, she eyed me with new interest.

"You work for her."

It was stated without negativity and I tried to focus on that as I made an apologetic face. Perhaps it would be okay, after all. Perhaps we really were friends. Margaret's eyes grew wide.

"Oh," she said, suddenly understanding my connection to the mayor.

"I should've connected the dots weeks ago," Ruby complained, seeming more disappointed in herself than in me. "It's been right under my nose ever since you told me about your pain in the ass boss. Not even you watching Henry was enough for me to get it! Gosh, I've been so blind."

Wait, she knew about that? My eyes darted to Margaret.

"I didn't know it was a secret," she said, part apologetic, part defensive.

"No, and why was it?" Ruby wanted to know. "Why didn't you tell us? Are you her undercover spy or something?"

I chuckled slightly at the joke and shook my head. It eased some of the tension – which, honestly, I was mainly responsible for – and the others smiled, as well.

"Only when it comes to pirates," I said half-jokingly and winked, in an attempt to regain my confidence. "You know, gotta keep an eye on that bastard. He tried to talk himself out of payingfor a bet he made with me last week."

"He did? How- Oh, right, he works at her office, too," Ruby said, getting thoughtful. "I actually asked Ashley about him, she stopped by with her newborn daughter a few days ago. Obviously, we mostly talked about baby stuff, but a little about work, too. Wait, you know Ashley, right?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "We worked together my first two weeks and she showed me how the job was done. She had a little girl?"

"Of course you do," Ruby said with an eye roll. "You're obviously 'the new girl' she mentioned. I can't believe I've been so stupid! But yeah, she had a healthy little baby girl, and her boyfriend proposed and everything. It's almost like a fairy tale! Except for their lack of royalty and wealth."

She gave a small, dry laugh at the same time as Margaret let out an excited squeal. Gone was the meek – albeit a bit nosy – school teacher.

"They're getting married?!"

"I think that's the plan, since she said yes," Ruby smirked. "Speaking of, how's it going with that animal shelter guy? And with Mr Grandpa?"

She turned to Belle, who quietly had been following the conversation, and grinned at her. Before anyone could reply, though, Granny called for Ruby, who cursed.

"Dammit! Tell me later, okay?"

With that she was gone and I spent the next forty-five minutes listening to Margaret's romantic drivel. Despite myself, I noticed my thoughts drifting to the mayor. Not that there was anything romantic going on there, being offered a ride home had certainly been a pleasant surprise. There had been no drunkenness or bad weather prompting her to do so. I hadn't even asked, it had been her own idea, completely.

"I do believe she can change," I suddenly declared, effectively silencing the babbling school teacher. "I believe anyone can change, if they're just given the chance."

After some hesitation Belle spoke up.

"I agree with you," she said, and shifted her gaze from me to Margaret. "I always try to see the good in people. There's something good in everyone and that's what I try to focus on rather than their negative traits."

Margaret looked like she wanted to agree but there was something holding her back.

"Not to be rude or anything, I mostly agree with you both, but wasn't that kind of the main issue in your last relationship?" she asked tentatively. "That you kept ignoring his...less flattering traits?"

Belle's eyes darkened.

"No, it was not. I was naive and overly forgiving, I know that, but the main issue wasn't me trusting and believing in him. It was him breaking that trust."

"No, no no no, what do I hear? Why are you talking about that asshole?" Ruby called from across the diner as she approached our table, changed and ready to head out. "Let's talk less about- no, let's not talk at all about stupid exes and instead update me on the current men in your lives! And women, sorry, Em. How's that going, by the way?"

Unprepared for the question, I faltered a little before telling her that nothing new had happened in that department. She gave me a smug smile.

"You sure? Cause that was rather unconvincing."

I just laughed if off and said I was sure, but dammit if I didn't feel a small surge of heat creep up my neck. Thankfully, no one interrogated me further. I wouldn't have had anything to say anyway, it wasn't like offering me a ride home meant anything. Well, it did mean something, but not...that kind of something. I sighed heavily at myself. Couldn't I have just one night out with friends without thoughts of the mayor disturbing my mind? Apparently not.