A/N: Hello again, friends! Hope you're liking this. If you're not, please tell me why? Improvement is important to me! Unfortunately, I do not own Once Upon a Time (ONE DAY!) or the characters, but I do own the story. Points for whoever gets the song title reference, and please please review! Thanks~
XX
Emma waltzed into her English class, groaning as she noticed the little white index cards on each desk, each adorned with the perfectly handwritten name of a student; it would seem that Miss Mills had decided to enact another seating chart. Thankfully, three quarters of the desks had been filled already, albeit with confused faces, so surely it wouldn't be entirely too difficult to find her new seat? She snickered as she noticed Killian's name; at least she would not be seated near that moron. However, as she walked through the rows, it became readily apparent that she would not be lucky. She finally spotted her name, and of course it would be at the desk directly in front of Miss Mills'. Pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger, Emma slipped effortlessly into the desk and grabbed her index card, intent on throwing it away. However, a small glimpse of red caught her eye and she turned it over, eyes widening as she read the note her teacher had left.
Now you know I'm always watching, Miss Swan.
A shiver ran up her spine at these words, although Emma did not quite understand why. Was she afraid? No, it definitely wasn't that; the shiver did not seem to arise from fear. Emma got the feeling she was being watched, and her eyes moved to the front of the classroom where Miss Mills perched atop her desk. The blonde barely suppressed a groan as she noticed her teacher for the first time. A deep ebony dress adorned her voluptuous figure, and the heels she had worn today only aided her aura of intimidation. Emma's mouth suddenly seemed very, very dry her eyes traveled up those shapely legs to a place that she knew was forbidden. It might have been her imagination, but Emma could swear the teacher had shifted, allowing her a better view. At this, she allowed her eyes to continue their journey, wasting no time in moving to those perfect lips, lips she realized were parted in a smug grin, insanely white teeth just visible. Emma's eyes finally met Miss Mills', and as they locked together, she caught the fleeting, curious look in them. Emma once more had to suppress a groan as the teacher darted her tongue out, licking her plump lips. The bell sounded, awakening her from her contemplation, and whatever game she had been playing with the teacher, with a jolt. Emma's cheeks dusted light pink, and she threw her head down to pull out a piece of paper as her teacher began talking. Emma rarely zoned out in this class, as English had always been her favorite. She had spent countless hours as a child at the library, getting lost in book after book to escape the hell that her life had always been. She remembered vividly the kindly, older librarian, whose thick gray hair was always pulled into a bun atop her head. Her silver, thick framed glasses perched precariously atop her nose, a thin chain leading from either side of the rims around the back of her neck like a necklace. Emma easily recalled the first time she had met the librarian, as it was one of the few memories she was glad to have.
XX
An eight year old Emma stared, bright eyed, at the rows of books laid out before her. She slowly moved forward, afraid to touch anything; she knew her parents would punish her if they had to pay for one of her mistakes, and she could barely hide her current bruises as is. A short, slightly plump woman sat behind a large, mahogany desk, smiling and humming a tune to herself. Her eyes furrowed as she saw Emma, and the young girl began to feel afraid. She ran her hand through her dirty hair, wincing a little as her fingers snagged in knots. She must have gotten lost in the moment, because the next thing she noticed was a hand covering her shoulder. Emma had learned long ago not to scream, and instead jerked back violently, tears in her eyes. When the woman did not strike her, Emma allowed a curious glance at her; the woman appeared troubled, but Emma could not help but feel safe.
"What's your name, child?"
"Emma S-Swan, M-Miss," was the young girl's quiet response.
"Do your parents know that you are here, Emma Swan?"
Emma's eyes grew wide, fearful, and she looked around quickly as if she were already in trouble before meeting the older woman's eyes and shaking her head.
"Well then, we won't tell them. My name is Eva, little one, but you can call me Grandma Eva, if you'd like." At this Emma nodded fiercely; she already loved this woman, the first person to ever show her kindness.
"Do you have a library card, Emma Swan?" Emma shook her head sadly, and Eva smiled. "Well, let's make you one, then."
The rest of the afternoon had been perfect, arguably the best time for Emma at that point in her life. Eva had made her her own special library card, pulling out a small five to pay the fee herself. She then showed Emma how to find books, and made her a special place next to the desk where the girl sat and read for hours before heading back to her abusive family, a prison she had never chosen.
XX
A light shake awoke Emma from her reverie; she hissed sharply and flinched backwards, almost falling completely out of her desk before realizing that her teacher was the one shaking her.
"Miss Swan, are you daydreaming in my class?"
Emma shook her head no, and tried to defend herself; however, this was impossible as she noticed a sob stuck in her throat. Miss Mills raised her hand to Emma's face, rubbing her thumb underneath her student's eye, and it shocked Emma to realize she had been crying. She quickly turned to the side, doing her best to wipe the tears from her face and compose herself once more.
"Miss Swan? Would you like to talk about it?"
Emma was unsure how to respond, so unused to the kind tone from her teacher was she, so she shook her head before plastering on a fake smile. She quickly realized that they were alone and cleared her throat.
"I am sorry, Miss Mills. It won't happen again, I promise."
Regina seemed to want to argue, but, thinking better of it, mercifully let it go.
"Right, Miss Swan. About your punishment, I have decided that you will spend your summer as my assistant. I want your word that you accept and will not attempt to circumvent this punishment upon your graduation."
Emma sighed quietly. On one hand, it would suck having her summer taken from her; on another, she deserved this punishment, if not more, for defacing the teacher's car, and if she were being perfectly honest with herself she wouldn't mind spending some time with the beautiful older woman.
"Yes, ma'am, and again, I am sorry about ruining your paint job. I had no idea that it would be such a disaster, and I never meant to-"
A slam made both women jump and straighten up, and Regina quickly pushed Emma behind her desk as Sidney Glass marched angrily into the room.
"Sidney, can I help you?" Regina asked coolly, betraying her irritation at the fool who was quickly ruining the admission and sorrow from her student. Mr. Glass looked taken aback, but continued moving towards her. Emma peeked out from behind the desk quietly, her eyes never leaving Mr. Glass's shaking form. She had seen that look far too many times as a child, and she knew when she was in danger and how to correctly react. However, it seemed this time that the one in danger was Regina, and Emma was unsure how this would all play out. She pulled out her cellphone, quickly texting a "SOS-MILLS ROOM" to Graham and waited with bated breath as the man drew closer to Regina.
"Yes, Regina, you can help me. You know exactly what I want, and you're going to give it to me."
XX
Graham was on his way out of school when he felt his pocket vibrate. He reached for his phone and frowned at the message before stopping and turning around.
"Killian! Neal! Let's go!" The best friends wasted no time, nor did they question their ringleader's orders; they simply followed his every whim, and as Graham started racing towards Miss Mills room, they recognized the urgency, speeding up their pace to match his.
XX
'The hell I will, Sidney, and you'd be wise to remember just who it is you are talking to. Get out of my room."
Regina was never one to back down, but Emma could hear the slight edge of fear creeping into her voice. As Sidney inched closer, Emma was beginning to worry that Graham had not received her text, but the pounding of feet brought her welcome relief and she smiled as Graham, Neal and Killian rushed into the room, slightly out of breath at having run up three flights of stairs. Sidney shrunk back and grew deathly quiet as the three students, who out muscled him in every way possible, moved in pack formation towards him and Regina, a threat in their eyes.
"Miss Mills, I have a question about today's homework," Graham began, and that snapped Sidney out of his trance, as he quickly shot Regina, and the boys, angry glares before clearing his throat and leaving the room. Emma chose that moment to jump out of her hiding spot and run to Graham, giving her best guy friend a quick hug and thanking him for saving her ass. Miss Mills continued staring at the three before allowing a small smile to grace her lips, and she watched as Emma ushered the boys out of the room before shutting and locking the door, making a mental note to find some way to give the three seniors who had quite possibly just gotten her out of a dangerous situation some sort of extra credit.
Emma cleared her throat before moving cautiously to her teacher, who looked at her with wary eyes.
"You okay, Miss Mills?"
"Yes, yes, I am fine. Let us pretend that never happened, shall we?"
Emma shrugged, unfazed. "Before I agree to that, let me just tell you that whatever the hell he wants from you, you need to be careful, because I have his class before this and he spent all period angrily slamming shit, and I can only assume you are the reason why."
"Language, Miss Swan, but I will take that into consideration, thank you."
Emma nodded before grabbing her backpack and giving her teacher a pointed look.
"Is there something else, Miss Swan?"
"No, not really, just that I'm your assistant now, and I figured I could start by walking you to your car so you can avoid.."
Emma's words trailed off, which did not go unnoticed by Regina, and she grabbed her purse, pulling the keys out before nodding and following along beside her student. They quickly dissolved into comfortable silence, as they walked down the stairs to the back of the school, where Emma's face colored with shame as she noticed the faded beginnings of the slur used against her teacher, who was not as bad as everyone seemed to think, although she was only beginning to notice this.
XX
"Miss Swan?"
"Hm?"
"Would you like a ride?"
"Um.. I mean, sure, I guess?"
"Let's go then, dear."
"Right." Emma quickly climbed into the passenger's seat, pulling on her seat belt and supplying her teacher with directions. Every now and again, Emma would glance shyly at the driver, whose face seemed to betray a hint of emotion, before quickly looking away, fearful of being caught.
Emma pulled out her phone as a distraction, sending a text to her three best guy friends.
Emma: Thanks, guys, and not a word, please.
Killian: Of course, love.
Neal: You got it, boss.
Graham: Anytime.
Emma smiled at the almost instantaneous reply she got from her three boys, whom she referred to quite often as brothers, sliding her phone back into her pocket and twisting her hands together.
"Miss Swan? Thank you," Regina whispered across the car. Emma would not have heard it had she not chosen that moment to look at her teacher, and she noncommittally grunted in response. Another few minutes passed, and she glanced once more at her teacher, this time appreciating the view before her, once more mindful to not get caught.
"Miss Swan?"
Damn, not fast enough.
"Hm?"
"Why are you staring?"
"Um..ummm.."
That same smug smile from earlier slowly played it's way across Regina's face, and Emma felt her cheeks heat up. Thankfully, it was at this moment that they arrived at her house, and Emma fled as fast as she could, quietly mumbling thanks for the ride and leaving an utterly amused and slightly baffled Regina looking on behind her.